Research overview: tiger prey selection and the importance of large deer

Tigers are capable of killing very large prey, and their diet centers on medium to large ungulates wherever these are available. This overview synthesizes kill and scat studies showing that species such as sambar, chital, wild pig, and gaur calves form the dietary core in Asian forests, with tigers preferring prey large enough to repay the effort of a difficult hunt. It reviews how prey size relative to the tiger's own mass shapes kill frequency, handling time, and the spacing of meals, and how local prey communities determine which species dominate the diet. The synthesis links prey selection to the density relationships that govern tiger numbers. For enthusiasts it explains why protecting large deer and wild pig is inseparable from protecting tigers, and why a forest emptied of big prey cannot sustain the cat even if the trees remain.