Powerful and stealthy, the Bengal tiger is the largest and heaviest of the cat family and much feared by other animals and humans alike. With the classic orange and black tiger’s coat, it patrols its own territory and usually hunts alone, stalking its prey or killing it by ambush. Immensely strong, it can bring down animals much larger than itself. Once common throughout Asia, the Bengal tiger is now restricted to small areas of India and the surrounding countries.
The number of Bengal tigers left in the wild has shrunk from 100,000 to about 4,000 over the last century. The main threats are loss of habitat, poaching, loss of prey and the trade in tiger parts for Eastern medicines. Most Bengal tigers now live in protected areas of India. Anti-poaching task forces have been set up and there is also a trade ban on tiger products in many countries.
The white spots behind its ears help other tigers to identify it in the gloom of the jungle, while its heavily muscled shoulders and front limbs are designed for maximum power to pull down prey.
An average male Bengal tigers weigh around 420 pounds. The Bengal tiger has a body length of 6 feet and a tail length of 3 feet and therefore has a total length of 9 feet long. A female Bengal tiger is only 310 pounds and 8 feet long including tail. Bengal tigers are incredibly strong and are able to drag their prey almost half a mile even though the prey may be heavier than itself.
A tigers coat can actually take on a variety of colours. The standard colours of a Bengal tiger are an orange body with black stripes coming down the sides. The two most common variations are the White Bengal tiger and the Golden Tabby.
Bengal tigers have the longest canine teeth of any living felid measuring approximately 4 inches (100 millimetres) in large individuals. A canine tooth of a tiger is larger and longer than that of a similar-sized lion. Bengal tigers also have large, retractable claws that allow them to climb and kill prey. Their stripes help them camouflage as they stalk their prey. Bengal tigers have excellent vision and good hearing.
The heaviest Bengal Tiger ever reported was 389.5 kilograms. Female Bengal tigers are considerably smaller and have an average weight of 141 kilograms (310 pounds), but they can weigh up to 180 kilograms (400 pounds).
Bengal tigers are mostly solitary, however, they sometimes travel in groups of 3 or 4 individuals. Bengal tigers reside in the low-land parts of the rainforest where there are grasslands and swamps.
Some male Bengal tigers occupy 200 square miles of territory and they protect it very fiercely. Bengal tigers are extremely strong animals and can drag their killed prey some 1,500 feet to hide it in bushes or long grass until it feeds upon it. The Bengal tiger is a nocturnal animal, it sleeps throughout the day and hunts at night.
Links
http://www.indiantiger.org/bengal-tigers/bengal-tiger-information.html
http://www.blackpineanimalpark.com/Animals/tigers.htm
http://www.imponline.com/FactsAndTips/Wild-Life-and-Nature/Bengal-tiger.aspx
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