Bengal tiger

Features

The male Bengal tiger reaches a length of 275 to 295 cm, but there are also specimens that are longer than 305 cm. Females are smaller and between 240 and 265 cm long. Their weight ranges from 130 to 265 kg, there may be taller individuals. In their shoulders, the height is from 90 cm to 1 m.

Their basic color is red-gold. Their lower body is white. The relatively wide black transverse stripes extend from the head all the way to the tip of the tail, and their legs are equally striped. Interestingly, the Bengal tigers are the fastest subspecies of tigers that can reach speeds of 90km / h.

Prevalence

The Bengal tiger lives in India and the nearby islands, as well as in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal, and even in China. In India, the largest population of Bengal tigers lives in Sundarban, the largest mangrove forest in the world, but it also inhabits northern and central India.

The population size of about 2,500 individuals shows that the Bengal tiger is quite endangered, yet it is nowhere near as endangered as other tiger subspecies. Although there is an international ban, the trade in tiger fur is run by criminal organizations and the species is getting closer to extinction.

Hunting and nutrition

He needs about 9 pounds of meat a day. He is a rainforest animal, he hunts by hiding behind bushes and thick leaves, and when the prey passes by him, he jumps on her and bites her neck in the throat or neck. Bengal tigers feed mostly on buffaloes and deer, can eat snakes, frogs, mice, porcupines, fish and some people.

Under normal conditions, tigers do not attack humans, but occasionally this does happen. There are also known cases when some tigers become almost exclusively cannibals for unknown reasons. One of the still unconfirmed theories is that in such cases we are talking about very old animals that can no longer catch their usual prey. As for him man is easy prey, after the first successful catch of man, he chooses it as his constant source of food.

Propagation

After a gestation period of 95 to 112 days, the tigress gives birth to two to four cubs. She breastfeeds them for about 6 months, after which they go hunting with their mother for the first time. The cubs usually stay with their mother for two to three years, although at 11 months they have enough strength and experience for independent hunting.

From the moment of braking, the mother becomes extremely irritable and does not allow approaching other members of her species, not even the father, because there is a possibility that they will eat them. .