Bengal tiger
| Bengal tiger | ||||||||||||
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A king tiger |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Panthera tigris tigris | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Bengal tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris ), also Bengal Tiger or Indian tiger , is a subspecies of tiger , one of the mainland subspecies. He is on the Indian subcontinent common and is on the IUCN ( International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ) as endangered ( Endangered classified). The total population is estimated to be less than 2500 individuals. The King Tiger is the national animal of India and Bangladesh .
etymology
The term “ royal tiger ” originally comes from the English hunter's language and did not designate a subspecies of its own, but rather particularly large specimens that represented coveted hunting trophies. The name can be compared with “twelve-enders”, which in German means a capital stag with powerful twelve-end antlers and not a breed of its own. These royal tigers not only had a particularly high-contrast coat color, but also a very regular pattern of black stripes that were not interrupted. These individuals are therefore a special and very rare type in the formation of the striped pattern and are not often found among the Bengal tigers. In addition to these animals, all the other Bengal tigers were "ordinary" tigers. The tiger subspecies was simply called "Indian" or "Bengali" tiger until then. The term was later applied to all Indian tigers.
features
Scientific data on the King Tiger are generally considered to be very sound and secure. It represents, both today and historically, the most widespread wild subspecies in terms of numbers. Furthermore, many specimens live in captivity, such as in zoos, animal parks or even private property.
anatomy
The male King Tiger is measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, between 270 and 310 cm long, in exceptional cases over 360 cm, the females reach 240-270 cm. The weight of the males is between 180 and 300 kg, that of the females between 100 and 180 kg. The shoulder height is between 90 and 100 cm. The shape of the skull is very similar to that of the Indochinese and Malaysia tigers .
hide
The hair length of the King Tiger is 8 to 15 mm on the back in summer and between 20 and 30 mm on the belly. In the nape of the neck, the hair does not show any major differences and is measured here at 20 to 66 mm. The whiskers are 50 to 90 mm long. In winter, the coat is longer, so that the length of the hair on the back is between 17 and 25 mm. The hair on the back of the neck and whiskers is also longer in winter than in summer, with a difference between 5 and 10 mm.
The basic color of the fur is a bright red-gold. The abdomen and the inside of the legs of the tiger are white. The relatively wide, black horizontal stripes run from the head over the whole body to the tip of the tail , and the hind legs are also striped in the same way. The stripes are often doubled and are particularly long on the sides and thighs. The rings on the tail of the animal are quite wide and also often doubled. The number is eight or nine rings.
Color variations
The so-called "white tigers" only occur sporadically in nature in the Bengal tiger. The animals are half-albinos ( leucism ) whose eyes are blue instead of red. All white tigers living in captivity go back to the tiger tomcat "Mohan", who was discovered in 1951 as a young animal during a hunt by Martand Singh , the Maharaja of Rewa , in the jungle of Bandhavgarh . Singh kept the animal in a golden cage, but always gave it the opportunity to reproduce since reaching sexual maturity. All bred white tigers that have since been bred in zoos in the USA , later by circuses and showmen, are descendants of Mohan and one of his daughters, whose litter was the first with white tigers. The show animals known today under the names "White Tiger" (white with black stripes), "Snow Tiger" (all white), "Golden Tiger" (yellow with pale stripes) etc. are inbred color forms, some of which are Siberian Tigers were crossed; they are not their own species .
Another color variant is that of the "black tiger", which, like white tigers , is reported in legends and in Chinese mythology . Unlike leopards or jaguars , these animals are not completely black in color. It is not a question of melanism , but rather an overpigmentation or extreme expression of the black stripes compared to the basic color, which make the animal appear almost black. A similar overpigmentation can be found in cheetahs , for example . Here the dots can merge into stripes and it is then referred to as the “King Cheetah”. Like white tigers, “black tigers” are an absolute rarity.
Distribution area and habitat
A few centuries ago Bengal tigers were widespread across the entire Indian subcontinent from Pakistan to Myanmar . Most of the Bengal tigers live in India . Smaller populations occur in Bangladesh , Terai Nepal and Bhutan .
As with all species in Southeast Asia, the basic habitat of the Bengal tiger is the jungle . Like the jaguar in Central and South America, it prefers dense vegetation and proximity to water.
Way of life
nutrition
A king tiger needs around 8 kg of meat per day. Its main diet is large mammals such as Nilgau antelopes , gaure , sambar deer , barasinghas , axis deer and wild boar . It eats smaller prey such as monkeys , hares , rabbits and waterfowl less often . The tiger sneaks up to its prey, jumps at it and presses it to the ground with its strong front paws. The width of the jumps can be up to 6 meters. To kill, he bites into the throat of his victim or breaks the neck with a bite in the neck.
