Click
here to see the normal color for Bengal tigers |
Name: Bengal Tiger (white) |
| Scientific name: Panthera tigris | |
| Range: Asia.(India subcontinent) | |
| Habitat: Dense Forest and Lush Grasslands | |
| Status: Endangered Species | |
| Diet in the wild: water buffalo,goat,deer,wild boar. | |
| Diet in the zoo: Chicken,horsemeat or kangaroo meat five days a week. Fast on bones twice a week. | |
| Location in the zoo: Asian Falls |
| Physical
description: 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. |
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| General information: 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. The average tiger sleeps between 16 to 18 hours per day. |
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 Special
anatomical, physiological or behavioral adaptations:
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 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. |
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| Comments
about the white tigers of the Fort Worth Zoo.
Photo of cubs courtesy of Derek Hilton |
| Personal
Observations:
I have had an opportunity
to see this amazing animal in the wild while I was visiting one of the
wild life sanctuaries in India. This animal is truly amazing. They
had a very muscular body. They had just finished their meal so they
appeared very lethargic. On the whole, the tigers did not move much.
They take extra care of their cubs. The tigress got really angry
when people attempted to come near the cubs to take pictures.
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| Page author: Deependra Chhabra. E-mail address: dchhabra@hotmail.com |
WhoZoo Home Animal Index Page Mammal Index |
| Sources
and Links:
http://res3.geocities.com/rainforest/6612/ahabitat.htm
|
