The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis), is a subspecies of tiger primarily found in India and Bangladesh, The Bengal tiger is one of the largest and the most numerous of the tiger sub-species, with about 1,411 wild tigers being reported by the Government of India's National Tiger Conservation Authority.Once found throughout the Indian subcontinent, the Bengal tiger's natural habitat has drastically reduced due to their increasing interactions with humans.Most tigers in India, home to about 50% of the world's tiger population, are fragmented into many small isolated populations making them vulnerable to extinction. The most distinctive characteristic of a tiger is certainly the orange and black stripes that appear on the tiger's pelt.The Bengal Tiger is one of the largest cats in the world, second only to its cousin, the Siberian tiger. The males may reach lengths of 10 feet from head to tail, and weigh around 500 pounds in the wild. The females are usually smaller, averaging around 8-9 feet long and weighing approximately 300 pounds. It is the most common tiger subspecies, living in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, subtropical and tropical rain forests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests, and mangroves. The Bengal subspecies P. tigris tigris is the national animal of Bangladesh, while at the species level, the tiger Panthera tigris is the national animal of India
The most distinctive characteristic of a tiger is certainly the orange and black stripes that appear on the tiger's pelt. 
These stripes are used to break up the coloration of the tiger when it is hunting. The Bengal tiger's characteristic reddish gold fur and black stripes are easily visible to visitors in a zoo. But in the tiger's natural habitat of forest and reed beds, the markings act as camouflage and enable it to disappear from view.This makes seeing the tiger more difficult to the prey, thus allowing it to capture prey more easily. Bengal tigers also appear in a mysterious white form. These animals are often mistaken for another species, however they are Bengal tigers. The white tigers are not albino, but they are lucistic. This mutation is similar to albinism because it prevents the production of melanin, the coloring pigment present in the skin and hair. However, lucistic tigers have blue eyes, unlike the pink eyes of an albino. These animals do occur in the wild, but their light coloration makes it difficult for them to survive to adult. They are easily seen by predators and make an easy meal. This keeps the tiger population orange due to Natural Selection.
Previously it was considered the second largest subspecies, behind the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), however a recent study suggest that in the actuality this could be the largest one.[9] The total length for the males is of 270-310 cm meanwhile those of the females is of 240-265 cm;[10] the tail measure 85-110 cm of long and the height at the shoulders is of 90-110 cm.[11] The average weight is of 221.2 kg (487.7 lb.) for the males and 139.7 kg (308 lb.) for the females,[12] however those who inhabitate the north of India and Nepal have an average weight of 235 kg (518 lb.) for the males and 140 kg (308.6 lb.) for the females.They are able to stay out in cold weather, because their skin is able to handle the temperature all over in any kind of weather. Its coat is yellow to light orange, and the stripes range from dark brown to black; the belly is white, and the tail is white with black rings. A mutation of the Bengal subspecies — white tigers — have dark brown or reddish brown stripes on a white background color, and some are wholly white. Black tigers have tawny, yellow or white stripes on a black background color.
The skin of a black tiger, recovered from smugglers, measured 259 cm and was displayed at the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi. The existence of black tigers without stripes has been reported but not substantiated.Since Bengal tigers are solitary and do not like to share their hunting grounds, they need large home ranges in which to hunt. Males occupy about 20 square miles, while females typically require 17 square miles. A tiger usually has several dens in its home range and uses whichever one is most convenient at the time.Bengal tigers are nocturnal: they hunt at night. Though powerful and quick over short distances, they stalk their prey because they cannot outrun faster prey. The tiger kills small prey with a bite on the back of the neck and large prey with a bite to the throat.
The current population of wild Bengal tigers in the Indian subcontinent is now estimated to be between 1,300 and 1,500.Of these, 1,411 are found in the wild in India[37] while about 280 are found in Bangladesh, mostly in the Sunderbans.Over the past century tiger numbers have fallen dramatically.
Of eight sub-species alive in 1900, three are now extinct and we have lost over 90 per cent of wild tigers.Habitat losses and the extremely large-scale incidences of poaching are serious threats to species survival. Poachers kill tigers not only for their pelts, but also for body parts used to make various traditional East Asian medicines. Other factors contributing to their loss are urbanization and revenge killing. Farmers blame tigers for killing cattle and shoot them. Poachers also kill tigers for their bones and teeth to make medicines that are alleged to provide the tiger's strength. The hunting for Chinese medicine and fur is the biggest cause of the decline of the tigers. In Bangladesh , retired Indian Army personnel are being recruited to save the Bengal tiger from bobadas. India probably lays claim to about two-thirds of the world's wild tigers, according to the Cat Specialist Group. But Indian censuses of wild tigers have relied on the individual identification of footprints (known as pug marks), a method widely criticized for its inaccuracy.[44]An area of special interest lies in northeast India where 11 protected areas are found in the Terai Arc, comprising dry forest foothills and dune valleys at the base of the Himalayas.