How many Bengal tiger facts did you know?

Some of the most rare and wonderful animal facts from all over the world. Keep reading to find out some facts about Bengal tiger facts!

The Bengal tiger (also known as the Royal Bengal tiger) is a subspecies of tiger, found across theIndian subcontinent. The Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh and is considered to be the second largest tiger in the world.

1. The Bengal tiger is the most numerous species oftiger in Asia and is found in dense forests and mangrove swamps and jungles throughout India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, although the Bengal tiger'srange today is much smaller than it once was.
2. The Bengal tiger is considered to be the second largest species of tiger, although recent reports suggest that the Bengal tiger is on average, larger than the Siberiantiger. The Bengal tiger has a yellow or light orange coat, with black or dark brown stripes and a white belly.
3. Bengal tigers are defined by three distinct mitochondrial nucleotide sites and 12 unique microsatellite alleles. The pattern of genetic variation in the Bengal tiger corresponds to the premise that they arrived in India approximately 12,000 years ago. This is consistent with the lack of tiger fossils from the Indian subcontinent prior to the late Pleistocene and the absence of tigers from Sri Lanka, which was separated from the subcontinent by rising sea levels in the early Holocene.
4. The Bengal tiger is a dominant and carnivorous predator, hunting its prey by stalking it until the Bengal tiger has the opportunity to catch it off guard. Bengaltigers primarily hunt larger mammals including deer, wild boar, cattle and goats.
5. Due to the size and power of the Bengal tiger, it has no natural predators in its native environment. Humans that hunt the Bengal tiger and habitat loss are the only threats to the Bengal tiger.
6. After a gestation period of 3 to 4 months, the female Bengal tiger gives birth to up to 5 cubs. Newborn Bengal tiger cubs weigh about 1 kg (2 lb) and are blind and helpless. The mother feeds them milk for about 2 months and then the Bengaltiger cubs are introduced to meat. Bengal tiger cubs depend on their mother for the first 18 months and then they start hunting on their own.
7. Today, due to habitat loss caused by deforestation, and hunting by humanpoachers, the Bengal tiger is considered to be an endangered species. Despite being the most common of all the tiger species, there are thought to be around 2,000 Bengal tigers left in the wild.

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