Bengal Tiger

endangered · Asia · apex predator · striped hunter

Massive striped hunter. Bengal tigers rank among the largest wild cats on Earth, with their bold orange coats and black stripes making them instantly recognizable. They live across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and parts of southwestern China.

Ancient Asian resident. Bengal tigers have prowled the Indian subcontinent for an incredibly long time, around 12,000 to 16,500 years ago during the Late Pleistocene period. Their ancestors watched humans and other animals evolve across Asia.

Shrinking home range. Long ago, Bengal tigers roamed all the way to the Indus Basin, but their territory has shrunk dramatically over the past 200 years. Today they survive only in scattered pockets of forest across South Asia.

Fighting for survival. Bengal tigers face serious threats from poaching, where people illegally hunt them, and from habitat loss as forests are cleared for farms and cities. These challenges mean Bengal tigers need constant protection to avoid extinction.