Bengal tigers are also called as Indian tiger,
they are the most numerous in population than any other tiger subspecies.
They were killed as a part of sport carried out by Indian and British royalties.
There number declined at a fast rate. They are one of the only two species of
cats that like water. At full running speed they reach speed of up to 60 kilometers
per hour. They do not possess great stamina.
Bengal Tigers are fully grown at 2-3 years of age. Male reach weights of 200-230
kilograms and up to three metres in length. The females are 130-170 kilograms
and up to 2.5 meters long. They have stripes all over their body. Their stripes
are like fingerprints. No two are the same. The stripes are not only in the
tigers fur, but are a pigmentation of the skin. They have a white spot on the
back of their ears,whick looks like eyes.
The average tiger animal sleeps between 16 to 18 hours. The ability of big cats
to roar is related to the arrangement of bones under the tongue.
Also the stripes on its body helps its ability to hide in the tall grass and
tress. Bengal tiger animal is very patient, it watches its prey and waits till
the right time to make its move.
It has very strong jaws; it catches the prey by its neck and the strong jaws
and teeth help him to kill its prey. Bengal tiger has a strong sense of smell.
It also has a great vision which helps it to hunt during the night time.
Bengal tigers can also swim and move quite swiftly in the water. They have the
ability to shed or grow body hair according to how cold or hot it gets.
Special Anatomical, Physiological or Behavioral Adaptations
The Bengal tiger in the Fort Worth zoo is a white female tiger from India. She
has black stripes on her body. There is an interesting story to it.
In India one of the royalties had killed a white tiger. Later four cubs of this
dead tiger were found. They were the only four left in the world. All the white
tigers in the world today are the descendants of these four cubs.
Tigers lead solitary lives, and the courtship period, and association between
mother and cub is their only interaction and association. Tigers are entirely
different in their hunting habits from lions, and hence they are mutually exclusive
in their distribution.
Tigers rest during the day in the shade, and begin to hunt for food at dusk.
They have keen eye sights and a sharp hearing that helps them stalk their prey.
Tiger killings are split second affairs where the prey hardly has any chance
of survival. Its formidable and retractile claws play a significant role in
capturing and holding on to its prey.
Tigresses are devoted mothers who are very protective of their cubs. They look
after their young till they are about two and a half years old.