The Mighty Indian Tiger
India's Most Loved Cat
What Is This Big Cat?
The Indian tiger is also known as the Bengal Tiger, it's scientific name is Pantera Tigris. It is the national tiger of India. These massive cats are orange brown with black stripes, but some can be white. Their coats can and will be used as camouflage. They live a pretty long life in the wild. They can live to be 8 to 10 years. In captivity they can be 16 to 20. Females have litters of 2 to 6 cubs and can have them between the ages of 3 to 4 years. The cubs mature at age 4. In a pride (a group of tigers that live together) there can be one male and two or more females, but tigers usually go alone. Indian tigers can leap up to 32 feet and swim up to 18 miles.
A mother tiger with her cub resting in the grass away from harm.
Did You Know....
The stripes are individually unique as human finger print!
What Does This Big Cat Eat?
Indian Tigers are carnivores so they eat meat.Some Indian Tiger meals include rabbits,deer,goats,and wild boar. It hunts its prey by sight and sound. The tiger is a great swimmer therefore it eats fish too. Some say that the tiger can live in salt water as well as fresh water.Even though most tigers try to avoid humans some are known man- eaters.The female Indian Tigers are 260 cm long. If you think that's big wait until you hear how big the males are.the male can be any where from 275 to 290 cm big. WOW! The size and color vary according to the location and climate. They are the largest living cat on the earth today.
Did You Know....
an Indian tiger can hunt and eat something as big as a water buffalo and also it can eat bear and leopard!
The range of where the tigers were and are now.These amazing beasts are disappearing and fast.
How Many Of This Big Cat Are There?
Sadly the Indian tiger is endangered even though it is the most common tiger on earth. There are about 1700 in the wild today. In the 1800s there were 40000 tigers. You are more likely to come across one in a reserve then in the wild.There are more tigers in captivity then in the wild. The orange and black beast faces threats like habitat fragmentation, poaching, developmental projects. This is also the reason they eat humans because their prey is gone if they live in a semi built up area. They are disappearing and fast. :(
Works Cited
Dalal,Roshen Et al "Eyewitness Travel :India". London: Dorling Kindersley, Limited, 2002
WWF,Author Unknown, Date Unknown , Research Site
http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/royal_bengal_tiger/tiger_facts/
1996-2013 National Geographic Society, Author Unknown, Research Site
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bengal-tiger/