Category: Mammals
While it is the most common subspecies of tiger, the Bengal Tiger is still endangered, ranging only in India, Nepal, Bangledesh, and Bhutan. These enormous striped cats can reach over 700lb and close to 11 feet in length from head to body, and are skilled hunters, unafraid of hunting animals that are even larger than themselves -- like the Gaur that can grow to be over 3,000lbs! Socially, Bengal Tigers are generally solitary, except for mothers living with offspring. Habitat loss and poaching pose a serious threat to the Bengal Tiger's survival as a species.
Bats: The Only True-Flying Mammal
Bats, the only mammal capable of true flight, are not blind - their eyes are just fine, thank you very much. But instead of eyes, most bats rely on an incredibly fine-tuned sense of hearing when they fly and hunt. Using a technique called echolocation, they emit high-pitched calls (usually above the range of human hearing), using the echos that are reflected back to them as a means of navigation and locating objects. The ears, auditory cortex, and (in a few cases) even noses of some bats are extraordinarily specialized for echolocation; there are even bats that have adapted the frequency of their calls to frequencies above or below what their favorite prey can hear!
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
