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Mammal. There are 36 species of cat in the world, and tigers are the largest. Hearing is their sharpest sense, five times better than humans, and their night vision is six times stronger than humans. 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. |
| Scientific
Name |
Lifespan |
| Panthera tigris tigris |
15 years, 20+ in captivity |
| Diet |
| Carnivore. Primarily wild deer and wild cattle called gaur, also buffalo, young elephants, monkeys, birds, frogs, and porcupines. |
| Predators and
Threats |
| Humans; habitat destruction. |
| Habitat |
| Rainforests and dense grasslands; most Bengal tigers live in India, but some range through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar. |
