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There are plenty of activity options opened for you within the Indian
Wild life Sanctuaries and they are not just restricted to watching
the animals and birds. |
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Home >> Bengal Tiger
Bengal Tiger
 Major Regions : |
Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal, West Bengal,
Rajasthan, Kerala. |
| Famous Tiger Reserves : |
Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National
Park, Corbett National Park, Sundarbans National Park. |
| Other Wildlife Attractions : |
Leopards, Antelopes, Deers, Sambar, Gaurs. |
The natural heritage in India is as rich and diverse as the cultural heritage.
The wildlife sanctuaries and the national parks here give you an essence
of the same. Nestled in this rich land is the Royal Bengal
Tiger, the only home to the Royal Tiger Cat. The largest living member
of the cat family has a rather graceful built and gait. Bengal Tiger is
the fastest running animal. Its length can measure up to 10 feet and has
a weight ranging from 180 to 260 kgs.
The habitat of this elegant swift mammal (Bengal Tiger) varies from the
swamps of the Sunderbans to the desert land at Ranthambore, from the foothills
of Himalayas at Corbett National Park to Bandipur in the peninsular India.
In 1973 was launched the Project Tiger to get hold of the dwindling count
of the indian tigers. Around 9 wildlife sanctuaries were declared as tiger
reserves, which has now increases to 19 covering an area of 33,000 sq. kms
in 14 states. The beauty of the royal bengal cat can now be seen in its
natural surroundings in these conserved areas.
If you are fascinated by the royal Bengal tiger and wish to see it in its
natural surroundings, a visit to these tiger reserves is bound to be an
enchanting one. All these reserves have the facility of tours to the forested
area to watch Bengal Tiger. One can choose a suitable mode to tour. It can
be by jeep or on the elephant backs. Corbett National Park was the first
one covered under the Project Tiger. Named after the famous environmentalist
Jim Corbett, it houses diverse flora and fauna and has weather suited for
flourishing wildlife.
Within the dark, deep woods of South Bengal, criss crossed by the estuarine
canals, is situated the marshy mangrove jungle of Sundarbans - the den of
the Royal Bengal Tigers. His majesty has even left tracks on the Himalayan
snows at 10,000 ft. As you begin your exciting journey in Sundarbans, chances
are you may come across a pugmark of a real Royal Bengal Tiger on a mud
flat.
The Royal Bengal Tigers were once ruled the special ambience of Sunderbans,
and this tiger country was popular as the Big Game Hunters Mecca. But after
facing a drastic fall in the Tiger population, Project Tiger was implemented
in 1973 and later Sundarban Tiger Reserve was demarcated over 2,585-sq-kms.
The core area of 1330-sq-kms has been declared a National Park and has been
chosen as a World Heritage Site.
Distribution
The home to Royal Bengal Tigers (Indian Tigers or panthera tigris) is India
Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma where these graceful animals live mostly
in sanctuaries. The usual habitats for these animals are dense forest, mangrove
swamps, savannahs, rocky countries and lush grassland. Bengal Tigers are
the most numerous in population than any other Tiger subspecies. They are
the largest living member of the cat family and the fastest running animal.
Diet
In the wild Bengal Tigers are pure carnivores and hunt medium-sized animals,
such as rabbits, badgers, water buffalos, deer, wild boars, goats and sometimes
they hunt domestic cattle. A Bengal Tiger will drag the kill to a safe place
to eat. They are able to eat up to 40 pounds at a time and then go without
eating for days. Some Tigers become man-eaters, but it happens to be very
rare. In the zoo Bengal Tigers are fed chicken, horse meat and kangaroo
meat five days a week and fast on bones twice a week.
White Bengal Tiger
White tigers are very rarely found in the wild. In about 100 yeas only 12
white tigers have been seen in the wild habitats of India. They are almost
extinct and most of the ones living are in captivity, mainly in zoos. This
specific tiger is neither an albino or a seperate subspecies of the tiger.
They are simply white colored and have black stripes that makes them special.
It has blue eyes and a pink nose. It also has prestine white colored fur.
The white tiger is born to a bengal tiger that has the recessive gene needed
for white coloring. A pure white tiger has no stripes and are completely
white in color.
Pristine wildness !
The splendid white coat is caused by a double recessive allele in the genetic
makeup, and only turns up naturally about once in every 10,000 births. Strangely
enough, the Bengal tiger is the only subspecies in which this seems to happen.
As magnificent as it may look, life of a white tiger can't be as easy as
it looks.
Habitat & Range
Tigers usually dwell in an area from about 10 to 30 square miles where
there is enough prey, cover/shelter and water to support them. Territory
mainly depends upon the amount of prey which is available. The more concentrated
the prey the smaller is the area that a tiger needs to survive.
Life Span
White tigers in the wild live for about 10 to 15 years while tigers
in zoos usually survive 16 and 20 years.
Diet
Tigers do not hunt in social groups like lions. They are usually solitary
animals. In the wild, tigers would eat pig, cattle and deer. They can eat
as much as 40 pounds of meat at one time! After such a big meal a tiger
will not eat again for several days. White Tigers possesss 30 large teeth
ranging from 2.5 to 3 inches.
Royal Bengal Tiger
The Royal Bengal tiger is scientifically known as 'Panthera tigris' is an
eminent member of the cat family. The origin of the cat family from what
we know today is Siberia. From there, they migrated down south as the climate
became colder. In Asia, India and Malaysia are the two prominent countries
where tigers live. The Indian tigers, the Royal Bengal tigers are the most
graceful animals found in Sundarban in Bengal.
Distribution of the Species
The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a
subspecies of tiger found through the rainforests and grasslands of Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Burma, China, India and Nepal. These tigers are also found in Siberia,
Manchuria and the Asian continent. It is the largest living member of the
Felidae family. Its fur is orange-brown with black stripes. Male Bengal
Tigers are up to 10 ft (3 m) long. Females are up to 9 ft (2.7 m) long.
They hunt deer, pigs, antelopes, cattle, young elephants, and buffalo. The
Bengal Tiger is now strictly protected, and is the national animal of both
India and Bangladesh.
Habitat & Diet
The tiger lives in varied habitats open jungles, humid evergreen forests
and mango grove swamps. Its diet consists mainly of deer, antelopes, gaurs
and wild pigs. Sometimes it also captures birds, lizards, turtles, fishes,
frogs and crabs. Tigers hunt on their own and usually lead a solitary existence,
each in its own territory. They are endowed with good swimming power but
seldom climb trees.
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