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The grace and grandeur of the Bengal or royal tiger delight and amaze, but he would not want to meet people or animals on the way, this wild cat is so dangerous.
King Tiger Features
The color of this species of the largest tigers - from light yellow to orange or red, with black or dark brown stripes located longitudinally. On the chest, the coat is snow-white. The tail is of only one color: white, and against this background, along the entire length, there are intricate black rings. It is quite long, accounting for a third of the total length, it happens that exceeds a meter length.
The muzzle is large and rounded, with pointed ears wide apart. The king tiger has such a huge fangs that it can scare even the most daring. They exceed 8 cm.
Eye color follows body color. Means, animals can have yellow or red color. The white tiger species has blue eyes, and their pupil is pink.
The tongue is a special organ of the Bengal tiger. It is long and mobile, and has tubercles on its sides. They are covered with keratinized epithelium and help during the meal of the animal to separate the meat from the skeleton of the caught victim. And during washing they are also used very actively.
The body is powerful and flexible, with well-developed muscles and shoulder girdle, the same strong limbs. Claws are large and sharp, retractable. The hind legs are longer, and this is a great advantage of the tiger during the hunt, as it is convenient to jump on the victim. Soft pads on the paws, so the tiger may appear silently. The body length, taking into account the tail, is from 2.5 to 4 m. Females are usually smaller, their size does not exceed 3 m.
The weight of the tigers is very impressive. The male on average has from 250 to 350 kg, and the females are much less - from 130 to 200 kg. Tigers grow on average 110 cm.
Habitat
The Bengal tiger considers the territories of countries such as India, Nepal, Myanmar, and, of course, Bangladesh, in the past, Bengal to be comfortable habitats. Most often, the tiger settles in tropical forests, because there you can always find a large amount of food, not far from the water, along the course of rivers such as the Ganges, Indus or Ravvi, since the climate prefers moist, but at the same time hot. But they can live high in the mountains.
According to statistics, this species is constantly decreasing every year, because it was listed in the Red Book as an endangered species. Those countries that recognized this graceful and beautiful animal as a national treasure do not skimp on costs in order to preserve their populations, and most often thanks to protected areas. A special merit in this belongs to India and Bangladesh, where there are strict legislative standards for those who decide to kill a tiger.
Demeanor
This animal surprisingly combines power and courage, speed and strength. He is considered both wise and dangerous.
“Bengalis” do not recognize noisy companies, therefore they live very separately. Having determined their territory, they will guard it all the time. So that the stranger knows that this zone is occupied, the tiger endlessly marks its borders.
Own territory is determined based on how much game there is in this place.For females, this place covers about 20 km, but this is not enough for males, so they determine a territory of 100 km.
Everyday life of males is dedicated to the fact that they:
- Go around the property, vigilantly looking around. Suddenly, somewhere, they will notice that someone has entered beyond the marked boundaries, then the expulsion of the stranger begins.
- Rest, especially if the hunt was productive. They like to sit comfortably, exposing themselves to the sun, licking their hair. They can plunge into cool water and spend a long time in cool.
- Go hunting. Potential prey appears somewhere, the tiger does not immediately rush forward. Now his every move is precise and precise. The tiger begins to pursue the unfortunate victim, gradually reducing the distance. At the same time, he develops amazing speed - up to 65km / h. Usually the pursued animal rushes about in search of refuge, having time to notify others that danger has appeared. But here the tiger launches its weapon - a formidable roar. In this way, even at a great distance, he can cause the victim to be immobilized. Many animals are so scared that they are shocked and unable to move.
The tiger also practices this method of hunting, when it tries to silently get to the animal at a distance of 10 m and jump on it, trying to immediately clutch its throat. In this, the dissected appearance of the color helps him a lot, helping to successfully mask in the thickets.
In females, their lifestyle is not much different, but they have periods that differ significantly. This is the time of gestation of the offspring, and then its feeding, grooming and education. Then they have to be the most energetic, active in order to be able to feed not only themselves, but also the cubs. In addition, you should be constantly on the alert, and be able to protect yourself and the cubs if the enemy attacks.
Tigers who have lived to a very old age become weak. They no longer have the strength to catch up with quick animals or tear them apart (due to lack of teeth). Therefore, they try to be as close as possible to human settlements. Many cases have been recorded when the “Bengali” attacked a person, and not everyone managed to escape from a hungry predator. They are not averse to feasting on livestock.
Cattle are the favorite food of this animal. Because often for lunch come across wild goats, bison or deer. But besides them, a tiger hunts for a wild boar, porcupine, or large rodents, foxes, monkeys. They are not afraid to attack large predators, including a leopard and a wolf, a crocodile, a rhino and a jackal, as well as an elephant. If difficult times of famine come, the “Bengali” and carrion do not shun. Hunting can take place at any time of the day, for the tiger does not play a role, because his eyesight is excellent, his hearing is well developed.
The tiger has a place for lunch in a certain secluded place, so he can drag his prey in his teeth for many kilometers. At one time, this predator eats a fairly large amount of food - up to 40 kg. Food leftovers do not disappear in vain. The beast hides them, covering it with grass, and then eats up.
The tiger should drink a lot after a hearty lunch. That is why instinct tells him that he should live near the water. On its designated territory there is always a river or any body of water. Here you can always not only quench your thirst, but also swim in plenty, and he swims very well. Hiding in the heat on the shallows is a favorite vacation.
Mating season
When the mating season begins, the male actively cares for the female living in the neighborhood, and then can only occasionally visit her and the babies born. But while the pregnant tigress remains alone. Females can give birth once every 2 years, and during their life they appear up to 20 cubs, but many do not live to adulthood. The gestation period is short - 3.5 months. Usually from 3 to 5 babies are born who weigh no more than 1 kg. They are helpless and blind.
The first few months, babies receive only breast milk, and then the mother begins to feed them meat. At this time, they are sitting in a safe shelter. Their mother took care in advance to make a protective den, and it can be located in an inaccessible cave, reed supports, in places of a windbreak or in crevices among stones.
Tigress - mother is very caring. Thanks to her, the children comprehend the wisdom of hunting, learn to sit in ambush, attack, properly carve the victim. When the offspring has grown up, and a mature period has come, tigers leave their mother and go in search of their own territory.
Video: Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris bengalensis)
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