Bengal Tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

Easy (Polygynous males, monogamous females)

The **Bengal Tiger** (*Panthera tigris)* is a large Asian feline featured in the Standard Edition of *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** 2,500

The Bengal tiger (or *Panthera tigris tigris*) is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Western China. It can live in all kinds of environments, including grassland, forests and mangroves, and will hunt large prey such as cloven-hoofed animals like goats, deer and cows (collectively known as ungulates). The Bengal tiger can be identified by its bright orange coat and brown or black stripes, along with a large head, muscular limbs and large teeth.

The species is endangered, with the numbers alive in the wild continuing to fall. The main threat to Bengal tigers is poaching - they are killed for fur and body parts, the latter of which are desired for traditional medicines. Farmers are also prone to killing them in order to protect their own livestock, despite the fact that tigers preying on this type of animal is rare.

Various countries are assisting in the ongoing conservation of the Bengal tiger by protecting the areas in which they live. In India, 'Project Tiger' has created breeding reserves in areas where tiger populations are high, and when tigers become old enough, they migrate away from this area of high tiger population to find their own territory. This gives the tigers a wider distribution. For some time, this effort did result in the tiger population recovering, however it is unfortunately back in decline.

### Social

Bengal tigers spend their time alone, except for a mother with her cubs. They are solitary animals - in the wild they will only interact to mate or fight over mates. They spend their days hunting and patrolling their territory. Male Bengal tigers may have territory of 100km2, and females up to 20km2,

### Reproduction

Male tigers will track receptive females through scent marking and scratches on trees. If the female is receptive the two will mate but then go their separate ways. The female will give birth to a litter of 1 to 4 cubs in a den after a 3-month pregnancy. Tiger mothers begin to train their cubs to hunt when they are around 3 months old and mature enough to leave the den. They will stay with their mother until they are between 2 and 3 years old, at which point they will leave to establish their own territory.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Frozen Blood Pumpkin · Piñata Zebra · Restraint Feeder · Block of Frozen Fish · Block of Frozen Fruit · Underwater Fish Feeder
Blood Scent Marker · Cardboard Box · Firehose Ball · Prey-Scented Sack · Rubbing Pad · Scratching Post · Sprinkler · Gift Box · Scots Pine/Tamarind Scratching Tree · Rubbing Pad Bark · Submarine Buoy

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

1. Tigers have the largest teeth of any cat species, with canines up to 90mm in length.
2. 400 Bengal tigers live in the coastal mangroves of Bangladesh and are reported to be half the weight of the main tiger population. Researchers believe this may be because the deer prey found there, are themselves small and provide less food for the tigers.
3. Bengal tigers enjoy swimming and are very good swimmers.
4. Mangrove forest workers have started wearing masks on the back of their heads to deter tigers from attacking them, as Bengal tigers only attack from behind and believe they are being watched when the masks are worn.
5. The urine of tigers smells like buttered popcorn due to containing the same aroma compound.

### Other Trivia

* The Bengal tiger was formally revealed on International Tiger Day.
* Recent taxonomy categorizes the Bengal tiger as a population of the mainland tiger, one of the two currently valid tiger subspecies (the other being the Sunda Island tiger).
* The Bengal tiger was the first animal to be represented in a community challenge.
* The Bengal Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh.
* The 1.16 Update gave the Bengal Tiger the pseudomelanistic and erythristic (golden/strawberry) colormorphs.

## Gallery

Pre-Zoopedia ProfileBengal Tiger roaringBaby Bengal TigerBengal Tiger yawnsBengal Tiger resting in the shadeBengal Tiger goes to the waterBengal tiger sailsMajestic Bengal TigerPseudo-Melanistic Bengal Tiger