Meet the white Bengal tiger - elusive, majestic and endangered.
The White tiger - beauty & the beast all rolled into one. But this magnificent creature is deleting at a startling rate. Lets find out more about these beauties and why they are leaving the earth at an ever quickening rate.
The white tiger (also known as the Bengal tiger) is about 3 meters long, and weighs approximately 180-285 kg (400-569 LB). It's coat lies flatter than that of the Siberian tiger, the tawny color is richer and the stripes are darker.
These guys are solitary animals. The male and female only come together at mating season, when sharing a kill, or when sharing the same watering holes.
The litter ranges from one to six cubs, which stay with their mother until their second year.
Their diet is varied from deer and cattle to frogs and fish. While they eat a vast range of food, they also eat a lot of food. They can eat up to the equivalent of 200 Big Macs, in one serving!
They are usually located on the Mainland of Southeastern Asia and in central and southern India. The white Bengal tiger lives in grassy or swampy areas and forests, where they can be well camouflaged. Those living on islands have almost disappeared; most now live in zoo's or special wildlife parks.
Even though it is illegal, white tigers are hunted by poachers in many Asian countries. Tiger's body parts are sought for use in traditional Chinese medicine and exotic recipes. As well as their body parts, their coats can be sold for a small fortune, so to many people this is the ideal animal to hunt if they want some fast money.
Unfortunately, this want for money has had a great affect on the tiger population. Just ten years ago there were eight sub-species of the tiger, and now there are only five. The current estimate states that one tiger is poached every day!
How about some tiger facts?
*The White Tiger is a good swimmer, but a very poor climber.
*They may be slow runners, but they are stealthy enough to catch any prey in their sights.
*Because they are solitary animals, they mostly hunt at night
*White tigers are born to Bengal tigers that carry an unusual gene needed for white coloring.
*The other four sub-species of tiger are Siberian, South China, Indochinese, and Sumataran.
*There are only approximately 5,000 to 7,400 tigers left in the wild.
It is belief that if you are born in the Chinese year of the tiger you are unusually lucky. Let's hope that some of this luck rubs off on the white tiger before it's too late.
