About Wild Cats

Bengal tiger

2013-11-13T00:06:00.001-08:00

The Bengal tiger , also known as royal bengal tiger or Indian tiger is a tiger subspecies inhabiting India , Nepal , Bangladesh , Bhutan , Burma and Tibet . It is the most numerous subspecies of tiger and is known , and is found in a variety of habitats , including tropical Savannas and Forests . Their fur is usually orange or fawn , although there is a genetic mutation , which causes orange tiger skin is replaced by white, these types of tigers are known as white tigers. The tiger is the national animal of India , Bangladesh .

Scientific name: Panthera tigris tigris
Height: 90 – 110 cm (At Shoulder)
Weight: 221.2 kg on average (Male), 139.7 kg on average (Female), 0.8 – 1.6 kg (Newborn)
Length: 270 – 310 cm (Male), 240 – 265 cm (Female)

Features

The tiger is the largest cat in the world, comparable in size with the big cats fossils . The size of tigers and other characteristics vary from one subspecies to another . In the wild male tigers weighs approximately 100 and 360 kg and a length of 220-380 cm including the tail , which measures between 60 and 110 cm . Meanwhile, females , much smaller , have a weight of 85 to 167 kg and a total length of 210-275 cm

Most tigers have an orange or tawny coat a whitish medial and ventral area and stripes around varies from dark brown to black. The form and amount of the stripes vary their sex , if the amount of striped female is smaller, although mayorian tigers have a total of 100 lines .

The pattern of stripes is unique to each individual and can use this to identify an individual , in the same way that fingerprints are used to identify a person .

Like most cats , tigers are believed to have some color vision . Moreover, your night vision is very sharp , thanks to speculate membrane located in the retina, which focuses the little night light. Like the other members of the genus , the tiger has the ability to roar . Unlike other cats , but the likeness of the jaguar , the tiger is an excellent swimmer , can surprise and hunt prey in the water.

Territory

The adult tigers are usually fiercely territorial and hunt long . The tigress may have a territory of 20 km2 . while males are much more extensive , covering an average area of 80 km2 . The male tigers may allow entry of several females to their territory , to the point of sharing a dam and even after feeding the female, but not tolerate male tigers entry to its territory.

Due to its aggressive nature , territorial disputes among tigers are violent and may end with the death of one of the males , although such deaths are less common than thought , as in most of the fights for territory the males emerge virtually unscathed.

To mark his territory the male spraying urine or other secretions on trees.

Reproduction

A female is only receptive for only a few days , and mating may occur several times during this time. The gestation has an approximate duration of 103 days , and after passing this period , the female gives birth one to six litters of less than one kilogram .

When completing eight weeks old , the pups are ready to leave his lair and follow their mother . Copies young become independent at 18 months of age , but even an approximate age of between two years and two and a half definitely not separate from the mother.

The tigers reach sexual maturity at three or four years old. The young tigers usually use the territory very close to his mother , while males tend to wander in search of a territory that normally acquired through struggles with the male owner of a certain territory.

The tigers usually give birth to a similar number of males and females throughout life

Diet

In the wild , tigers mostly feed on large ungulates and like many other predators , tigers are opportunistic and not despise small prey , such as monkeys, peacocks , rabbits and even fish.

In Siberia the main prey of the tiger are the elk , the boar , shika deer , roe deer and musk deer while on the island of Sumatra , Timor deer , the boar , and Malayan tapirs are hunted prey most often by the Sumatran tiger . They are also able to hunt large herbivores such as gaur , water buffalo and elk.

The tiger prefer to hunt large prey like sambar , gaur or water buffalo as they provide more meat, so that lasts several days , avoiding the need for another hunt. In all populations , the tiger is the ultimate predator, and not compete with other carnivores , except for bears that will surpass in size and weight , and Asian wild dog , which compensates for his lack of strength with the number .

A tiger hungry and desperate can attack anything it considers potential food .

Risk of extinction

Currently, the biggest enemy for Tiger is human .

The bones , and almost all tiger body parts have been used in traditional Oriental medicine , today this practice has been banned in China.

