PULSE MAGAZINE LONDON Issue 3 Spring 2014 | Page 31

OUR PLANET ~ ANIMAL

FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT BENGAL TIGER
The Bengal tiger is found primarily in India with smaller populations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and
Myanmar.
It is the most numerous of all tiger subspecies with fewer than 2,500 left in the wild. The creation of India’s tiger
reserves in the 1970s helped to stabilize numbers, but poaching to meet a growing demand from Asia in recent
years has once again put the Bengal tiger at risk.
The mangroves of the Sundarbans—shared between Bangladesh and India—are the only mangrove forests
where tigers are found..
Over many centuries they have become an important part of Indian tradition and lore.
Bengal tigers have white spots, called “flashes” on the back of their ears. These may be used to signal
aggression, when the tiger swivels and flattens his ears in a confrontation.
The mighty roar of a Bengal can be heard up to two miles away.
Probably the most famous Bengal tiger is Richard Parker, in Life of Pi. When tigers hunt, they catch prey large
enough to last for several meals.
The farther north tigers live, the larger they are. Siberian tigers are the largest, and Sumatrans tigers are the
smallest.
Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories to keep their rivals away.
They are powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to find buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large
mammals.
Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes). They lie in wait and creep
close enough to attack their victims with a quick spring and a fatal pounce.
A hungry tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds (27 kilograms) in one night, though they usually eat less.
Females give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male.
Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old and remain with their mothers for two to three years, when they
disperse to find their own territory.