A Tiger’s Territory Can Be Bigger Than the Entire State of Rhode Island

You aren’t likely to see a wild tiger roaming through Providence or sauntering down I-95, but if tigers were native to the Ocean State, their territory could potentially encompass the entire state and then some. That’s because Rhode Island has a total area of 1,545 square miles, while the territory of an Amur tiger can be as large as 1,600 square miles.

Amur tigers are native to Siberia (you may better know them as Siberian tigers). While females with cubs typically stay within an area of roughly 6 square miles, males and some females without cubs are known to venture for hundreds of miles. The primary reason is to track down food: Siberia is a barren region with low prey density, so an Amur tiger may expand its range simply to survive.