BENGAL TIGER Physiology
Historically, it was regarded as the second largest subspecies, following the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica); however, a recent study indicates that it may actually be the largest. The total length of male Bengal tigers ranges from 270 to 310 cm, while females measure between 240 and 265 cm; the tail length is 85 to 110 cm, and the shoulder height is 90 to 110 cm.
The average weight for males is 221.2 kg (487.7 lb), and for females, it is 139.7 kg (308 lb); however, those residing in northern India and Nepal average 235 kg (518 lb) for males and 140 kg (308.6 lb) for females.
The officially recorded heaviest Bengal tiger, with a confirmed weight, was a male weighing 258.6 kg (570 lbs), shot in Northern India in 1938; however, the heaviest male captured by a scientist to date is a male weighing 270 kg (595 lb), tagged in Nepal in 1984.
The largest Bengal tiger, measured between pegs, was a male hunted by Archibald Dunbar Brander, which had a head and body length of 221 cm, a chest girth of 150 cm, a shoulder height of 109 cm, and a tail measuring just 81 cm, possibly severed by a rival male. This specimen could not be weighed, but it was estimated to weigh no less than 270 kg.
Finally, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the heaviest known Bengal tiger was a massive male hunted in 1967, measuring 322 cm in total length between pegs (338 cm over curves) and weighing 388.7 kg (857 lb). This specimen was hunted in northern India by David Hasinger and is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution, in the Mammals Hall.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were reports of large male Bengal tigers measuring approximately 360 cm in total length; however, there was no scientific validation in the field, and it is likely that these measurements were taken over the curves of the body.
They possess the ability to endure cold climates, as their skin is resilient to various temperature conditions. Their fur varies in color from yellow to light orange, while their stripes can be found in shades ranging from dark brown to black; the underbelly is white, and the tail features white with black rings. A mutation of the Bengal subspecies — the white tigers — exhibit dark brown or reddish-brown stripes against a white background, with some individuals being entirely white.
Black tigers display tawny, yellow, or white stripes on a black background. A black tiger skin, which was seized from smugglers, measured 259 cm and is currently exhibited at the National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi. Reports of black tigers lacking stripes have surfaced, but these claims remain unverified.
The roar of a Bengal tiger can be heard from a distance of up to three miles.
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