BENGAL TIGER “THE SILENT KILLER” Gabriela Sympson Ms. Confer Biology July 8,2011
HABITAT
Part of the Animalia Kingdom 2nd Largest and heaviest cat in the cat
family Lives in the forest of India Solitary animals Males cover 20 square miles of land Women cover 17 square miles of land Has many dens and use which ever is
most convenient at the time
LET’S TAKE A LOOK
The Bengal tiger is the classic orange and black but some are black and white Althought tigers are black and white they are not
albino they have blue eyes No other tiger has the same stripe pattern
Height from head to body is 6-8 ft. tall, tail 2-3 ft. Weight 240-500 pounds Loves to be in water This picture show the detail of the tiger and it’s
stripes
ADAPTATION
The tigers have stripes to help them blend into their surroundings
The tigers hearing is very sharp they can hear sound waves below the range of normal sound
This picture shows how well the tigers can blend into the grass using their stripes to get prey
FEMALE TIGERS
A female tiger’s gestation period is three and a half months
It’s difficult to see a pregnant tiger because the don’t show until their last 10- 12 days
Spends last few days of pregnancy looking for a safe place to birth her cubs and a place that has and adequate amount of prey
DEVELOPMENT
Females give birth to litters about 2-6 cubs Self raised by the mom.
By one year the babies go out with their mother to hunt.
Babies stay with their mom until their 2 years old and then go out on their own to find their own territory.
By age five the tigers gave reach full maturity Have white spots on the back of their head to
identify each other
CUBS
Tiger cubs are normally born blind And average cub weighs 785 pounds at
birth After six to twelve days the cubs eyes
start to open but they don’t have their full vision for after a few weeks
FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!
Bengal tiger are carnivores( they eat meat) Such as
Buffalo Deer & wild pigs
The average Bengal tiger can eat up to to 60 pounds of food in one night
Usually get sick when prey is low in an area
LIFE SPAN
Tigers can live to about 15 years in the wild and about 16-18 years in a controlled environment
Most tigers from lack of food
EXTINCTION
Tigers are rapidly becoming extinct due to humans
Humans use tigers for medicine to cure ulcers, bites, and burns
Humans also use the tiger for food Wild dogs are always on the hunt for
tigers
IT’S TIME TO HUNT
Hunt mostly at dusk and dawn to help them hide.
When done with prey or full they leave the pray for other mammals to eat
After the kill their prey they eat it by the water
HOW DO TIGERS SEE AT NIGHT?
Have long horizontal nerves near the eye which allows them to have a better peripheral vision
They have structure behind the eye called the tapetum lucidum it allows them to have better night vision
Have large lenses and pupils to increase the amount the of light let in. This is what gives them night vision.
ACTION
here is a video that I found that show a Bengal Tiger in it’s habitat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oer57tcW0D4&feature=player_detailpage
THIS IS MY TERRITORY
Aggressiveness between tigers depends on how many tigers are in the area
Female tigers have smaller territories but are safer for raising children
Female tigers normally have territories next to or take over their mothers territory
This picture shows the tiger marking it’s territory using scent and by scraping the tree
EVERYDAY LIVING Tigers or mostly active at night this
pattern may change due to seasons or prey activity.
Tigers constantly groom themselves to keep their coats in tip top shape and to moisturize using the oils that are given of by their glands.
They spend most of their day in water They constantly patrol their territory
SCENT & VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Male and female tigers communicate through marking territories
Define boundaries by using urine because of the smell and sometimes feces
All tigers have a signature scent to mark territories, for cubs to find their mother, and to identify each other. This scent is located in the toes
Tigers communicate by using their tales. If the tail is loosely hanging the tiger is relaxed; if the tail is moving from side to side rapidly it is showing aggression
DID YOU KNOW…….
The Bengal tigers roar can be heard from 2 miles away
Tigers purr only when they breathe out while domestic cats purr when breathing in or out
After killing it’s prey it starts eating from the hind area first
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Emanoil, Mary. Encyclopedia of Endangered Species , Detroit: Gale Research Co. 1994
Worrall, Mary. Oxford Children's Encyclopedia volume 5. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1991
"The Tiger Page",http://www.mtsu.edu/~jpurcell/Walker/Wildlife/tigers.html, (October, 2000)