All About The Bengal Tiger

Bengal Tiger

The Bengal Tiger
Now here is a bad boy you would not want to stumble upon and looking it straight in the eye. Chances are that you have just made the Bengal's tiger day and has prevented him from exerting all his energy by going out hunting as you now have become dinner. So my suggestion to you before you go butterfly hunting in India is to rub on those tiger repellent lotion first. (Of course you know there is no such thing as a tiger repellent lotion right?) OK, enough of the chat about Bengals eating humans, lets look at some

Bengal Tiger Facts
Scientific Name of the Bengal Tiger is Panthera Tigris Tigris

Where Do Bengal Tigers Live?
If you find yourself wondering across India you will definitely meet upon some Bengal tigers. They are primarily found in inhabiting this location. However, small populations can also be sen in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and even China.

How Many Tigers Bengal Tigers Exist Today?
When we do a count on our natural wild animals, it is always disheartening to view or hear the results. The Bengal tiger was a big factor in poaching which saw the numbers dwindling.  India help to bring up the Bengal tigers numbers by creating a natural reserves to help protect the tigers.  The Bengal tiger is one of the more numerous tiger subspecies with a count of approximately 2500 left in the wild. Poaching will always be an issue and thus the tigers should always be closely monitored and more reserves established to prevent an extinction. The  Sundarban mangrove that is shared between India and Bangladesh is the only mangrove forest where you will be able to spot these magnificent striped animals.
 The Sundarbans are increasingly threatened by sea level rise as a result of climate change.

What do Bengal Tigers Eat?
Don't go expecting the Bengal to be sitting by a stream having Kellogs frosted flakes and milk. Forget about that tiger on the cereal box and look at the tiger in the wild. Tigers are carnivores. They prefer to have a nice tasty wild pig any day over cereal. The Bengal Tiger hunts large ungulates such as Chital, (a large deer that normally roams the forest of India) Sambar (another type of large deer), Gaur (a type of buffalo), and to a lesser extent also Barasingha (another Large deer), Water Buffalo, Nilgai (Antelope), serow (a form of goat) and takin (a form of goat). Among the medium-sized prey species they frequently kill wild boar, and occasionally hog deer, muntjac and Gray langur.

How Much Cubs Do The Bengal Tiger Have?
The Bengal will carry her young in the womb for 3-4 months. The female Bengal will find a safe and solitary place to give birth to her cubs which is an average of about 3-5 cubs. These new cubs are born blind and as a blind animal eventually helpless. The mother takes care of Bengal cubs by feeding them milk for around 2-21/2 months. After the lactose period, the Bengal tiger mommy will eventually introduce the Bengal cubs to meat. The mother will hunt and bring dinner home to these cubs until they are about 18 months then they will have to go out on their own to look their own meals. During this 18 months, the tigers will watch the hunts and learn and even simulate such activities by playing. 

white Bengal tiger

What is the Average Life Span of The Bengal Tiger?
The Bengal tiger is not much of a long liver. The average lifespan of the tiger living in the wild is around 8-12 years, very short.

What is the Average weight of the Bengal Tiger?
Talk about packing on the pounds. The Bengal has an average weight of 140kg - 300kg (309lbs - 660lbs)

How fast  can these tigers run?
Well, when the Bengal hunt it relies on mostly stealth and camouflage. In other words it is not much of a chaser. The Bengal can reach top speed of 96km/h (60mph) in quick burst but will not maintain that speed in a long chase.

How do the Tigers Live
The Bengal prefers to live a solitary lifestyle.

Whats with the white Bengal Tiger?
The white tiger is a Bengal tiger that has mutated genes, meaning that it is white in color with black stripes. Black tigers are known to have black fur with lighter colored stripes but are even rarer than the white tiger.