Come and meet the beautiful Bengal tigers living and thriving at the Monterey Zoo. All of our tigers came to us from a breeding facility in South Carolina. Our males and females are paired by sex and kept separate to prevent unwanted breedings, as well as to protect them as they were not raised together and our boys are much larger than our girls. The new tiger exhibit was the first step to becoming a real zoo. Since then the zoo has grown and added several other exciting state-of-the-art exhibits, but it started with the tigers.
Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Largest Cat Species
Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories to keep their rivals away. They are powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to find buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes). They lie in wait and creep close enough to attack their victims with a quick spring and a fatal pounce.
Diet
Tigers are carnivores. They prefer hunting mammals such as chital, sambar, gaur and sometimes water buffalo, wild boar and hog deer. Because of the encroachment of humans into their habitat, they also prey on domestic livestock.
Facts
Height: 3 to 3.5 feet (at shoulder)
Mass: 500 pounds (male), 310 (female)
Lifespan: 10 to 15 years (in the wild)
Conservation Status
Today, due to habitat loss caused by deforestation, and hunting by human poachers, the Bengal tiger is considered to be an endangered species. Despite being the most common of all the tiger species, there are thought to be only around 2,000 Bengal tigers left in the wild.
Did you know?
Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength.
