Bengal tiger
Bengal tiger, (subspecies Panthera tigris tigris), subspecies of tiger (Pantheria tigris) inhabiting the hot and humid forests, and wetlands of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. The Bengal tiger’s appearance is distinguished from other tiger subspecies by its orange coat accented by prominent brownish-to-black stripes; a rare white-coated variant of the subspecies (the white tiger) also exists. The Bengal tiger rivals the larger, thicker-furred, cold-climate Siberian tiger in size, and most experts consider the Bengal tiger to be the world’s second largest tiger. While some 2,000–2,500 remain in the wild, several thousand more are thought to reside in zoos and private reserves around the world.
The largest male Bengal tigers can grow up to about 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) long (including a 1-metre- [3.3-foot-] long tail) and weigh nearly 295 kg (about 650 pounds). Females are smaller, the largest ones measuring about 2.7 metres (9 feet) long and weighing as much as 181 kg (400 pounds). They are solitary hunters, preying primarily on ungulates (including deer and antelope), gaurs, and wild boars (Sus scrofa). However, several people in India and Bangladesh are killed and eaten by Bengal tigers each year after encountering them.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) considers the Bengal tiger to be an endangered subspecies (see endangered species). The largest threats to Bengal tiger survival are poaching and the conversion of the Bengal tiger’s habitat to agriculture, roads, and other types of human-controlled space. As the human population of India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Nepal continues to grow, the potential for human-tiger conflicts is expected to increase.