Poaching for obtaining skin and habitat destruction have reduced considerably the wild tiger population . It is estimated that in the early twentieth century existed around 100,000 tigers in the wild , spread from the Anatolian Peninsula to the island of Bali , mietras recently estimated that the wild tiger population consists of little more than 3,000 copies, while in captivity is estimated that there are approximately 20 000 .

36 Types of Wild Cats

2013-02-04T03:41:00.003-08:00

The cat family or Felidae is a diverse family which consists of various types of different cats. Generally all cats are wild in nature but some cats are used in domestic as pets.

The grayish brown coat, black-tipped ears, and whiskered face resemble many species of lynx. The bobcat may be considered a “big cat”.

The 36 species of the wild cat family are spread across most of the globe excluding the continents of Antarctica and Australia and some island groups. Most people are relatively familiar with the big cats of the world (lion, tiger, puma, leopard, snow leopard jaguar, cheetah, lynx) but they are not familiar with smaller types of wild cats.

The various species of felids vary greatly in size. One of the smallest is the black-footed cat, measuring 35 to 40 cm (14 to 16 in) long which are found in the forests of Brazil which falls among the Forest wildcats (silvestris group). Some of these wild cat species are naturally solitary and secretive, so they have been rare as long as they have existed.

Leopard with Colour camouflage in Parambikulam forests

2013-01-31T03:34:00.002-08:00

Managers of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve obtained photographic evidence of a pseudo-melanistic leopard. Earlier, a melanistic spotted deer was photographed. Though no photographic evidence has been obtained, black panthers too are said to have been spotted.

Pseudo-melanistic Leopard

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article3658858.ece

Melanism found in some animals at the Parambikulam forests in Palakkad district of Kerala has caught the imagination of wildlife enthusiasts. While the leopard was caught on cameras installed for monitoring the tiger, the deer was photographed by a forest official.

The black spots on the leopard were found closely packed to give it a designer coat. In the case of the deer, the white spots on its reddish fawn coat were overshadowed by the black pigmentation, giving the animal a blackish appearance.

Detailed genetic analysis could not be held as fresh pellet samples were unavailable and the animal was lost in the wild, he says. The tiger reserve is in the southern part of the Western Ghats, down the Palakkad Gap.

It is located between the Anamalai hills and the Nelliampathy hills and the natural vegetation of the area includes tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist mixed deciduous and dry mixed deciduous forests and moist bamboo brakes and reed brakes.

A.J.T. Johnsingh, former Dean of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, says melanism can be seen more in the evergreen habitat of the Western Ghats where the interiors of the forests are dark.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

Leopard and cubs in HD Kote raod

2013-01-28T04:44:00.000-08:00

A leopard and two little cubs was photographed by someone near Jayapura Village on H D Kote Road. Leopards does not have any reserved national parks or wildlife sanctuaries unlike tiger reserves accross India.

Leopardess found dead in Shivni range

2013-01-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

A sub-adult leopardess was found dead under mysterious conditions in Shivni forest range near Chandrapur in Mysore on Saturday evening. Forest officials are yet to ascertain the reason of death, but they have ruled out the possibility of poaching.

The carcass of the leopard was noticed by some devotees visiting famous Gaymukh temple near village Singadjhari in the evening and they informed the foresters. A team of forestmen led by Shivni range RFO ND Jadhav rushed to the spot and took possession of the carcass. Jadhav said, "It was a sub-adult female leopard aged around two and a half years. The carcass appears to be not more than 12 hours old. However, the reason of death is uncertain."

"All the body parts of the leopard were intact which rules out the possibility of poaching. There is an injury mark on the back of the beast, but we have not found any sign of fighting with other predator in the area," he said.

Jadhav said that the leopard might have died due to snake bite, but held that the exact reason would be ascertained after postmortem.

Forest officers removed the carcass from the spot for inquest formalities and kept it in Shivni range office where postmortem would be performed on Sunday morning. It is the first incident of a leopard death this year. As many as 12 leopards and four tigers died in the district last year.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Mother reclaims leopard cub in Shivni Range

2013-01-27T05:17:00.003-08:00

After six days of captivity, the leopard cub of Shivni range near Chandrapur in Mysore jumped back to the care and safety of its mother during midnight hours of Sunday. It took six days of waiting and planning on part of the forest department to reunite the cub with its mother.

