The Indian Tiger has perhaps attracted more vivid portrayals than any other species. If looked in the socio-religious context, this isn’t surprising at all. While the tiger has been traditionally associated with the Indian Goddess Durga, today it has also become a symbol of national pride. Efforts for its conservation have been quite remarkable. In India, you can catch more than a glimpse of the Indian Tiger.

Historically, tigers lived in all the regions of India, from the snow-covered Himalayas at elevations of 10,000 feet, to the forests of South India. Tigers may inhabit high-mountain terrain, dry tropical forests, humid evergreen frosts and mangrove swamps.
An adult tiger defends a large area from all other tigers of the same sex. The female’s territory must contain enough prey to support herself and her cubs. A male’s territory, additionally, must offer access to females with which to mate. Thus, a male’s territory overlaps with that of one to seven females. Male territories are always larger than those of females. But territory size varies enormously and is directly related to the abundance of prey in a given habitat. For instance, Indian tigers in prey-rich habitats defend quite small territories and female territories average just eight square miles.

Except for a mother and her cubs, tigers live and hunt alone. But that does not means they are not social. Scent marks and visual signposts (such as scratch marks) allow tigers to track other tigers in the area and even identify individuals. A female tiger knows the other females of nearby territories and in many cases; a neighbor may be her daughter. Females know their overlapping males (and vice versa) and probably know when a new male take over. All tigers can identify passing strangers. So, while solitary tigers actually have a rich social life, they just prefer to socialize from a distance.