编辑“︁虎”︁（章节）

=== 猎食 ===
[[File:Hunting Tiger Ranthambore.jpg|thumb|一只虎和它的猎物]]
虎是一种大型食肉动物，也是生态系统中的[[顶级掠食者]]。在野外，虎大多捕食大型和中型动物，尤其是当地的[[有蹄类]]动物，重量一般大于{{convert|90|kg|lb}}<ref name="Old">{{cite journal | title=Food habits and prey selection of tiger and leopard in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India | url=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/228476287_Food_habits_and_prey_selection_of_tiger_and_leopard_in_Mudumalai_Tiger_Re-serve_Tamil_Nadu_India | author=Ramesh, T.; Snehalatha, V.; Sankar, K. and Qureshi, Qamar | journal=J. Sci. Trans. Environ. Technov. | year=2009 | volume=2 | issue=3 | pages=170–181 | access-date=2015-05-30 | archive-date=2017-06-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628171620/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228476287_Food_habits_and_prey_selection_of_tiger_and_leopard_in_Mudumalai_Tiger_Re-serve_Tamil_Nadu_India | dead-url=no }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=Prey Selection by Tiger, Leopard and Dhole in Tropical Forests | url=https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-animal-ecology_1995-07_64_4/page/439 | jstor=5647 | doi=10.2307/5647 | author=Karanth, K. Ullas and Sunquist, Melvin E. | journal=Journal of Animal Ecology | volume=64 | issue=4 | year=1995 | pages=439–450}}</ref>。虎一般对其猎物种群数量没有或仅有少量不利影响<ref name="Walker">{{cite book | author=Novak, R. M. | year=1999 | title=Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition | url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0000nowa | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore | isbn=0-8018-5789-9}}</ref>。在野外，虎大多捕食大型和中型的动物。如[[水鹿]]、[[花鹿]]、[[泽鹿]]、[[野猪]]、[[印度野牛]]和[[蓝牛羚]]，以及野生和驯养的[[水牛]]。在[[印度]]的[[泰米尔纳德邦]]，驯养的[[水牛]]是老虎最喜欢的猎物<ref name="Old" />。而在印度的其他地方，虎更喜欢捕食[[印度野牛]]和[[水鹿]]，并是其主要食物来源<ref>{{cite journal | title=Prey selection by tiger, leopard and dhole in tropical forests | url=http://www.catsg.org/catsglib/recordetail.php?recordid=1720 | author=Karanth, K.U. and Sunquist, M.E | journal=Journal of Animal Ecology | year=2009 | volume=64 | issue=3 | pages=439–450 | doi=10.2307/5647 | access-date=2015-05-30 | archive-date=2021-04-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403053428/http://www.catsg.org/catsglib/recordetail.php?recordid=1720 | dead-url=no }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=Diet and prey profiles of three sympatric large carnivores in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, India | url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2007.00310.x/abstract | author=Andheria1, A.P.; Karanth, K.U. and Kumar N.S. | journal=Journal of Zoology | year=2007 | volume=273 | issue=2 | pages=169–175 | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2007.00310.x | access-date=2015-05-30 | archive-date=2017-10-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029103805/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2007.00310.x/abstract | dead-url=no }}</ref>。虎也捕食其他[[肉食性动物|食肉动物]]，包括[[豹]]、[[狗]]、[[狼]]、[[蟒]]、[[懒熊]]和[[鳄]]。在西伯利亚，它们的主要猎物是{{le|东北马鹿|Manchurian wapiti}}和[[野猪]]（这两种猎物构成了其80%的食物来源），并包括[[梅花鹿]]、[[驼鹿]]、[[东方狍]]和[[麝]]<ref name="j1">{{cite journal |title=Food habits of Amur tigers in the Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik and the Russian Far East, and implications for conservation |url=http://www.panthera.org/sites/default/files/Miquelle_Quigley_1996_Food_habits_of_Amur_tigers.pdf |author=Miquelle, Dale G.; Smirnov, Evgeny N.; Quigley, Howard B.; Hornocker, Maurice G.; Nikolayev, Igor G. and Matyushkin, Evgeny N. |journal=Journal of Wildlife Research |year=1996 |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=138 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101192450/http://www.panthera.org/sites/default/files/Miquelle_Quigley_1996_Food_habits_of_Amur_tigers.pdf |archivedate=2012-11-01 |access-date=2015-05-30 }}</ref>，幼弱的[[亚洲黑熊]]和[[东北棕熊]]有时也成为虎的猎物<ref name="der-tiger">{{cite book | author=Mazak, V. | year=2004 | title=Der Tiger | publisher=Westarp Wissenschaften Hohenwarsleben | isbn=3-89432-759-6|language=de}}</ref><ref name="amur">{{cite book |title=Amur tiger |author=David Prynn |publisher=Russian Nature Press |year=2004 |pages=115}}</ref><ref name="Denning">{{cite journal |url=http://www.wcsrussia.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/Download.aspx?EntryId=3313&PortalId=32&DownloadMethod=attachment |author=Seryodkin |display-authors=etal |year=2003 |title=Denning ecology of brown bears and Asiatic black bears in the Russian Far East |journal=Ursus |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=159 |access-date=2015-05-30 |archive-date=2011-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817151324/http://www.wcsrussia.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/Download.aspx?EntryId=3313&PortalId=32&DownloadMethod=attachment |dead-url=no }}</ref>，他们共同构成了西伯利亚虎40.7%的食物来源，与当地情况和熊的分布状况有关<ref name="Seryodkin2">{{cite book |author=Seryodkin I. V.; Goodrich J. M.; Kostyrya A. V.; Schleyer B. O.; Smirnov E. N.; Kerley L. L.; Miquelle D. G.  |year=2005 |title= Relationship among tigers, brown bears, and Himalayan black bears | journal=Tigers of Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik: Ecology and Conservation |chapter=19 }}</ref>。在苏门答腊岛，虎则捕食[[水鹿]]、[[山羌]]、[[野猪]]、[[马来貘]]和[[猩猩]]<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00801.x|pages=224–229|title=Assessing tiger-prey interactions in Sumatran rainforests|journal=Journal of Zoology|volume=284|issue=3|date=2011-07-01|issn=1469-7998|accessdate=2018-04-02|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00801.x|author=M. Linkie, M. S. Ridout}}</ref><ref name="Cawthon">{{cite web | author = Cawthon Lang KA | date = 2005-06-13 | title = Primate Factsheets: Orangutan (Pongo) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology | url = http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/orangutan | accessdate = 2007-10-12 | archive-date = 2017-07-06 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170706123757/http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/orangutan | dead-url = no }}</ref>。如果加上已灭绝的里海虎，猎物则还包括[[赛加羚羊]]、骆驼、[[高加索野牛]]、[[牦牛]]和野马。与许多食肉动物一样，它们是“机会主义者”，会吃更小的猎物，例如猴子、孔雀、野兔和鱼<ref name="Old" />。

