Tiger (Bengal) - Overview

Photo 15550498 | Animal © Sanjeev Kumar | Dreamstime.com

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Species: Panthera tigris

IUCN Status: Endangered

Population trend: Decreasing

Length: 1.6 – 2m.

Shoulder height: 0.9m.

Tail: 0.9 - 1m.

Weight: 120kg - 280kg

Life span: 20 - 25 years.

Gestation: 95 - 114 days (1-5 in a litter).

Distribution: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Burma.

Habitat: Jungle, reedy swamps.

Diet: Flesh (wild pig, deer, buffalo).

The tiger is the largest member of the cat family, and the Bengal tiger is one of the five surviving races of tiger. It illegal to hunt them or to buy or sell goods made from any part of a tiger. In 1900 there were about 45,000 Bengal tigers in the wild. Today there are estimated to be over 2,200 Bengal Tigers left, with numbers showing an increase for the first time in 2016.