The national animal of India is the tiger. These powerful animals are symbols of strength and power. They have been historically, very important to Indian culture. Today, they continue to be an important symbol of national identity in India. In particular where they are most commonly found in the wild.
It is of no surprise that India should choose the tiger as its official national animal.
We are talking about the Bengal tiger, common in India and Bangladesh.
They are among the world’s most iconic animals.
They have played a role in the human imagination since long before records began.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of India?
The national animal of India is the Bengal tiger.
This is a subspecies of the Panthera tigris broader species and is what’s known as some of the world’s charismatic megafauna.
These are animals that have played a huge symbolic role in human history and culture.
They have influenced human thought in many different ways.
Humans have been in contact with tigers in India for many thousands of years.
They have been important symbols of courage and strength, while also embodiments of great danger for a very long time.
Bengal tigers are among the biggest living cats today.
They have been present in the Indian subcontinent for around 15,000 years, with estimates varying from 12,000 to 16,500 years.
Their historical range covered the whole Indus River valley until the 19th Century, and thus they could be found in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and even southwestern China.
They are mostly found in India today though smaller populations can still be found in Bangladesh, China, Bhutan and Nepal.
The most distinctive feature of the tiger is undoubtedly its bright yellow to orange coat with dark brown or black stripes.
This is really good camouflage and given that they are ambush predators, getting as close to their prey as possible before striking, effective camouflage is vital to their success.
They tend to hunt ungulates like deer, buffalo, antelope and pigs in the thick jungle foliage.
They are mostly solitary animals, with the only social unit being the mother and her cubs.
Mothers will teach their cubs to hunt and be self-sufficient for up to two years before leaving them to fend for themselves; after which they generally stay solitary until mating season.
Again, these animals conjure up countless different things in our minds—so why were they chosen as India’s national animal?
Why is the tiger the national animal of India?
The tiger is a symbol of many things both in India and the world at large.
Today, modern Indian people certainly consider the tiger to be a symbol of strength and power, and yet at the same time beauty and grace.
They are quiet, methodical hunters, and despite their great size they are able to move around the jungle with great stealth and in perfect silence.
All of these things are of symbolic importance to the Indian people in the modern day.
On the other hand, of course, tigers have always been an important cultural icon in Indian history.
They often featured in the menageries of the rich and powerful, and because they were mostly found in and around India, they came to be seen even by outsiders as emblematic of India or the Indian subcontinent.
Furthermore, there’s a very important question of conservation today.
Tigers are in critical danger for a variety of reasons we will explore shortly.
Making an animal your national animal, though, is often done also to bring attention to its plight and the situation it is in.
This is done in hopes to encourage awareness of conservation efforts.
Are Bengal tigers dangerous?
Bengal tigers are extremely dangerous; there is no doubt about this. In the pure sense of its physical capabilities, a tiger could do immense harm to you if it wanted to.
However, despite their size, tigers are not commonly known for attacking people.
Where possible they will much prefer to avoid contact with humans and will hide or retreat from human contact rather than seeking it out.
If you encroach into their territory or if you somehow managed to corner a tiger then there is certainly no doubt it would do you great harm, but in general they don’t pose much danger to people.
Are Bengal tigers endangered?
Tigers are certainly endangered, yes.
Their populations have decreased dramatically over the last few centuries for a variety of reasons.
Their habitats have been routinely destroyed and thus more and more individuals have been forced into a smaller area.
This makes competition for territory fiercer and thus fewer individuals survive.
On the other hand, though, hunting and poaching are also huge problems for tiger populations.
Tigers have been hunted for traditional medicines and even just as trophies.
This excessive hunting could well lead to the decimation of the species in the coming years.
That said, populations have somewhat bounced back in recent years—but they remain profoundly threatened.
Bengal tigers are without doubt one of the world’s most impressive predators.
They are among the largest and strongest of all big cats and have some of the most striking fur in the animal kingdom.
They are uniquely threatened today and though the population seems to have bounced back to some extent, serious measures are going to need to be taken in the future to ensure the preservation of these majestic and beautiful beasts.