5 Least Known Species Of Bengal Tiger

The Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is the national animal of India, Listed among the biggest wild cats alive today by size and weight. India is home to 2,967 tigers in the wild but still listed as endangered and threatened by poaching, loss, and fragmentation of habitat.

Below is the list of five types of tigers found in India, they are actually not a distinct species but only defined by Characteristics and habitat. The Bengal tiger is yellow to light orange with beautiful black stripes, The white tiger is pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, Black Bengal tiger is due to pseudo-melanism and Golden Tiger is rare colour variation.

* White Tiger

The white tiger is another variant of the Bengal tiger, Also reported from the wild but very rare as compare to Bengal tigers. Several white tigers are found in captivity and around one hundred being found in Indian zoo, Delhi Zoo, Mysore zoo and Nandankanan Zoological Park.

* Black Tiger

The black tiger is not a distinct species but with thick stripes due to the non-agouti mutation, So called the black tigers are due to pseudo melanism and smaller than normal tigers, Very rare two black tigers born at the Nandankanan Zoological Park.

* Golden Tiger

The Golden tiger is another rare colour variation caused by a recessive gene, India has a records of wild golden tigers. Kaziranga National Park reserve in Assam is known to only home of a very beautiful and rare golden female tiger but no verified recent wild sightings exist.

* Snow Tiger

Snow Tiger is no different then Royal Bengal Tiger with yellow orange in color with black stripes, But got his name from the habitat. India’s first snow tiger spotted in upper Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, high in the Himalayas at 3630m around the snow-clad peaks of Eastern Himalayas.

* Swamp Tiger

Swamp tiger of Sundarbans are Royal Bengal Tiger, little smaller in size, slimmer in appearance but extremely powerful with ability to run on mangrove of Sundarbans. The Sundarbans swamp is home to about 74 endangered Bengal tigers and provides a unique ecosystem plus one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger.