Mishka, the bengal tiger

About Bengal tigers.

It is the national animal of India and Bangladesh.

There is a mutation which turns the orange color of its fur into white (white tigers) and, in rare cases, its black stripes turn brown (golden tiger).

It is currently the largest feline in the world, very close to its relative the Siberian tiger.

It is one of the best jumpers of all mammals, reaching 5 m (around 16 ft) in height and around 10 m (around 32 ft) length. The only feline that can do better is the cougar.

There is a tiger subspecies that faces imminent extinction: the Xiamen tiger. Because of the demand for parts of this tiger to make natural remedies, illegal hunting has led to their extinction in the wild (the last one was hunted in 1994) and only a few remain in captivity. Three tiger subspecies became extinct during the 20th century: Bali, Javan and Caspian tigers.

The stripe pattern is unique in each tiger so, like fingerprints, no two individuals have exactly the same. And without their fur, they still have the markings on their skin.

The infrasound waves of its roar paralyze their prey, and it can be heard as far as 3 km (around 2 miles).

Tigers are solitary animals. Males live alone, occupying a territory with some females they mate with and the cubs. Females can travel in small groups with their cubs and they only interact with males for mating purposes.

A male tiger that lives in the wild will hunt on average every 8 days.

Their eyesight is a little limited, as they are only capable of seeing their prey when it is moving. However, they have sharp night vision and an acute sense of hearing.

They are extremely territorial animals and they defend their territory aggressively. It is estimated that 20% of wild tigers die fighting other tigers.

A swipe of a tiger’s paw can kill an adult ruminant, as they have claws that can reach 3 inches long. They are also very strong and can reach speeds of 75 km/h (around 46 mph) when chasing their prey.