Bengal Tiger Facts

Posted in Wildlife A-Z | December 30, 2010 | Comment Now

The tiger is said to come from the same family as that of the cats. It is the largest of all the wild cats in the world. Among all of the subspecies of the tiger that are found in the world, the Bengal tiger is said to be the second largest, with the Siberian tiger being the largest. Given the fact that these royal creatures are found most commonly in India, they are often called the Indian Bengal tiger. These subspecies are said to be found in Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Tibet and Bangladesh. The Bengal Tiger facts include information about the unique characteristics of this magnificent animal.

Bengal Tiger Facts:

The Bengal tiger is best known for the way it looks. That is one extremely attractive looking animal. The reddish orange base with black, brown or gray colored vertical stripes make for a visual treat. The underbelly has a creamy to white color. Given the fact that these animals prefer hunting after dark, the stripes on their body can help them camouflage in the wild grass shadows.

On an average, the male Bengal tiger is known to measure up to a cool 3 meters (10 feet). It will weigh about 500 pounds. The female tiger will come up to about 9 feet and will weigh about 300 pounds. The heaviest Bengal tiger ever had been weighed in at a whopping 857 pounds.

The Bengal tigers that live in the forests are said to have a lifespan of about 15 years. However, when they’re living in captivity, chances are that they could end up living for as long as 18 years.

They are known to prey on deer, pigs, buffalos, and antelopes. When it comes to one feeding, the Bengal tiger could end up eating almost 70 pounds worth of meat. Given the fact that they love to be in water, they will generally tend to chase their prey into the water and this is where they will eat it.

Basically, these tigers are solitary animals and love to live all by themselves. They will carry out activities like feeding and hunting by themselves. They will mark extremely large areas of the forest by means of droppings, scratch marks of their claws or even their urine. You will see tigers in groups or pairs only when it is time for mating.

White Bengal Tiger Facts:

A lot of people wrongly presume the white Bengal tiger to be a separate subspecies of the tiger. However, the fact remains at them being the same subspecies as the royal Bengal tiger. Their unique white coloration is the result of an unusual gene that they carry. The uniqueness of the gene is evident from the fact that this gene is found in 1 of every 10,000 Bengal tigers. In the span of a century, only about 12 white tigers have been found out in the wild. What makes them so visually appealing is the white fur with the black stripes; and this gets coupled with that cute pink colored nose and those freezing blue eyes. In today’s date and age, there are hardly any white Bengal tigers that can be seen in the wild; and they’re almost on the verge of extinction.