The Bengal tiger is on the endangered-species list.
The Bengal tiger is the largest member of the cat family, reaching a weight of up to 500 lbs. The distinctive orange, white and black stripes form a different pattern on each tiger -- no two tigers look exactly the same. The purpose of the beautiful coloring is to camouflage them in the wild. Because it's a predator at the top of the food chain, the presence of the Bengal tiger means benefits for much smaller animals that share its environment.
Benefits to Other Animals
The Bengal tiger is a top-of-the-food-chain predator, which means it feeds on large and medium predators. This proves beneficial for maintaining the populations of the smaller animals on which the large and medium animals prey. In addition, the "leftovers" -- the carcasses and meat that remain after the tiger finishes its meal -- are fed upon by the smaller, less-aggressive animals that share the tiger's habitat.
Diet
Bengal tigers can eat up to 60 lbs. of meat a day. The large mammals upon which they feed include wild pigs, buffalo, antelope and deer. Tigers don't run long distances in pursuit of food but instead stalk their prey at dusk or dawn, hiding behind tall grasses until they pounce. The Bengal tiger will often drag its prey to a water source to consume it.
Habitat of the Bengal Tiger
A large population of Bengal tigers live in India, and the animal is strongly associated with that country. In fact the Bengal is sometimes referred to as an "Indian tiger." The cats are also found in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma. There is also a population of Bengal tigers that lives at the mouth of the Ganges River, in the Sundarbans delta. These are the only tigers that have adapted to live in mangroves.
Risk for Extinction
Bengal tigers are in demand for their pelts. Powdered tiger bones also are a sought-after ingredient in Chinese medicine. Poachers have depleted the Bengal tiger population to such an extent that the animal is now on the endangered-species list. According to the World Wildlife Federation, there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild.
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