Reproduction and lifespan
The king tiger has a gestation period of 95 to just over 110 days. A female tiger can give birth to two to six cubs with one litter, which are blind in the first two weeks and leave the common shelter after two months at the earliest. The development corresponds to that of other subspecies. The lifespan of a Bengal tiger is up to 17 years in the wild; in captivity, individual specimens can live to be over 20 years old.
Bengal tiger and human
The tiger avoids humans, but comes closer to them when humans claim more land for themselves in the form of agricultural use such as agriculture or animal husbandry. Another threat to the habitat is the clearing of the forests, which rob the tiger and its prey of their retreats and previously natural habitat. A healthy tiger only attacks a person if, for example, a female tiger has cubs that it has to protect, or if the animal feels harassed and has to defend itself.
Basically, humans are not part of the prey spectrum of tigers. Nevertheless, attacks on humans occur again and again, and some tigers become specialized " cannibals " for unknown reasons . As with all tiger subspecies, the Bengal tiger becomes a man hunter due to old age, illness or serious injuries if it can no longer hunt its regular prey due to physical impairments. There are no reports of targeted, aggressive attacks against humans. Tigers, however, never invade human settlements to deliberately prey on humans. They kill people who invade the jungle, the tiger's territory, such as woodcutters, construction workers or honey collectors. In addition, the hunched posture of workers resembles the appearance of "four-legged animals", which represent the tiger's prey and thus offer a further incentive to hunt. In some areas it is therefore common for people who leave their village to wear a mask with a human face on the back of the head, as tigers attack from behind. This precaution has now proven very helpful.
A particularly high density of human sacrifices is noticeable in the mangrove forests of Sundarbans . The King Tiger of the Sundarbans is said to be particularly aggressive, which has not yet been clarified.
Persistence and protection
In 1930 the total population of the King Tiger in British India , which also included Pakistan and Bangladesh, was estimated at a total of 40,000 specimens. 30,000 tigers were killed in India alone in thirty years.
Although the Bengal tiger still had the largest population of all subspecies of the tiger in 2013, it is still falling sharply due to ongoing poaching , including in the designated protected areas, progressive loss of habitat and lack of prey. Despite precautions stocks take in all the countries where the King Tiger is located further down and the IUCN lists the Bengal tiger continues to be at risk ( Endangered ).
India
Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was very committed to protecting India's wild animals, especially the tiger:
“Our own efforts to save India's natural resources are focused on the tiger. What other animal can kindle our imagination like him in the fusion of elegance and strength; symbolize the irreplaceable in such a spectacular way! The tiger suffered badly from man. He was hunted and cruelly persecuted. Its living space was severely curtailed. Today it is on the verge of extinction. "
The shooting of Bengal tigers has been illegal in India since 1970. Likewise, the trade and export of tiger skins. In 1972 India's entire tiger population was extremely depleted. On the initiative of Kailash Sankhala , the first nationwide tiger census took place this year and produced a result of 1827 animals. The so-called "Tiger Census" is carried out by the government and is enshrined in law. The law provides for a count in the reserves every two and every four years nationwide. Stricter laws for the protection of the tiger and the Project Tiger founded by Sankhala in 1973 helped the total population of the king tiger to increase again, so that in 1979 around 4,000 tigers could be counted. However, the numbers continued to fluctuate. In 1984 there were just under 3000, in 1989 around 4300 and in 1993 around 3700 individuals.
In India, population censuses have historically been performed on the basis of footprints, a method that has been criticized as inaccurate and insufficient. According to estimates based on this method, there were 3,642 individuals in India in 2002. At that time, the number of tigers was greatly decreasing; an important factor was probably the illegal trade in tiger skins to Tibet
In 2008, camera traps and geographic information systems were first used in India to determine the size of Indian populations in protected areas. From these data, the total population was estimated to be 1165 to 1657 individuals older than 18 months. In 2011 the population was estimated at 1520-1909 individuals. According to this, the designation of tiger sanctuaries and the fight against poaching have positive effects.
Bangladesh
In 1972 about 100 Bengal tigers lived in Bangladesh. 2004 estimates put an estimated increase between 200 and 419 individuals. Most of them live in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans and a few in the northeast of the country.
Nepal
There are three populations in Nepal that are isolated by agricultural land and densely populated areas. The largest population lives in Chitwan National Park and the neighboring Parsa Game Reserve , which together cover an area of 2543 km² of primary forest . This population is isolated from a population that lives further west, in Bardia National Park and in adjacent unprotected areas. The smallest population lives in the Sukla Phanta game reserve in the extreme southwest of Nepal. In 2010, these three populations were estimated to be 124 to 229 individuals.
