National Animal of India: To represent the country’s image and its ethnic culture, the government of India chooses Indian National Symbols very carefully. In the list of National Symbols of India, the national animal of India is one of the important symbols in terms of general awareness. As students or candidates who appear in competitive exams face these types of GK General Knowledge Questions about India and the World.
India’s National Animal Tiger was a symbol of Power in Hindu mythology and the Vedic era. Also, Tiger is the animal-vehicle for Goddess Durga. Across the world, 80 percent of Tigers located in India. As well, Royal Bengal Tiger has featured in Indian currency notes and postage stamps. For more information, please check out the complete article and get the information on the National Animal of India ie., the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Quick Links:
- All About National Animal of India
- National Animal Bengal Tiger Scientific Classification
- Where it is found?
- What is the Life Span of Tiger?
- Complete List of Tigers Reserves in India
- Interesting & Important Facts About Tiger
- List of National Animals of all Countries
- FAQs on Indian National Animal
About Royal Bengal Tiger – A National Animal of India
The Magnificent Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal of India and also called with the scientific name ie., Panthera Tigris Tigris. The Bengal Tiger is a striped animal in the color yellow and black. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. It is a symbol of strength, agility, and grace. Our Country’s National Animal Tiger is majestic, royal, and fatal simultaneously which leads it to the most prominent carnivores among the Indian Fauna. Generally, it is recognized for its magic and charming features that define it besides the remaining wild animals found anywhere in India. All these qualities make it the national animal of India in the year April 1973.
Also, in 1973, Project Tiger was started to preserve the dwindling population of tigers in India while Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure. The first director of this project Tiger was Kailash Sankhala. Earlier to the tiger, the lion was India’s national animal. Currently, India has 50 tiger reserves which are governed by Project Tiger. All these 50 Tiger reserves names with states are listed below along with more details about India’s National Animal.
Scientific Classification of India’s National Animal – Bengal Tiger
National Animal of India – Royal Bengal Tiger scientific classification is as follows:
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Clade | Synapsida |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Felidae |
| Genus | Panthera |
| Species | Panthera tigris |
| Subspecies | Panthera tigris tigris |
Where Royal Bengal Tiger Found?
Our Indian National Animal is mainly located in the following places. They are,
- Mangroves (Sunderbans)
- Grasslands and Dry Scrub Land (Ranthambore in Rajasthan)
- Tropical and subtropical rainforests (Corbett in Uttarakhand/Periyar in Kerala)
- Both wet and dry deciduous forests (Kanha in Madhya Pradesh/Simlipal in Odisha).
What is the Life Span of Tiger?
The average lifespan of the national animal of India, the Royal Bengal Tiger is 8 to 10 years in the wild. The maximum lifetime of the wild specimen is approximately 15 years.
Tigers in a few numbers can reach the age of 15 years in the wild as they ultimately become too weak to hunt large animals. In captivity, they can live around 18 to 20 years. That’s all about the lifetime of Bengal tigers. If you are so excited to know the list of tiger reserves in India, then check out the below module without any delay.
Complete List of Tigers Reserves in India
In the year 1973, during Project tigers was started there were only nine tiger reserves throughout the country. After protecting the specimen by the national government the number has crossed up to 50 as of the 2019 data report. The names of all the tiger reserves in India are listed below along with state names.
