Category: Mammals
While it is the most common subspecies of tiger, the Bengal Tiger is still endangered, ranging only in India, Nepal, Bangledesh, and Bhutan. These enormous striped cats can reach over 700lb and close to 11 feet in length from head to body, and are skilled hunters, unafraid of hunting animals that are even larger than themselves -- like the Gaur that can grow to be over 3,000lbs! Socially, Bengal Tigers are generally solitary, except for mothers living with offspring. Habitat loss and poaching pose a serious threat to the Bengal Tiger's survival as a species.
A 200 Million Year-old Iconoclast
If a defining trait of mammals is that they give live birth to their young, how do you explain monotremes? Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs like a reptile, rather than giving birth to live young. Living examples of these unusual animals can only be found in Australia and New Guinea today, though they used to be more widespread. A monotreme egg has less yolk for supplying nutrients than a reptile egg, and when a young echidna or platypus hatches, it is very tiny and less developed than its reptile counterpart. But monotreme babies are able to grow and thrive because their mothers stay with them, lactating to supply vital nutrients for their growth - just like other mammals!
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
