The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), is one of the 10 largest cats in the world, but also one of the most threatened. This animal that inhabits certain regions of the Asian continent is as elusive as it is beautiful, hence its constant struggle to elude animal traffickers. We are also talking about one of the most well-known and studied subspecies of Indian tigers.
In this page of our site, we will talk in depth about the Bengal tiger, its origin, physical characteristics, where it lives and lifestyle.
Origin of the Bengal tiger
The Bengal tiger is the most populous subspecies of tiger. Originally from Asia, its populations are distributed throughout India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, being in all of them an emblematic animal, both in culture and traditions. Even in Bangladesh, one of its banknotes bears the image of a Bengal tiger. Currently, these tiger populations are declining, due to the destruction and fragmentation of their habitat and poaching. According to official figures, there are around 1,500 tigers in the wild.
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Characteristics of the Bengal tiger
This majestic mammal follows the coloring pattern of tigers, a light orange or yellowish mantle covered with vertical lines of color black, brown or gray that, on the tail, become rings. The color of the mantle in the ventral areas of its body and inside the legs is white or cream. There is a variation in some specimens of this species that make the orange coat white and the eyes blue. But they are not albino animals, just another genetic variety of the species, just like the black Bengal tiger. Its coloration is black where it should be orange and white where it should be black.
This characteristic fur helps the tiger to camouflage better in its habitat, as it imitates areas of light and shadow that may exist in the jungle tropical. The dark striped pattern is unique to each individual, No two Bengal tigers are alike
The males are larger than the females, exceeding 200 kilograms in weight, while the females usually reach 140 kilograms. Regarding the length, the males reach 3 meters (including the tail) and the females 2.5 meters.
Bengal tiger habitat
The habitat of the Bengal tiger is made up of many different types of ecosystems, although one of the characteristics that they must have is the presence of dense vegetationthat allows them to hide in order to capture their prey. Thus, we can find the Bengal tiger in deciduous forests of India, hot and humid forests of Bhutan and the s alt forests and grasslands of the Himalayas.
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Bengal tiger feeding
As a superpredator carnivore, the Bengal tiger is an effective hunter. Depending on the region where it lives, the tiger will feed on one species or another, preferring medium-sized or large ungulate mammals. Animals such as the gaur, water buffalo, sambar, spotted deer, wild boar and other species of deer are found in their diet.
Being large animals, the tiger is not able to chase its prey over long distances, so camouflage and ste alth are your best weapons. They are crepuscular, resting during the day and coming out in search of food at dusk and dawn.
Bengal Tiger Breeding
Like other tiger species, this animal is solitary during most of its life, except for the time of courtship that usually occurs in winter and spring. The sexual maturity is later in males than in females. They reach it when they are about 4 or 5 years old and women about a year earlier.
After courtship and mating, the male leaves the place and it is the female who will raise the offspring The pregnancy lasts about 3 months and a half and usually have between 1 and 3 puppies, 4 at most. The young will spend about 2 years with their mother, who will protect them and teach them everything they need for life alone. Females tend to spend more time near the mother's territory, although they will not necessarily interact with her. The males, however, will move away from the area almost immediately.
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