| S. No. | Name of Tiger Reserve | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nagarjunsagar Srisailam | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2 | Namdapha | Arunachal Pradesh |
| 3 | Kamlang Tiger Reserve | Arunachal Pradesh |
| 4 | Pakke | Arunachal Pradesh |
| 5 | Manas | Assam |
| 6 | Nameri | Assam |
| 7 | Orang Tiger Reserve | Assam |
| 8 | Kaziranga | Assam |
| 9 | Valmiki | Bihar |
| 10 | Udanti-Sitanadi | Chattisgarh |
| 11 | Achanakmar | Chattisgarh |
| 12 | Indravati | Chhattisgarh |
| 13 | Palamau | Jharkhand |
| 14 | Bandipur | Karnataka |
| 15 | Bhadra | Karnataka |
| 16 | Dandeli-Anshi | Karnataka |
| 17 | Nagarahole | Karnataka |
| 18 | Biligiri Ranganatha Temple | Karnataka |
| 19 | Periyar | Kerala |
| 20 | Parambikulam | Kerala |
| 21 | Kanha | Madhya Pradesh |
| 22 | Pench | Madhya Pradesh |
| 23 | Bandhavgarh | Madhya Pradesh |
| 24 | Panna | Madhya Pradesh |
| 25 | Satpura | Madhya Pradesh |
| 26 | Sanjay-Dubri | Madhya Pradesh |
| 27 | Melghat | Maharashtra |
| 28 | Tadoba-Andhari | Maharashtra |
| 29 | Pench | Maharashtra |
| 30 | Sahyadri | Maharashtra |
| 31 | Nawegaon-Nagzira | Maharashtra |
| 32 | Bor | Maharashtra |
| 33 | Dampa | Mizoram |
| 34 | Similipal | Odisha |
| 35 | Satkosia | Odisha |
| 36 | Ranthambore | Rajasthan |
| 37 | Sariska | Rajasthan |
| 38 | Mukandra Hills | Rajasthan |
| 39 | Kalakad-Mundanthurai | Tamil Nadu |
| 40 | Anamalai | Tamil Nadu |
| 41 | Mudumalai | Tamil Nadu |
| 42 | Sathyamangalam | Tamil Nadu |
| 43 | Kawal | Telangana |
| 44 | Amrabad | Telangana |
| 45 | Dudhwa | Uttar Pradesh |
| 46 | Pilibhit | Uttar Pradesh |
| 47 | Corbett | Uttarakhand |
| 48 | Rajaji TR | Uttarakhand |
| 49 | Sunderbans | West Bengal |
| 50 | Buxa | West Bengal |
Interesting & Important Facts About Tiger
- Tiger is also known as King of the Jungle and represents India’s wildlife wealth.
- The scientific name of the Tiger is Panthera Tigris.
- The Bengal Tiger was represented as the national animal of India in April 1973. Project Tiger was begun in 1973 to preserve the tigers in India. Earlier, the lion was the national animal of India.
- Since 2010, it has been listed as endangered by the IUCN.
- You can find eight sub-species of tigers like Royal Bengal, Indo-Chinese, Sumatran, Amur or Siberian, South China, Caspian, Java, and Bali. The last three have been hunted to extinction.
- The white tiger is a latent mutant of the Bengal tiger, which is stated in the wild from time to time in Assam, Bengal, Bihar, and notably from the former Madhya Pradesh( Rewa).
- Tigers have very strong legs like horses. It has been observed that a shot tiger can die standing even while bleeding to death.
- Unlike lions, tigers do not fight over prey. Two male tigers have been seen sharing prey. When several tigers are sharing prey, it is observed that the male tigers wait for the females and infants to finish eating, unlike any other predatory animal.
- The weight of males ranges from 180 to 258 kg (397 to 569 lb), while that of the females ranges from 100 to 160 kg (220 to 350 lb).
- Male Bengal tigers have an average total length of 270 to 310 cm (110 to 120 in) including the tail, while females measure 240 to 265 cm (94 to 104 in) on average.
- It is observed that about half the tiger infants do not survive till adulthood. A newborn cub remains completely blind for the first week of its birth.
- An adult tiger can leap a distance of more than six meters and jump up to five meters vertically.
- Tigers, unlike other cat animals, like playing in the water. They are excellent swimmers and fishers too. A tiger can swim for many kilometers and hunt for fish.
- One blow of a tiger’s front paw is strong enough to break a bear’s skull and even break its spine. The condition of humans can be imagined easily now!
- The Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans in India and Bangladesh are the only tigers in the world that are living in mangrove forests. The population of Bengal tigers is estimated to be around 70 tigers in Sundarbans.
- Each tiger has over 100 stripes on its body but no two tigers have the same stripe pattern.
- White tigers are not a different species. They are white in colour because some of the regular tigers are born with fewer pigmentary cells on their skin, making them look white.
List of National Animals of all Countries
Knowing and memorizing all country’s national animals is very difficult yet important because such questions can be asked in various competitive exams. So, check out the list of National Animals of all Countries via this direct link and find more details about it.
FAQs on Indian National Animal
1. Is Lion the national animal of India?
Yes, the Lion was India’s national animal up to 1972. In 1973, Prime minister of India Indira Gandhi replaced by the Tiger. It is the fusion of stamina, strength, agility, and tremendous power. These qualities made the tiger as National Animal of India.
2. Why is the Tiger India’s National Animal?
Because of its elegance, strength, agility, and colossal power, the tiger was represented as the national animal of India.
3. How many tigers are there in the country as of 2019?
There are 2967 tigers in India as of 2019. All Thanks to the actions taken by the World Wildlife Fund and the government.
4. What is the lifespan of a Royal Bengal Tiger?
The average lifespan of a tiger is 8 to 10 years in the wild.