The second largest cat in the world (behind only the Siberian tiger), the Bengal tiger is the most feared predator in the jungles of northeast India. As darkness falls, this powerful hunter moves through the trees, barely making a sound, hidden from all but the most sharp-eyed observer. Although it usually preys on deer and wild pigs, anything smaller than itself- including humans-is fair game to a hungry Bengal tiger.
Path of the Whiskers: The stiff whiskers on a tiger's face help it move through dense tree and grass cover at night. If its whiskers can fit through an opening in the foliage, so can the tiger.
Skin Deep: Just like human fingerprints, every tiger's stripe pattern is unique. The tiger's orange and black pattern, which helps keep it camouflaged, doesn't stop at its fur-it goes all the way down to the animal's skin.
Silent Stalker[]
A tiger drags its kill to a safe place, and then gorges itself. It can eat up to 70 lbs. at once--and go days before it eats again.
The Bengal tiger creeps silently through the brush on its padded paws, stalking ever closer to its unsuspecting prey. The tiger takes its time to get close enough for its final sprint, then rushes in to tackle its victim and deliver a deadly bite. For small prey, like rabbits or pigs, the tiger delivers a fatal bite to the back of the neck. For larger prey, the tiger goes for the throat. Despite their impressive stalking and killing skills, tigers are successful only once out of every 20 hunting attempts.
Bright Eyes: A tiger's eyes reflect light, giving them excellent night vision. In fact, a Bengal tiger can see six times better in the dark than a human can.
Cat Fish: Unlike most cats, tigers like the water. These massive felines have been known to chase prey into lakes and ponds-they'll even take a dip just to cool off on a hot day.
Technicolor Tigers[]
Most tigers' coats range from reddish tan to orange, shading to white toward their underside. But there are some tigers that have other color variations-though they are rare. White tigers (left) are not actually albinos because they have colored stripes and blue eyes. Their coat color is caused by a mutation. Other tiger variations include the extremely rare black tiger, which has little orange stripes on its black fur, and a tiger that has no stripes at all!
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The Bengal tiger is mentioned or featured on several other cards:
- Their viciousness is used as a comparison for the Malayan Sun Bear on the bear’s knowledge card.
- The bengal tiger is the species of tiger associated with the Weretiger.
- The phenomenon of Albino tigers as seen on the back are also discussed on the Black Panthers knowledge card.
- The Bengal tiger is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Eat or Be Eaten on Monster Mania 62.
- It is then featured in National Pride on Monster Mania 86.
- It is again featured in Savage Serengeti on Monster Mania 92.