After the location of the female leopard, foresters of Shivni range under the guidance of ACF RT Dhabekar erected a temporary enclosure in the farm of Ambadas Madkam, located on the fringes of the forest where the female leopard was noticed. "A three-and-a-half foot high bamboo enclosure covered by the bamboo mats was constructed in the farm", said RFO, Shivni range, Rahul Sorte.

The cub was kept in the cage. "Around midnight, the staff waiting at a nearby 'machan' heard the calling of the female leopard. The cub inside the enclosure too responded. Around 2am, they again heard the roars of leopard. On inspection in the morning, the enclosure was found empty," said Sorte. On close inspection of the premises, forest officials found out that the mother leopard approached the enclosure, even as the cub climbed on its edge. The mother put its forelimbs on the enclosure's edge, picked the cub in its mouth and departed," he said.

Meanwhile, a six-month-old leopard cub was found dead in the Bhadrawati forest range on Tuesday. Forest officers have claimed that the cub had died in a fight with a tiger.

TNN Nov 30, 2011, 01.30AM IST

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Three leopard cubs found at Sindenanhalli

2013-01-27T05:15:00.001-08:00

Three leopard cubs have been found abandoned at Sindenanhalli in Heggadadevana kote taluk in Mysore on Monday.

The villagers claim they sighted a mother and four cubs in the noon hours and but in the evening three cubs were abandoned at a field belonging to one Pradeep. However, another cub and a mother were missing.

Later, forest department officials were tipped off about the leopard cubs and they are guarding the cubs. Local forest officers have decided to leave the cubs at the same place till Tuesday so believing that the mother leopard may return and take back its cubs.

A forest department personnel have been deputed at the spot to protect the abandoned cubs. Sindenahalli is 15 kms away from Mysore city.

Lawrence Milton, TNN Aug 20, 2012, 11.05PM IST

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Three-leopard-cubs-found-abandoned-at-Sindenanhalli/articleshow/15575325.cms

Tiger strays into HD Kote attacked photographer

2013-01-27T05:09:00.001-08:00

Ravishankar, a freelance photographer, suffered grievous injuries when a Bengal tiger attacked him at Pinjahalli haadi in Antharasanthe forest range in the taluk on Thursday.

HD Kote (Mysore district), Jan 17, 2013, DHNS:
The forest department launched a mission to capture the wild cat which had created panic among villagers of Machanayakanahalli near Antharasanthe, Ankanatheshwara and Pinjahalli haadi, and during the process, Ravishankar, who was trying to click pictures of the operation, was attacked by the feline, which clawed his right shoulder. After providing first aid treatment at the primary health centre, Ravishankar was admitted to the District Hospital.

The tiger had strayed into these villages and killed two cattle at Machanayakanahalli and at Taraka canal on Wednesday. Cattle owner Rangaiah, who tried to save his cattle, was also attacked by the tiger.

He is admitted to the K R Hospital.

Forest department officials along with the personnel of Special Task Force of Project Tiger came to the spot on Thursday to tranquilise the tiger, which was suspected to be around 10 years old. But, as the villagers gathered in huge numbers to watch the operation, the tiger slipped away.

Jumbo helpAs the crowd swelled, the tiger hid in some bushes above the dried Taraka canal. After the forest officials found it difficult to tranquilise the tiger there, they sought the assistance of “Howdah” elephant Arjuna from the Balle elephant camp.

At one point, Arjuna, carrying forest and the special task force personnel including veterinarian Dr Uma Shankar and his assistant Karumbaiah, ran helter skelter when the tiger roared loudly, sending shivers down the spine in those gathered around.

Mahout Thimma, however, controlled Arjuna and Karumbaiah shot the dart at the tiger and tranquilised the animal. After over 10 hours of operation, the forest personnel captured the big cat and transported it to the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysore, in a lorry.

Range Forest Officer A T Poovaiah, Assistant Conservator of Forests Ningaraju and Circle Inspector of Police Govindaraju led the operation.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/306112/tiger-strays-hd-kote-photographer.html