Bengal Tiger

Tigers are icons of beauty, power, and the importance of conservation. Learn five surprising facts about these striped felines, including how large the cats can be, an adaptation some developed for swimming, and how much wild tiger populations have declined.




COMMON NAME: Bengal Tiger
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Panthera tigris Tigris
TYPE: Mammals
DIET: Carnivore
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 8 to 10 years
SIZE: Head and body: 5 to 6 feet; tail: 2 to 3 feet
WEIGHT: 240 to 500 pounds
SIZE RELATIVE TO A 6-FT MAN:

IUCN RED LIST STATUS:?
Endangered
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
LEAST CONCERNEXTINCT
CURRENT POPULATION TREND: Decreasing 


ABOUT THE Bengal tiger


Tigers are the most important members of the cat family and are renowned for his or her power and strength.

Tiger Populations

There were eight tiger subspecies at just one occasion, but three became extinct during the 20th century. Over the last 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced tiger populations from many thousands of animals to perhaps fewer than 2,500. Tigers are hunted as trophies, and also for body parts that are utilized in traditional Chinese medicine. All five remaining tiger subspecies are at-risk, and lots of protection programs are in situ.

Bengal tigers sleep in India and are sometimes called Indian tigers. they're the foremost common tiger and number about half all wild tigers. Over many centuries they need become a crucial part of Indian tradition and lore. (To learn more, watch this video about what's driving tigers to extinction.)

Behavior

Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories to stay their rivals away. they're powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to seek out buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have precisely the same stripes). They dwell wait and creep close enough to attack their victims with a fast spring and a fatal pounce. A hungry tiger can eat the maximum amount as 60 pounds in one night, though they typically eat less.

Despite their fearsome reputation, most tigers avoid humans; however, a couple of do become dangerous maneaters. These animals are often sick and unable to hunt normally, or sleep in a neighborhood where their traditional prey has vanished.

Females give birth to litters of two to 6 cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male. Cubs cannot hunt until they're 18 months old and remain with their mothers for 2 to 3 years, once they disperse to seek out their own territory.