ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[tigerluver]

On the food intake part:
1. One possibility of the differing food intake is how long the tiger's been able to feed. Specimens of equal size would have the same amount in stomach, but if one had some more time to eat it would make it look like the belly content is more. Thus, like I said before, food removed from carcass doesn't often equal food in belly.
2. Size theoretically should have a direct correlation with food intake due to the basal metabolic rate. But at the same time, genetic background also has a strong effect on BMI.
I work hands on with avians, so I'll use my observations there to explain this last point. I've had parrots half the size of others eat literally twice as much, if not more. Of course, birds digest and pass by the hour, but the point is the same. Some guys are small but just eaters, some are quite large but natural dieters. The best explanation, genetics.
In my opinion, parks throughout India seem to have genetically unique tigers from place to place based on the general physical appearance. A tiger from Ranthambore is clearly different from a tiger from Kanha. The genetic difference from park to park likely has enough influence to make BMI to size ratios different across the groups of modern Bengal tigers. Reply