The largest of the big cats, tigers are magnificent animals whose numbers have been decimated over the last century, dropping by over 95%. Male Bengal – or Royal Bengal – tigers average just under three meters from head to tail and weigh around 220kg, with the females measuring an average of 2.5 meters in length, and weighing about 140kg. They can live up to 18 years in captivity, and a little less in the wild.
Tigers are usually a glorious orange/gold colour with black stripes anad white markings, but there is a rare, creamy-white variation with a pink nose and blue eyes, and even some that are black with white or tawny stripes. A tiger cub has more stripes than an adult tiger, providing vital camouflage. At just six months old a tiger cub will have learned how to kill, and by 16 months of age, they can kill prey and feed themselves.
Bengal tigers live in a range of habitat, including cool, high-altitude forests, reedlands, mangroves, rainforests, arid forests or scorched hills, with some males occupying – and fiercely protecting - up to 800 sq km of territory. Mostly solitary, they will occasionally travel in groups of three or four. They prey on wild deer, wild cattle, wild pig, gaur and wild buffalo, and can live up to 3 weeks without food – and will eat frogs, lizards, and even humans if their usual prey is scarce. They are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and hunting at night.
Bengal tigers are threatened by habitat fragmentation, poaching for fur and for use in traditional medicines and by retaliation killings resulting from human-tiger conflict.
