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The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), is a tiger subspecies native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, and has been classified as endangered by IUCN as the population is estimated

Bengal Tiger
Bengal tiger

Origin

India

Habitat

Jungle

Diet

Tigers are obligate carnivores. They prefer hunting large ungulates such as chital, sambar, gaur, and to a lesser extent also barasingha, water buffalo, nilgai, serow and takin. Among the medium-sized prey species they frequently kill wild boar, and occasionally hog deer, muntjac and Gray langur. Small prey species such as porcupines, hares and peafowl form a very small part in their diet

Combat status

Victorious over the African Lion and victorious over the Honey Badger Lost to the Komodo Dragon

at fewer than 2,500 individuals with a decreasing trend. None of the Tiger Conservation Landscapes within the Bengal's tiger range are large enough to support an effective population size of 250.[1]

The Bengal tiger is the most numerous of the tiger subspecies — with populations estimated at 1,706 in India, 200 in Bangladesh, 155 in Nepal and 67–81 in Bhutan.[2][3][4][5]

The Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh. Panthera tigris is the national animal of India


Description[]

Its coat is a yellow to light orange, and the stripes range from dark brown to black; the belly is white, and the tail is white with black rings. A mutation of the Bengal subspecies, the white tiger, has dark brown or reddish brown stripes on a white background, and some are entirely white. Black tigers have tawny, yellow or white stripes on a black background color. The skin of a black tiger, recovered from smugglers, measured 259 cm (102 in) and was displayed at the National Museum of Natural History, in New Delhi. The existence of black tigers without stripes has been reported but not substantiated.[7]

The total body length, including the tail, of males is 270 to 310 cm (110 to 120 in), while females are 240 to 265 cm (94 to 104 in).[8] The tail measures 85 to 110 cm (33 to 43 in), and the height at the shoulder is 90 to 110 cm (35 to 43 in).[9] The average weight of males is 221.2 kg (488 lb), while that of females is 139.7 kg (308 lb).[10]

Male Bengal tigers from the northern Indian subcontinent are as large as Siberian tigers with a greatest length of skulls of 332 to 376 mm (13.1 to 14.8 in).[11] In northern India and Nepal, males have an average weight of 235 kg (520 lb), and females 140 kg (310 lb).[12] Recent studies of body weights of the different tiger subspecies have shown that Bengal tigers are on average larger than Siberian tigers.[10]

The Bengal tiger's roar can be heard for up to 3 km (1.9 mi) away.[13]

Tiger records[]

A heavy male Bengal tiger weighing 258.6 kg (570 lb) was shot in Northern India in 1938.[14] In 1980 and 1984, scientists captured and tagged two male tigers (M105 and M026) in Nepal that weighed more than 270 kg (600 lb).[15] The largest known Bengal tiger was a male with a head and body length of 221 cm (87 in) measured between pegs, 150 cm (59 in) of chest girth, a shoulder height of 109 cm (43 in) and a tail of just 81 cm (32 in), perhaps bitten off by a rival male. This specimen could not be weighed, but it was calculated to weigh no less than 272 kg (600 lb).[16] Finally, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the heaviest tiger known was a huge male hunted in 1967, that measured 322 cm (127 in) in total length between pegs (338 cm (133 in) over curves), and weighed 388.7 kg (857 lb). This specimen was hunted in northern India by David Hasinger and is on exhibition in the Mammals Hall of the Smithsonian Institution.[17]

In the beginning of the 20th century, there were reports of big males measuring about 12 ft (3.7 m) in total length; however, there was not scientific corroboration in the field, and it is probable that this measurement was taken over the curves of the body.[18]

Genetic ancestry[]

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 these tigers arrived in India approximately 12,000 years ago. This recent history of tigers in the Indian subcontinent is consistent with the lack of tiger fossils from India 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.[19][20] However, a recent study of two independent fossil finds from Sri Lanka, one dated to approximately 16,500 years ago, tentatively classifies them as being a tiger

Battle against Honey Badger[]

A hungry honey badger has found itself in the jungle. A large Bengal Tiger feeds on a goat. The Tiger sees the badger coming and roars loudly. The badger runs towards it but finds itself in the jaws of the beast. Although the badger is in the cat's mouth, It's thick hide protects it from the feline's fangs. The Tiger shakes the badger in it's mouth but it slips out and growls at the much larger predator. The Tiger tries to catch the mustelid but it moves around and begins to claw it, climbing on top of it. The small carnivore digs its hooked claws into the tiger's skin. The cat throws it off and bites its head. A crunch is heard, then the badger lays limp on the ground.

Winner-Bengal Tiger

Experts Opinion- Much bigger and has a stronger bite.

Battle against African Lion[]

A Bengal tiger that had escaped from an exotic wildlife park in Africa prowls the savannah when a small African Lion pride nears it. One of the lions roars and steps in front of the tiger. The tiger growls and both of them grapple, hitting each other with their paws. The lion falls and the tiger has its jaws placed over its underbelly, but the lion reaches its head over and does the same. The tiger feels the other cat's fangs pressing against him and decides to let go. The lion pride roars but the tiger is not deterred, now going full speed towards the lion. The lion, watching, still could not prepare itself and is clawed in the face multiple times, only stopping the assault by repeatedly kicking the tiger with its hind leg. Both big cats growl at each other and are back to square one, rolling all over the ground. The tiger smacks the lion's forehead with both paws and it claws the tiger then backs up. The lion turns to its pride to recover from the paw swipe and turns back around. The tiger pounces and bites the lion on the back, breaking a bone. It limps away slowly. The pride growls at the tiger, but leave.

Winner-Bengal Tiger

Experts Opinion- The tiger is much more fierce.

Battle against Komodo Dragon[]

The two meet the tiger jumps on the back of the komodo dragon, the komodo dragon whips the cat off and bites it, the tiger drops after days of inflection

Winner: Komodo Dragon

Expert opinion - Get take it down at saliva.

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