They have a coat of short hair, reddish brown to golden orange in color with vertical black stripes and a white underbelly. Royal Bengal Tigers are one of the most handsome and regal animals found in India. The Royal Bengal Tigers occupy several habitats in India and may be found in grasslands and dry scrub land (Ranthambore in Rajasthan), tropical and subtropical rainforests (Corbett in Uttarakhand/Periyar in Kerala), mangroves (Sunderbans), both wet and dry deciduous forests (Kanha in Madhya Pradesh/Simlipal in Odisha). Bandipur National Park in Karnataka has the highest number of Royal Bengal Tigers at 408 closely followed by Uttarakhand with340 tigers and Madhya Pradesh with 308.

As of 2016 a total number of 2500 adult or sub-adult tigers of 1.5 years or more are present in the various tiger reserves across India. India now is home to 70% of the world’s tiger population. They are found in the jungles of West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha. In India, it is found in most parts of the country except the north-eastern regions. The tiger is found in various parts of the Indian Subcontinent including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The scientific classification of Royal Bengal Tigers is as follows:

Scientific name for the Royal Bengal Tiger is Panthera tigris tigris and it is the largest of the four big cats under the genus Panthera (Lion, Tiger, Jaguars and Leopards).The Royal Bengal Tiger is among the eight varieties of tigers found in India. It is representative of all these qualities as the national animal of India. The Royal Bengal tiger is the symbol of strength, agility and grace, a combination that is unmatched by any other animal. Majestic and lethal at the same time, these are one of the most graceful carnivores among the Indian fauna. National animal of India is the Royal Bengal Tiger. The national animal is also chosen based on the conservation status of the animal to enable better efforts towards its continued survival due to the official status. Mostly a national animal should be indigenous to that particular country and exclusive to the country’s identity. The animal should be in abundance within the country. It has to have a rich history as part of the country’s heritage and culture. The national animal may be selected based on how well it represents certain characteristics that a country wants to be identified with.

A national animal is one of the symbolic representatives of a country’s natural abundance.

Habit of lion in hindi