Bengal tiger

Bengal tiger
Conservation status
Template:StatusEndangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Panthera
Species:	P. tigris
Subspecies:	P. t. tigris
Trinomial name
Panthera tigris tigris (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger found in parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and in the south of Tibet. It is the most common tiger subspecies, and lives in a variety of habitats, including, grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests and mangroves. Its fur is orange-brown with black stripes, although there is a mutation that sometimes produces white tigers. It is the national animal of India and Bangladesh. It is sometimes confused as the national animal of Nepal, but the national animal of Nepal is the brahman cow.

Physical characteristics

Male Bengal Tigers measure around 6 to 9 feet in length (without their tail), and 9 to 12 feet with their tail. Their weight is around 400 to 660pounds (180 to 300 [[kilograms]). A Bengal normally stands at around 3 feet (0.97 m) at the shoulder. They have a maximum skull length of around 10 to 15 inches (250 to 380 mm). An average male Bengal Tiger living in the wild weighs in at about 500 pounds (230 kg), stands 3 feet tall, and stretches about 10 feet (2.9 m) in length (head to tail).However,there are many instances of Bengals over 300 kg.The largest Bengal ever was shot in 1967 and weighed close to 390 kg.

Female Bengal Tigers measure around 5 to 6 feet in length (without their tail), and 7 to 9,5 with their tail. They weigh around 250 to 450 pounds (110 to 200 kg). They stand about 2½ feet (75 cm) tall at the shoulder. They have a maximum skull length of about 8 to 12 inches long. An average female Bengal Tiger living in the wild will weigh about 300 - 350 pounds (140 - 160 kg), stand 2½ feet tall, and stretch about 8 feet (2.4 m) in length head to tail.

Distribution

Estimates in 2005 indicate an approximate worldwide population of 4,500 Bengal Tigers: The bulk of the population of about 3000 individuals live in India.There are about 200 tigers living in both Bangladesh and Nepal. There are a few other specimens in Myanmar but they have lost their genetic purity because of interbreeding with other tiger species.

Diet

A Bengal Tiger stretching

In the wild, Bengal Tigers are pure carnivores and hunt medium-sized and large-sized animals, such as wild boar, deer, gaurs and water buffalo. They also prey on smaller animals like hares, monkeys, langurs and peacocks. Bengal Tigers have also been known to prey on young Asian Elephants and rhino calves. Typically, Bengal Tigers do not prey on adult elephants or rhinos but there are few such documented cases. For instance, the World Wildlife Fund is fostering an orphaned rhino whose mother was killed by a tiger. Famous Indian hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett described an incident where two tigers fought and killed a large bull elephant. The elephant was probably disturbing a mating pair, and that lead to a long fight. The tigers were known not to eat the dead elephant. Bengal Tigers have also been known to take other predators such as leopards, wolves, jackals, foxes, crocodiles and dholes as prey, although these predators are not typically a part of the Bengal's diet.

Bengal Tigers prefer to hunt mostly by night. During the day, the cover of the tall "elephant grass" gives the feline excellent camouflage. Bengals kill prey by overpowering their victim and severing the spinal cord (preferred method for smaller prey), or applying a suffocation bite of the neck for large prey. A Bengal Tiger will usually drag its kill to a safe place to eat. Despite their size, Bengal Tigers can climb trees effectively, but they are not as adept as the smaller leopard, which hides its kills from other predators in the trees. Bengal Tigers are also strong and frequent swimmers, often ambushing, drinking or swimming prey or chasing prey that has retreated into water. The Bengal Tiger can consume up to about 40 kg (84 lb) of meat at a time and then go without eating for days. These tigers normally hunt deer or anything above 100 pounds, but when driven to hunger, it will eat anything, such as frogs, fowl, crocodiles, and sometimes human.

Threats

Habitat loss and poaching are important threats to species survival. Poachers kill tigers not only for their pelts, but also for components to make various traditional East Asian medicines. Other factors contributing to their loss are urbanization and revenge killing. Farmers blame Tigers for killing cattle and will shoot them. Poachers also kill Tigers for their bones and teeth to make medicines that are alleged to provide the Tiger's strength.

Habitat

The Bengal Tiger is now strictly protected, and is the national animal of both Bangladesh and India. After the resounding success of the Tiger Conservation Program in India known as Project Tiger, the population of wild tigers has increased dramatically. The tiger population of India is officially estimated to have reached about 3,500, up from 1,200 in the 1970s. In the Sundarbans, a 2004 census found the presence of about 280 Tigers on the Bangladesh side.

But since the early 1990s, the tiger population has suffered a setback due to habitat destruction and the large scale poaching of these animals for their skins and bones. The Indian government is trying hard to show the world that the tiger is thriving in India, often controversial techniques like taking moulds of paw prints to track tiger populations. It was recently discovered that tigers were wiped out from one of Project Tiger's leading sanctuaries, Sariska, much to the embarrassment of the government.

Some believe that the actual tiger population in India could be less than 2,000.