If a baby with a white color is suddenly found among the litter of any animal, then we are usually talking about an albino. This is a creature whose skin has practically no pigment, due to which its coat becomes white, and its eyes acquire a red tint due to the vessels translucent through the colorless iris. But we will talk about an amazing natural phenomenon called the "Bengal white tiger". This is not an albino. His white fur is adorned with brown stripes and his eyes are blue.
White tigers are a rare natural phenomenon
The birth of a white tiger is a mutation that appears in one individual in 10,000 ordinary ones that have a red color (by the way, it only appears in Bengal tigers). These animals are extremely rare in the wild, as they have more fragile he alth, and their beautiful, for human taste, coloring interferes with successful hunting. Butzoos and circuses are very fond of blue-eyed beauties and are happy to keep them. In addition, the white tiger breeds well in captivity. True, offspring of this color are born only on the condition that both parents are white.
Attitude towards white tigers
In ancient times, it was believed that the white tiger had magical powers and therefore it often became an object of worship, a totem that could solve problems and protect against evil spirits.
Images of this amazing animal, for example, were placed on the gates of Taoist temples. And meeting with him among the Indians was considered a harbinger of enlightenment and a happy future.
In China, the white tiger was considered the guardian of the land of the dead, giving longevity and strength. On the graves of relatives, the Chinese erected his stone statues to terrify the demons who came for the souls of the dead.
How white tigers appeared in captivity
In total, there are 130 white Bengal tigers in zoos around the world. They all descended from the same ancestor, a male named Mohan.
In May 1951, in India, hunters stumbled upon a lair in which, among ordinary teenage tiger cubs, there was one white. Maharaja Govindagari took this unusual baby to his palace, where Mohan lived for 12 years.
In order for white tiger cubs to be born, Mohan was crossed with his own red daughter. Such crossing reinforces the necessary recessive trait - and the long-awaited white offspring was born. And in 1960 the first white tiger cub leftIndia and settled in the US National Park in Washington. And soon beautiful cats became desirable in all self-respecting zoos in the world.
White tiger. Photos and amazing facts
The white tiger is considered the second largest after the Amur. It can weigh up to 300 kg and reach a length (without tail) of more than 3 meters.
Like its red relatives, the stripes on the body of a white tiger have an individual pattern that is inherent in only one individual.
White tigers have incredible hearing and vision, which, along with their ste alth, help the lords of the jungle to hunt at night and survive with such an unusual color. And the urine they use to mark their territory smells like popcorn butter.
White tigers are very fond of swimming, they often play in the water, and adults are able to swim across the river in order to go hunting, breaking up to 30 km a day.
It's a pity that these beautiful amazing creatures are almost impossible to meet in the wild!
