
Rare Footage Reveals What Tigers Do at Night
Clip: Season 45 Episode 3 | 3m 8sVideo has Closed Captions
No one has ever tried to follow tigers at night like this before.
What do tigers do after dark? Their nocturnal behavior has rarely been observed, leaving much of their nighttime life a mystery. Now, a team of scientists and filmmakers use thermal cameras to capture a rare glimpse of tigers in the dark.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Major support for NATURE is provided by The Arnhold Family in memory of Henry and Clarisse Arnhold, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Sarah and Sandra Lyu in memory of Seung...

Rare Footage Reveals What Tigers Do at Night
Clip: Season 45 Episode 3 | 3m 8sVideo has Closed Captions
What do tigers do after dark? Their nocturnal behavior has rarely been observed, leaving much of their nighttime life a mystery. Now, a team of scientists and filmmakers use thermal cameras to capture a rare glimpse of tigers in the dark.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- [Narrator] Tigers have rarely been observed at night and very little is known about their nocturnal behavior.
- This is all of a bit of an unknown quantity really, which makes me excited and nervous at the same time because no one's ever tried to follow tigers at night like this.
Dan and Sushila are staking out this watering hole.
We know that Goma's got a kill up here and she's likely to come down to drink.
This is going to be the best chance to get eyes on her.
She's coming down the back.
- Wow.
She's drinking.
She's so close to us.
She's literally 25, 30 meters from us.
- This is so strange because you can't see any stripes.
- [Narrator] Thermal cameras only detect heat, making a tiger's color patterns invisible.
- If I didn't know that that was a tiger, I might have no idea what kind of big cat that was.
- She's up.
She's up.
She's moving.
Oh wow.
Okay, she's looking at us.
She's looking at us.
- She stared directly at Sushila and Dan.
I mean, there's no doubt that she can see us.
At night these cats definitely have the upper hand and she probably thinks we can't even see her.
She's having a bath.
As soon as the sun sets, it's her chance to finally cool down.
- She's looking back, maybe cubs?
(Goma moaning) Here, over here.
She's contact calling.
- [Dan] She's calling the cubs in.
(Goma moaning) Okay, there it is.
- That's a cub and the cub's coming down.
- Oh wow.
Look at that.
That's the female cub.
She's looking right at us.
Just stay dead still.
Oh, it is incredible to be stared at by a tiger like that.
Clumsy Tiger Cubs Learn to Hunt
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S45 Ep3 | 2m 24s | These clumsy tiger cubs put their hunting skills to the test, with some surprising results. (2m 24s)
Preview of Tiger Island: Part Two
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S45 Ep3 | 30s | Following tigers after dark reveals surprise encounters and a hidden world of family life. (30s)
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