About Royal Bengal Tiger
Since
the era of gods and goddesses, Tiger has been of great importance in India.
It has been mentioned in every myth, epic and literature. The only place
where Royal Bengal Tiger is found is the land of natural heritage, India.
The Bengal Tiger is native to the Indian Peninsular. It also lives in
Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Bhutan and in Burma. A powerful hunter with sharp
teeth, strong jaws, and an agile body, the Royal Bengal Tiger is the largest
member of the cat family. It is also the largest land-living mammal whose
diet consists entirely of meat. Its length can measure up to 10 feet and has
a weight ranging from 180 to 260 kgs. Following are the details of Royal
Bengal Tiger.
Latin Name of Bengal Tiger: Panthera tigris
Length :
Males: 8.8 feet-10.2 fee
Females: 7 .11 feet - 8.7 feet
Weight:
Males: 419-569 pounds
Females: 221-353 pounds
Diet: Consists of pigs, deer, antelopes and buffalo.
Habitat of Bengal Tiger
The habitat of this exquisite Tiger varies from the largest estuarine delta
Sundarban, which is the biggest colony of the `Royal Bengal Tigers' to the
desert land of Ranthambore, from the magnificent hills of Himalayas to
Bandipur in the peninsular India.
The Royal Bengal Tiger - The Endangered Species
The Bengal tiger is endangered from loss of habitat. It's estimated that
less than 3,000 Bengal tigers are left in the wild today. In India we had
over forty thousand tigers in the beginning of the 20th century, but the
number has decreased considerably. For example, the authorities of the Buxa
Tiger Reserve in North Bengal estimated the number of Royal Bengal tigers in
the reserved areas as 32, as per the census in 1997, a notch above the
figure of 31, as per the 1995 census. The reasons for tiger becoming an
endangered species are uncontrolled cutting of trees resulting in the
shrinkage of the habitat of the tiger, decrease of preys and an increase of
poaching for its beautiful skin. To stop this and to increase the number of
tigers, Government of India initiated the 'Project Tiger' in 1973, when the
number of tigers in India was less than 2000. This project entailed the
creation of nine tiger reserves, now this number has increased.
Due to above measures, it can thus be seen that out of five surviving
sub-species of tigers, the position of the Bengal tiger animal is the most
satisfactory and India accounts for 75 per cent of the species, which is
roughly 60 percent of the global population of all tiger sub species put
together.
The Royal Bengal Tiger animal lives in varied habitats open jungles, humid
evergreen forests and mango grove swamps. Its diet consists mainly of deer,
antelopes, gaursand wild pigs. Sometimes it also captures birds, lizards,
turtles, fishes, frogs and crabs. Royal Bengal Tigers hunt on their own and
usually lead a solitary existence, each in its own territory.
Characterstics of Bengal Tiger
Tigers lead solitary lives, and the courtship period, and association
between mother and cub is their only interaction and association. Tigers are
entirely different in their hunting habits from lions, and hence they are
mutually exclusive in their distribution. Tigers rest during the day in the
shade, and begin to hunt for food at dusk. They have keen eye sights and a
sharp hearing that helps them stalk their prey. Tiger killings are split
second affairs where the prey hardly has any chance of survival. Its
formidable and retractile claws play a significant role in capturing and
holding on to its prey.
Tigresses are devoted mothers who are very protective of their cubs. They
look after their young till they are about two and a half years old.
Home of the Bengal Tigers
Some of the places where tigers can be best observed in their natural
habitats are -
