Bengal Tiger

The scientific name of the Bengal Tiger is Panthera tigris. This animal belongs to the family Felidae, order Carnivora. The Bengal Tiger is one of the eight recognized subspecies of Panthera tigris. It inhabits remote tropical evergreen forests of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and China. All these large carnivores need is available prey, a source of water and some vegetative cover.

The Bengal Tiger looks like most other tigers. It’s neither the largest nor the smallest among tiger species. All tigers have a typical reddish or orange coat with dark stripes. The belly, chest, and the underside of the limbs of all tigers are whitish. Every tiger has an individual pattern of stripes that vary in length, size, and spacing. The typical body structure of all tigers is ideal for feeding on large prey. A tiger has a short thick neck, massive forelimbs and shoulders, long claws, broad jaws, and very strong sharp teeth. The canines of the Bengal Tiger are the longest among those of any living cat. They can reach the length of 10 cm.

All cats are solitary animals. Tigers are not an exception. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years; males become sexually active at 4 or 5. Only the strongest males are able to compete for females and breed. There are usually 2-3 cubs in a litter, but some females give birth to up to 7 kittens. Newborn Bengal Tigers are blind and helpless; they fully rely on their mother. They are weaned at 5-6 months. Young Bengal Tigers stay with their mothers for 16-18 months. Females with cubs have to kill much more game to provide enough nutrition for themselves and their offspring. Males don’t participate in rearing the young. Mothers teach their young to stalk and attack the prey, but many young Bengal Tigers die of starvation within the first year of their independent life.

The average lifespan of tigers is 8-10 years; in captivity, they live up to 26 years. In the wild, most adult Bengal Tigers die as a result of poaching or because of wounds they get from their hoofed prey. Tigers have no natural predators. The main threats to Bengal Tigers’ population are habitat destruction and hunting by humans. The Bengal Tiger is a very important part of the food chain; it controls the population of large herbivores.