Skin Type:
The protective layer of the animal...
|
Fur |
Size (L):
How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is...
| 2.4m - 3.3m (6.8ft - 11ft) |
Weight:
The measurement of how heavy the animal is...
| 140kg - 300kg (309lbs - 660lbs) |
Top Speed:
The fastest recorded speed of the animal...
| 96kph (60mph) |
|
Diet:
What kind of foods the animal eats...
| Carnivore |
Prey:
The food that the animal gains energy from...
| Deer, Cattle, Wild Boar |
Predators:
| Human |
The White
Tiger (also known as the White Bengal Tiger) is a subspecies of
Tiger, found throughout the
Indian subcontinent. Although the range of the White
Tiger is historically very large, these
animals are incredibly rare as their colouration is dependent on a defective, recessive gene that is passed on from their parents. Over the past couple of centuries the White
Tiger has become even rarer in the wild due to trophy hunting or capture for the exotic pet trade, with there having been no recorded sightings of these elusive
predators for the past 50 years. Today, the White
Tiger can still be found in a handful of zoos and
animal sanctuaries around the world with these large and beautiful felines often being the star attraction. Along with the
Bengal Tiger, the White
Tiger is considered to be the second largest species of
Tiger in the world after the
Siberian Tiger.
The White
Tiger is a large and powerful
animal that can weigh up to 300kg and reaches more than 3 meters in length. Unlike the white variations found in other
animal species, the White
Tiger is not an albino as they still carry some form of pigment that creates their fur colour, as some individuals are known to retain an orange tinge to their white coloured fur. Like other
Tiger species, the White
Tiger has black or dark brown stripes that run vertically along it's body, the pattern of which is unique to both the
Tiger species and the individual. Along with the change in fur colour, the gene carried by the White
Tiger's parents also means that they have blue eyes rather than the green or yellow coloured eyes of normal
Bengal Tigers. Despite the beauty of the White
Tiger's fur, it does in fact give these individuals a disadvantage as they are not so easily camouflaged into the surrounding jungle.
Today the
Bengal Tiger is found in small pockets of it's natural
habitat in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, and although populations are severely declining, they remain the most numerous
Tiger species in the world. They are found in a variety of
habitats including tropical forests, mangrove swamps and moist jungles that generally support dense vegetation and have a good source of fresh water. Although the White
Tiger could once be found in the wild, it is very rare for the gene carrying parents to actually mate, and with the rapidly declining numbers of
Bengal Tigers throughout their natural range, the chances of White
Tigers being produced are becoming less every day.
Like other
Tiger species, the White
Tiger is a solitary
animal as this allows this large
predator to sneak up on
prey more effectively in the dense jungle. Although the White
Tiger is not
nocturnal, they do the majority of their hunting at night as this also helps them to hunt more successfully. White
Tigers have incredible hearing and sight which, along with their stealth, helps them when hunting in the jungle in the dark. Each
Tiger occupies a large territory that is marked by urine and claw marks on trees, and can be up to 75 square miles in size. Despite the fact that they are solitary
animals except for during the mating season, male White
Tiger territories can overlap with those of a number of females', particularly in areas which are high in
prey. Male White
Tigers will however, defend their patch fiercely from other males who may be trying to steal their spot.
In order for a White
Tiger to be produced, both of it's parents must carry the gene. Male and female White
Tigers are attracted to one another by their roars and scent marks, and once mated, the male and female go their separate ways. After a gestation period that lasts for around 3 and a half months, the female White
Tiger gives birth to up to 5 cubs, which are blind and weigh roughly 1kg each and can have either white or orange fur. The White
Tiger cubs suckle on the milk from their mother and begin to eat meat that she has caught for them when they are around 2 months old, and are weaned four months later. The White
Tiger cubs begin to accompany their mother hunting and eventually leave her and begin their solitary life in the jungle when they are about 18 months of age. White
Tigers have an average lifespan of 12 years, which can be longer in captivity.
The White
Tiger primarily hunts large, herbivorous
animals including
Deer,
Wild Boar, Cattle and
Goats that feed both in the jungle and on it's outskirts. The White
Tiger has a number of adaptations to help it to both catch and kill it's
prey, including being strong and powerful, incredibly fast, and having long and sharp claws and teeth.With growing
Human settlements pushing the White
Bengal Tiger into smaller and smaller pockets of it's historical range, they are also commonly known to hunt and kill livestock, with entrances into villages also becoming increasingly common.
The White
Tiger is a
Bengal Tiger which is a species listed by the IUCN as Endangered and therefore severely threatened in it's surrounding environment. Estimates of around 100,000
Tigers found in the jungles and mangrove swamps of
Asia were made at the beginning of the 1900s, but today there are thought to be less than 8,000
Tigers in the wild, with around 2,000 of these being
Bengal Tigers. There are no White
Tiger individuals known to be found outside of captivity.
