About Bengal Tigers

• The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger native to the Indian subcontinent.
• It  inhabits hot and  humid forests, and wetlands of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
• The Bengal tiger’s coat is yellow to light orange, with stripes ranging from dark brown to black.
• Males are larger in size than females.
• They are solitary hunters.
• They are carnivorous in their diet, preying on ungulates such as deer and antelope, gaurs, and wild boars.

Melanism in Royal Bengal tigers

• • Melanism is a genetic condition that causes animals to have black or nearly black skin, hair, or feathers due to increased melanin production.
  • In Bengal tigers, the presence of higher levels of melanin,  gives tigers black and yellow interspersed stripes on their coats which are much thicker than the stripes found in normal tigers. 
  • Since these tigers are not entirely black, they are often described as being pseudo-melanistic (false coloured).
  • Factors such as geographical isolation have led to constant inbreeding amongst genetically related tigers for over generations leading to such melanistic tendencies.

• Inbreeding refers to the mating of individuals or organisms that are closely related through common ancestry.

• Constant inbreeding amongst species leads to poorer reproductive efficiency, lower growth rates, and higher mortality rates thereby threatening the survival of species.

• Simlipal Tiger Reserve is Odisha is the world’s only tiger habitat for pseudo melanistic tigers.

Why in News?

• The Odisha government has translocated a female tiger from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve to Similipal Tiger Reserve to enhance the genetic diversity of tigers against Melanism caused due to constant inbreeding.

About Simlipal Tiger Reserve

About

• • It is located in Mayurbhanj District, in the Northern-most part of Odisha.

• The Vegetation comprises of tropical moist deciduous forests, semi-evergreen patches, Grasslands, etc

• • Fauna such as Bengal tiger, Elephants, Indian Bison, Sambar deer, Chital, Barking deer, Mouse deer, etc are found here.

• Major rivers such as the Khairi, Palpala, and Budhabalanga rivers originate here.

• Tribes such as Erenga Kharias, Mankirdias, Ho, Gonda, etc inhabit the forests of the tiger reserve.
• It is also designated as a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).