What is the gestation period for tigers?

Tigers gestate for 103 days before the mother gives birth. Female tigers usually have a litter of four to six cubs that stay with the mother for about two and a half years.

A female tiger in heat leaves “messages” by urinating on trees to let males know she is ready to mate. A male and female make loud moaning calls to find each other for breeding.

A female can have a litter of cubs about every two years. In the wild, a mother tiger cannot kill enough prey to feed all her cubs, so only two usually survive out of a litter.

At around 8 weeks of age, cubs follow the mother out of the den. They join her in hunting and are ready to learn how to kill large prey when they are 6 months old.