| |
 |
| |
| |
| |
| The Royal
Bengal tiger, the national animal of India
is an incredible sight. With its orange hide
marked with dark stripes, its white underbelly,
long tail, huge paws and fearsome teeth, the
Royal Bengal Tiger of India is justifiably
called the "King of the Jungle."
It is the largest of the Big Cats. There are
several subspecies of Tiger of which the Siberian
Tiger is the largest. |
| Range |
| The
Royal Bengal Tiger is found in the wild across
India in protected forests, and in Nepal ,
Bhutan , Bangladesh and Myanmar . |
| Physical
Appearance |
| Royal
Bengal Tigers can have an incredible size
ranging in length from under 6 feet to over
9 feet, while the length of its tail can be
over 3 feet. Adult male tigers are larger
than female tigers. The color of the Royal
Bengal Tigers pelt can range from orange to
tan with white beneath. The pattern of stripes
on a tiger's skin is unique to each tiger.
The patterns are used to identify and enumerate
tigers based on tiger sightings in wildlife
national parks in India . Tigers can shed
their short thick fur in summer and it grows
in thickness in winter. The Siberian tiger,
the largest of the tigers, lives in a snow
covered landscape, protected by its thick
fur. Tigers have large, padded paws, with
retractable claws. The paw print or pugmark
of each tiger is also unique and is therefore
used for identification and tracking by wildlife
officials. Tigers have a large head, big ears
and thick whiskers. The strong jaw of the
tiger is used to bite the throat or neck of
the tiger's prey. Tigers have incredible vision,
their sight is enhanced by a reflecting layer
behind the retina called the tapetum, whereby
light is reflected back onto the retina, enabling
tigers to see six times better than humans.
|
| White
Tigers |
| All
white tigers in captivity in the world today
are the descendants of one white tiger, Mohan
caught by the Maharaja of Rewa in 1951. A
White Tiger is the same as a Royal Bengal
Tiger except for a genetic mutation that causes
the change in the color of their fur and eyes.
White tigers have blue eyes and brownish stripes.
|
| Habitat |
| Tigers
prefer thick grass, dense jungle and undergrowth
in which they can hide and wait for their
prey. The stripes on the hide of the tiger
act as an incredible camouflage and help the
tiger conceal itself in tall grass and vegetation.
In the dry jungles of wildlife parks in Ranthambore
and Sariska in Rajasthan India , tigers are
often seen in the ruins of monuments and temples
in the park. Tigers unlike other cats, like
water and in the hot summer are often seen
sitting or lying in pools of water to stay
cool and are good swimmers. |
| Diet |
| Royal
Bengal Tigers are carnivores and hunt for
prey. Their prey includes deer, wild buffalo,
elephants, wild pigs and cattle in areas of
human encroachment. Aged, sick or injured
tigers that are unable to hunt swift-footed
prey have been known to turn man-eater. |
| Behaviour |
| Royal
Bengal Tigers are usually solitary. Tiger
couples have sometimes been seen, however
a family group commonly consists of a mother
and her cubs that live with her for around
2 years. Male tigers are known to fight over
territory. A male tigers territory usually
overlaps the territory of more than one tigress.
Tigers mark their territory by urinating and
spraying scent from a specialized gland. A
tigress retires to a den to bear her litter,
which usually consists of 2-4 cubs. In the
wild, tigers live from 8- 15 years. In zoos,
tigers have been recorded as living up to
26 years. |
| Status |
| Royal
Bengal Tiger is an endangered species. Their
numbers were recorded as below 2000 in the
1970's, after which Project Tiger was initiated
in India in 1973 in wildlife national parks
and sanctuaries of India . There has been
a steady increase in the population of tigers
in India where they are protected in 27 tiger
reserves, wildlife national parks and wildlife
sanctuaries. The threat of poaching due to
the demand for tiger bones and body parts
in traditional Chinese medicine remains a
pressing issue. The loss of habitat as well
as human population pressure on wildlife reserves
in India is another concern. |
| |
|
| |
