Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) are one of the largest members of the big cat family. They are carnivorous mammals that live mainly in India. They are renowned for their power and strength. Probably the most famous Bengal tiger is Richard Parker, in Life of Pi. Bengals live in habitats such as the Himalayan forest, the hills of the Indian peninsula or the forests of northern India. At one time, there were eight subspecies of tiger, but three became extinct during the 20th century. There are currently around 2,500 Bengal tigers living in the wild and around 300 in captivity in zoos around the world. Over the past 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have significantly reduced tiger populations. They are hunted as trophies and also used for body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine. The remaining five tiger subspecies are endangered and many protection programs are in place. Geographic distribution Most Bengal tigers live in India, but some range into Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar. They live in many tropical and subtropical forests, dense grasslands, scrub forests, moist and dry deciduous forests, and mangroves. They are excellent and strong swimmers. They like to bed in rivers, lakes and ponds and are known to hunt and kill in the water. Bengal tigers can also be found in the mangroves of the Sundarbans, places shared between Bangladesh and India, and are the only mangrove forests where tigers are found. The Sundarbans are threatened by rising sea levels due to climate change. Bengal tigers vary in size and weight. The weight of males varies from 180 to 260 kg (400 to 570 lb) and that of females from 100 to 160 kg (220 to 350 lb). Male Bengal tigers have an average total length of ...... middle of paper ......ris tigris). The Journal of Zoo Animal Medicine 12:20-22. Guillaume, C., DG Miquelle, A. Lambert, JM Goodrich, S. Legendre and J. Colbert. 2008. The impact of poaching on tigers in relation to prey depletion. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:1667-1674.O'Brien, SJ 2004. Phylogeography and genetic ancestry of tigers (Panthera tigris tigris). PLoS Biology 2:2275-2293. Miller, CS, M. Hebblewhite, JM Goodrich, DG Miquelle. 2010. Review of Tiger Research Methodologies: Telemetry. Integrative Zoology 5: 378-389. Wiedner, EB, R. Isaza, WA Lindsay, AL Case, J. Decker, J. Roberts. 2008. Pericardial mesothelioma in a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 39: 121-123. Lambrechts, NE, WL Berry. 2000. Protrustion of the caudal cervical disc in a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 31:404-407.