Bengal tigers are the largest cat species in the world. They can be found in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Burma (Myanmar), and Bangladesh. Their average weight ranges from 200 to 600 pounds [200 to 600 kg], but is recorded at over 1,000 pounds [1,000 kg]. They stand about 4 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh between 110-and 300 pounds. A male tiger's mane is long and thick, while that of female tigers is shorter and thinner. There are four basic colors of the Bengal tiger: black, white, yellow, and orange. Older males have stripes down the back, and older females do not.
There are four recognized subspecies of tigers in Asia; the Siberian, Indochinese, Malayan, and Sumatran. The Indochinese tiger was once widespread throughout Southeast Asia, but today’s population is confined to just three countries — Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the four subspecies and is now restricted to the island of Borneo. The remaining two subspecies, the Siberian tiger and Malayan tiger are extinct in the wild. The Bengal tiger was originally distributed throughout Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Today, this magnificent animal survives in small populations in India, Nepal, and Myanmar. A male Bengal tiger can weigh anywhere from 400-600 pounds while a female weighs around 250 pounds. Their average lifespan is 15 years, although some live longer than 20 years.
The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris Tigris) is a subspecies of the Asiatic lion, Panthera leo persica. It has been listed as Endangered since 1994 due to poaching for its body parts but was downlisted to Vulnerable in 2010. Today, it remains critically endangered, with fewer than 400 individuals left in the wild. There are no longer any self-sustaining populations of tigers in India. There are only about 400–500 wild Bengal tigers left today. This number has decreased dramatically since 1900 when there were estimated to be around 2,000. In 2010, the population was estimated at just 464 individuals. The Bengal tiger's diet consists mainly of deer, boar, monkeys, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Tigers are known to hunt alone, but they often travel in groups. They can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mph), and they use their long tails like whips to keep themselves balanced while running.
Range: Bengal tigers are currently restricted to parts of India and Bangladesh. They range from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the southern tip of peninsular India.
Habitat: Bengal tigers live primarily in tropical forests, although they have also been recorded in dry deciduous forests and scrubland.
Diet: Bengal tigers eat deer, wild boar, water buffalo, cattle, monkeys, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and carrion.
Home range: A male Bengal tiger's home range can vary greatly depending on location. At Mysore Zoo in Karnataka, India, males average 1,200 hectares (ha), while females average only 500. However, at Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India, female home ranges average 2,000 ha.Reproduction: Female Bengal tigers reach sexual maturity at two years old, and males at three. Tigers breed annually between April and June. Females give birth to a single litter of two cubs after a gestation period of nine months. Cubs weigh approximately 40 lbs. and are blind until six weeks of age.
