July 2003
The Bengal Tiger
Order Family Genus and Species
Carnivora Felidae Panthera tigris tigris
The history of the cat family began more than 50 million years ago with
the origin of the Miacids
who were long tailed, tree living marsupials. This "cat" species
evolved into the ancestors of the
dog-like carnivores which gave rise to seven modern carnivore families:
The dog, bear, seal, sea
lion, walrus, weasel and raccoon.
Another offshoot of the Miacids was the cat family of carnivores which
include: The Mongoose,
hyena, genet and the cat species. The first cats appeared during
the Miocene era ( from 7 to 25
million years ago) and during the Pliocene era
( lasting from 2 million to 10 thousand years ago) the
saber-toothed cats roamed the earth. These cats were 8
feet long, weighed between 3 and 4 hun-
dred lbs. and had upper canines which
were over 6 inches long. These teeth
were used to pierce
and tear flesh from it's prey but were fairly
brittle and were often broken off. These broken teeth
often meant starvation death for these mammals since they could no
longer attack and kill other
mammals. Fossils of saber-toothed cats have been found in the
La
Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.
These cats were the ancestors of our modern day family of Filidaes.
To many people, tigers are mistakenly associated with the jungle areas
of Africa, however, tigers
are found in Asia, ( Southeast Asia, China,
Korea, and Russia) and originated in China
several
hundred thousand years ago in the cold, snowbound regions of northern
Asia. They once consisted
of eight subspecies but three species have become extinct:
The five species which still exist are:
The Bengal tiger, the Sumatran
tiger, the Indo-chinese tiger, the
Siberian
tiger and the Caspian tiger.
Like all members of the cat family, the Bengal
tiger has excellent night vision and has a round pupil
rather than the vertical slit which is common
to our house cats. Tigers have their own photoelectric
cells called a tapetum, which
alternates the size of the retina as the light changes. This allows
the
tiger to see clearly under
any light conditions.
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The Bengal's sense of smell is very well developed
though not as much as it's sense of sight and hear-
ing. Their sense of smell, however, allows
them to detect members of their
own kind and to steer
clear of other tiger's territories. Tigers
mark their territory by urinating on grass and trees. This strong
odor is easily detected by other males and is
a sure sign to stay away. Bengals fiercly
protect these
staked out areas and use them to hunt
for females during breeding season and for
prey when they
become hungry. The Bengal in the above
graphic is chasing after a small herd of Sambar
deer who
have come down to drink at the river's edge.
The Bengal shown in the above graphic had broken off one of his upper
canines. This will make it
harder to kill and devour his prey but, luckily, he has enough teeth
left to still accomplish his hunt-
ing chores.
Bengals will often eat 35 to 40 lbs. of
meat at one time. This will last them for several days.....until
they can find other prey. Tigers seldom
eat their prey at the scene of the kill but, instead, will drag
the animal back into the shelter of deep grass or forest to dine at
their leisure. They are quiet eaters.
The only sounds made during a meal are those of bones being crunched
up. After the tiger has had
his fill, he will cover the remaining carcass...hiding
it until he again becomes hungry. A large animal,
such as a water buffalo or a big Sambar
deer will last the tiger for 2-3 days
and he will not resume
hunting again for 3 or 4 days. These
tigers only hunt when they are hungry.
Bengal tigers weigh anywhere from 350 to 600 lbs.
when fully grown...with the smaller number being
the female. They will attain a length of 6
to 7 feet with the tail adding another 3 feet.
They grow to
3 feet high ( shoulder measurement) and reach sexual maturity in around
4-
4 1/2 years. The mating
season is from winter to spring and the gestation period is around
115 days. The female has up to
four cubs, with the usual
number being two. Tiger cubs are born blind, are approximately
18
inches
long at birth (counting the tail) and weigh around 3
lbs. They will gain over a hundred lbs. in
9 months.
The two cubs, pictured below, are a few weeks
old.
The lifespan of the Bengal tiger is around 22-25
years in captivity and 16
to 18 years in the wild. The
lower number in the wild reflect increased incidence
of diseases, poachers, and other life-threatening
problems which are
often avoided or treated in captivity.
The Siberian
tiger is the largest tiger. They often reach over 8
feet in length, not counting the tail, and
weigh over 650-700
lbs.
Bengals, like other members of the cat family,
spend over 80% of their lives sleeping
and resting and
when they are active, most of their time is spent
patrolling their territories or hunting for food. These
big cats are not
built for running long distances but are capable
of short bursts of speed
which often
take their victims by surprise. Bengals
are also powerful swimmers
and will not hesitate to chase prey
into water. They also like to lay in water,
totally submerged, except for their head and back...to cool
off and to bathe.
The Bengal shown in the above graphic is a rare
white tiger and is not, contrary to popular belief,
an albino tiger but is, rather, a mutation
( genetically different member) of the species. Most of
the white tigers have blue eyes and may
be found in some of the world's zoos. White tigers have
been bred in captivity since the 1950's.
All species of tiger are on the endangered list and are protected, by
law, from wanton destruction.
This does not, however, keep a certain number
of tigers from being killed each year by farmers
and ranchers who live near the wildlife preserves where these tigers
roam. Bengals will sometimes
range outside their protected areas and
will kill livestock and other animals which
are beneficial to
farmers. Most people in third world countries can't understand
why large areas of land should be
set aside, simply to protect tigers. They only know that they
have a family to feed and that they
depend on their livestock to provide a
living for their family and themselves.
Inroads are being made in the preservation of
the tiger and their numbers are growing, slowly but
surely. Numerous acres of land have been set aside recently in
India,
China, and Russia to help
insure that the tiger species does not become extinct. High fences
not only keep poachers out, but
keep the tigers in. Once these tigers escape their protected
areas, they rarely live more than a few
weeks before they are killed. Let's
hope that these and other measures will ensure that future gen-
erations will be able to enjoy the graceful beauty
of the Bengal as well as other tiger species.
Press play below, to hear Bengal Tiger sounds.