The bengal tiger is one of the strongest animals in the world and the largest cat. Its massive body is orange or light brown above with distinctive black stripes throughout. Each tiger has a different pattern of stripes. Tigers have white underparts. Male tigers can eclipse 500 pounds, although the heaviest tiger ever recorded was more than 850 pounds. Females are considerably smaller and rarely surpass 350 pounds. Bengal tigers have huge canine teeth that can measure up to four inches long.
Diet
Bengal tigers prey upon wild pigs and deer-like animals. Bengal tigers will occasionally attack and kill people, especially when other prey is scarce. Because of their tendency to prey upon people, tigers and humans cannot live together in harmony. Hundreds of deadly attacks on humans have been recorded in the past century.
Tigers stalk their prey from behind vegetation, where they remain motionless and camouflaged amidst the wind-blown grasses. Tigers can leap twenty feet during a chase and kill their prey with a single bite to the back of the neck before dragging it to cover.
Habitat and Range
Bengal tigers are found in the tropical forests and wetlands of India, Bangledesh, and Myanmar, as well as in the forests of Nepal and Bhutan. The vast majority of these tigers occur in India. Currently, there are thought to be nearly 2,300 will bengal tigers in India, about 100 in Bangladesh, 200 in Nepal, and less than 100 in Bhutan.
Breeding
Females give birth to two to three young after a gestation period of between 104 and 106 days. Male tigers play no role in the lives of cubs. Young tiger learn to hunt at five or six months and leave their parents at between two and three years.
Status
The populations of bengal tigers have suffered in the 20th century from the explosive growth and resulting habitat destruction in India, Bangladesh, and southeast Asia. In addition, illegal poaching has taken a severe toll on tiger populations. There remains a lucrative and illegal underground market for tiger bones and parts for use in traditional Chinese medicines. This market has been responsible for the illegal poaching of thousands of tigers from the Indian subcontinent in the last three decades. Today, there are severe penalties for those caught poaching in India, including long jail terms.
In an attempt to save the dwindling tiger population, India has established 48 different tiger reserves. In addition, breeding programs exist in zoos throughout the world.
Wild Kratts: Exploring India with the Bengal Tiger
