The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger found through the rainforests and grasslands of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India and Nepal. It is the largest living member of the Felidae family. Its fur is orange-brown with black stripes. Male Bengal Tigers are up to 10 ft (3 m) long. Females are up to 9 ft (2.7 m) long. They hunt deer, pigs, antelopes, cattle, young elephants, and buffalo.
Habitat loss and poaching are important threats to species survival. Tigers are killed by poachers not only for their furs but also to make various traditional East Asian medicines.
The Bengal Tiger is now strictly protected, and is the national animal of both India and Bangladesh. The tiger population of India now numbers 3,500, down from 5000 in the 1970s. The Sundarbans mangrove forest on the Indian-Bangladeshi border includes 270 tigers on the Indian side and 400 tigers on the Bangladeshi side.
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