Bhutan
In 2015, the population in Bhutan was given as 103 animals.
Pakistan
The tiger has been extinct in Pakistan since 1886. However, there are plans to relocate it in Kirthar National Park .
Movies
- Two brothers - Two young Bengal tiger brothers are separated when they are children while fleeing from hunters in the jungle. Years later, they meet again as tigers who are supposed to fight each other in an arena.
- Natural Killers Tiger of the Marshes - Mike Herd filmed the Bengal Tiger for six months in Bangladesh.
- Tiger tracks - Broken Tail breaks out - Colin Stafford-Johnson follows in the footsteps of a King Tiger on its journey through India. (India, Ireland, 2009)
- Life of Pi: Shipwreck with Tiger - After a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Piscine Molitor Patel, called Pi, has to survive on a lifeboat together with the Bengal tiger "Richard Parker".
literature
- Vratislav Mazák : The tiger . Reprint of the 3rd edition from 1983. Westarp Wissenschaften Hohenwarsleben, 2004 ISBN 3-89432-759-6 , pp. 139-144.
- Thorsten Milse, Uta Henschel: The eyes of the jungle. In the realm of the Indian tiger. Bucher, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-7658-1617-8 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Kailash Sankhala: The Indian Tiger and its Empire. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-86047-734-X .
- Kailash Sankhala: Tiger. World Wildlife Fund. Zurich 1974, ISBN 3859880098 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c R. S. Chundawat, JA Khan, DP Mallon (2008): Panthera tigris ssp. tigris . IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2.
- ↑ http://www.indiaonlinepages.com/national-symbols/national-animal.html
- ↑ http://www.bangla2000.com/bangladesh/royal_bengal_tiger.shtm
- ↑ Om Gupta: Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Volume 9: The Bengal Tiger
- ^ Vratislav Mazák : The tiger
- ↑ Thorsten Milse, Uta Henschel: The eyes of the jungle. In the realm of the Indian tiger. , P. 181
- ↑ Thorsten Milse, Uta Henschel: The eyes of the jungle. In the realm of the Indian tiger. , P. 181.
- ^ Mask trick against Tiger September 18, 1989, In: Der Spiegel , accessed October 14, 2013.
- ↑ www.20min.ch - Everyday life with the ogres
- ↑ How people in India live with the tiger on RP-online ( Memento of the original from October 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Kailash Sankhala: Tiger. P. 30.
- ↑ Kailash Sankhala: Tiger.
- ↑ Kailash Sankhala: Tiger. P. 30
- ↑ Kailash Sankhala: The Indian Tiger and its Empire. P. 10.
- ↑ KU Karanth, JD Nichols, J. Seidensticker, E. Dinerstein, JLD Smith, C. McDougal, AJT Johnsingh, RS Chundawat, V. Thapar (2003): Science deficiency in conservation practice: the monitoring of tiger populations in India (PDF ; 60 kB). In: Animal Conservation Volume 6, 2003, pp. 141-146.
- ↑ Erika Check (2006): The Tiger's Retreat. In: Nature , Volume 441, pp. 927-930.
- ↑ - ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ YV Jhala, R. Gopal, Q. Qureshi (Ed.): Status of the Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India ( Memento of the original from June 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 6.6 MB). TR 08/001. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi; Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun 2008.
- ^ YV Jhala, Q. Qureshi, PR Sinha (2011): Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India . National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt of India and the Wildlife Institute of India, New Delhi and Dehra Dun, India.
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↑ eurekalert.org of March 28, 2011: "India releases tiger numbers as experts convene."
World Wide Fund for Nature , press release of March 28, 2011: "More tigers in India." - In comparison to 2007 by approx. 300 individuals increased in 2011, however, a population of 70 animals, which was not taken into account in 2007. - ↑ Kailash Sankhala: Tiger. P. 30.
- ^ Ministry of Environment and Forests: Report on Sundarbans Tiger Census . Bangladesh 2004.
- ↑ JLD Smith, SC Ahern, C. McDougal (1998): Landscape Analysis of Tiger Distribution and Habitat Quality in Nepal . Conservation Biology 12 (6): 1338-1346.
- ↑ The Economic Times: Nepal has 155 adult tigers, 5% of world population . Times Internet Limited, 2010.
Web links
- Short profile Bengal tiger; IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group in English
- Study by WWF, 2005 (PDF, English; 2.77 MB)
- Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India: India - Tiger Estimate 2010 (PDF; 1.1 MB) March 2011.
- National Tiger Conservation Authority - Project Tiger