Bengal tigers are the most common sub-species of tiger to be found in the wild, and are most commonly found living in regions of India and Bangladesh in Asia.
Magnificently striking creatures, Bengal tigers are quite adaptive animals, and are found to live in a wide range of different habitats within their geographical range including; scrub forests, dense grasslands, tropical forests and dry deciduous forests.
One of the habitats in which the Bengal tiger can be found to live is the Sundarban mangrove forests which are found in the Eastern region of Bangladesh and India.
The Sundarban mangrove forests make an excellent habitat for the Bengal tiger, and as well as providing a plethora of undergrowth and coverage within which the Bengal tiger may successfully stalk its prey, the luscious Sundarban forest also ensures there is always a plentiful supply of prey for the Bengal tiger to stalk. In this region Bengal tigers are often spotted stalking prey at the edge of the River Ganges.
Unlike many other species of big cats, Bengal tigers rely entirely on the process of stalking their prey to survive. (AMNH, 1996) This means dense undergrowth, shrubs, and forests are an essential requirement for the habitat of Bengal tigers if they are to catch their prey. However, as more and more of the Bengal tiger’s natural habitat is destroyed to make way for open farmland and human development, the number of locations with suitable habitats for Bengal tigers, is declining drastically. As such, wildlife parks and tiger reserves have become a necessity to ensure the survival of Bengal tiger populations in the wild.
The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh contains a number of wildlife reserves in which the Bengal tiger can be found, and some of the dense grasslands habitats found within the central region of India are home to some of the largest wild populations of Bengal tigers. (Indiantigers.com, 2009) According to a tiger population map it is estimated that around 300 individual Bengal tigers are thought to be living in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The Indian state of Karnataka is also home to good sized populations of wild Bengal tigers. (POC)
Although the Bengal tiger is the most common sub-species of tiger which can be found in the wild, because of habitat destruction and other threats to wild populations of Bengal tigers, it has been estimated that as little as 1,500 Bengal tigers now survive in the wild. (National Geographic, 2009) As such, Bengal tigers are officially classified as being an endangered species. Thus to protect the Bengal tiger from extinction, safeguarding the Bengal tiger’s natural habitat will be a vital task. (AMNH, 1996)
References
(AMNH) American Museum of Natural History (1996) ‘Bengal Tiger Panthera tigiris tigiris’, AMNH website, [Online], Available from: http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/Endangered/tiger/tiger.html [Last Accessed: 31-12-2009]
Indiantigers.com, (2009) ‘Tiger Habitat’, [Online] Available from: http://www.indiantigers.com/abouttiger/tiger-habitat.html [Last Accessed: 31-12-2009]
National Geographic (2009) ‘Bengal Tiger Profile’, National Geographic, [Online] Available from: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bengal-tiger.html [Last Accessed: 31-10-2009]
Pictures-Of-Cats.org (POC) ‘Tiger Population in India’, [Online] Available from: http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/Tiger-Population-in-India.html [Last Accessed: 31-12-2009]