成年大象太大，从而并不常是虎的猎物，但老虎和大象之间的冲突有时的确会发生。虎能够杀死一只成年印度犀牛。偶尔年轻的大象和犀牛牛犊有时亦会被捕食。老虎有时也捕食家畜，如狗、牛、马、驴。这些虎被称为“偷牛贼”或“牛杀手”<ref name="Perry">{{cite book|author = Perry, Richard|title = The World of the Tiger|year = 1965|page = 260|id = ASIN: B0007DU2IU}}</ref>。

老虎通常是不吃人的，一般来说其吃人多是因为太老或太虚弱，无法猎杀野生动物，或是因为人类入侵其领地<ref name=dbaike/>。不过，[[孙德尔本斯]]是一个特例，在那里即使是健康的老虎有时亦捕食在森林中搜寻林产的渔民和村民，人类由此构成了老虎饮食的一小部分<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/maneating7.html |title=Man-eaters. The tiger and lion, attacks on humans |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |accessdate=2009-03-07 |archive-date=2017-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128115958/http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/maneating7.html |dead-url=no }}</ref>。[[印度]]农民用头后戴假面具的方式避免遭受老虎攻击，因为虎以为假面具是人以正面对它，它决不会从正面攻击猎物。虎偶尔吃植物来获得[[膳食纤维]]，火绳树的果实颇受其青睐<ref name="Perry" />。

老虎是夜间活动的食肉动物，常在夜晚狩猎<ref name="animaldiversity1">ADW:Panthera tigris: Information, [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Panthera_tigris.html animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu] {{Wayback|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Panthera_tigris.html |date=20110514195742 }}</ref>。然而，在无人区，人类通过远程控制的隐蔽相机发现虎在白天亦会捕猎。<ref>''Tiger: Spy In The Jungle''.  John Downer Productions.  BBC (2008)</ref>和大多数猫科动物一样，他们一般单独捕猎，伏击他们的猎物，用自己的身体和力量让大型猎物失去平衡。即使老虎的体重很重，其仍可达到每小时约49-65公里（35-40英里每小时）的速度，但他们只能短时间保持这种速度——因为他们的耐力相对较小。因此，在暴露自己之前，老虎必须十分接近自己的猎物。老虎有很强的跳跃能力，已有报告称其能一次水平跳跃10米，虽然较为典型数值是该数额的一半左右。然而，平均来看，虎在20次捕猎中只有一次成功<ref name="animaldiversity1"/>。

[[File:Hunting tiger edit1.jpg|thumb|正在捕猎的虎]]
狩猎大型猎物时，老虎一般惯於咬其喉咙，并用他们的前肢抓住猎物，将其拖到地面。老虎始终咬在猎物的脖子上，直到猎物被勒死为止<ref name=schaller1967>Schaller, G.（1967）''The Deer and the Tiger: A Study of Wildlife in India''. Chicago Press, Chicago.</ref>。通过这种方法，重量超过一吨的印度野牛和水牛能被重量仅为其六分之一的虎所杀<ref>{{Harvnb|Sankhala|1997|p=17}}</ref>。对于小型猎物，老虎往往咬住颈背，打破脊髓，刺入气管，或切断颈内静脉或颈动脉<ref>{{Harvnb|Sankhala|1997|p=23}}</ref>。虽很罕见，但有记录称一些老虎用爪子杀死猎物，它们的爪子强大到足以粉碎驯养水牛的头骨，并打断懒熊的脊椎骨<ref name="DHOLE">{{cite book|author = Mills, Stephen| title = Tiger|url = https://archive.org/details/tiger0000mill|year = 2004|page = [https://archive.org/details/tiger0000mill/page/168 168]|isbn = 1552979490|publisher = Firefly Books|location = Richmond Hill., Ont.}}</ref>。

在20世纪80年代，人们发现一只名为“成吉思汗”的虎在{{le|兰泰姆霍尔国家公园|Ranthambhore National Park}}内经常穿越深深的湖水来捕猎，这种现象在200多年的观察中从未被发现过。此外，多达20％的狩猎成功率也体现出这只老虎的天资禀赋<ref name="publishers1992">{{cite book | author=Thapar, Valmik | year=1992 | title=The Tiger's Destiny | publisher=Kyle Cathie | location=London | isbn=1-85626-142-5}}</ref>。

[[File:Tiger cub 1.JPG|thumb|120px|left|一只虎崽]]