The Royal Bengal Tiger/Bengal Tiger is the most popular Indian Tiger. The majestic beast has the greatest population among tiger subspecies and is widely found in the Indian subcontinent. The predatory mammal is known for its luxurious feline coat, distinctive stripes, powerful legs, strong jaws, and sharp fangs. Notably, the size of the apex predator tends to vary, with the males being on the bigger and heavier side than the females.
Male tigers can weigh anywhere between 400 and 550 pounds. On the other hand, the female Bengal tigers weigh 220-353 pounds. While the species, in general, is quite famous, several individual tigers have risen to fame over the years. That being said, let us check out 4 such tigers that are deemed widely popular in India.
1. Machali from Ranthambore National Park
Machali Tigress was touted as the queen of Ranthambore National Park and was considered the oldest Tiger in the world that lived in the wild. The majestic tigress was among the most photographed and featured in numerous wildlife documentaries.
Throughout her life, she earned the moniker of ‘Lady of the Lakes’ and was also known as ‘Crocodile Killer’. However, she died in 2016 at 20, which is older than the average lifespan of 10-15 years for tigers roaming in the wild.
2. Sita from Bandhavgarh National Park
Sita Tigress and her mate Charger were the most famous duo in the Bandhavgarh National Park. They were also touted as the “Tiger Parents of Yesteryear”. In her 17 years of life, Sita became the world’s second most photographed tigress. She also featured in multiple wildlife documentaries along with Charger. However, the Sita tigress was poached by a notorious group of hunters in 1997.
3. Collar Wali from Pench Tiger Reserve
This majestic feline was the supermom of tigers in India. She holds a world record for giving birth to 29 cubs. Indeed, she played a crucial role in increasing the tiger population in the Pench reserve. Collar Wali was the daughter of the famed tigress Barimada, another star of the reserve. Unfortunately, the pride of Pench died in early 2022 due to old age and lived for a glorious 16 years.
4. Munna from Kanha National Park
The famous Tiger gets his name due to a friendly banter between tour guides who found him limping after a fight that injured his hind leg. The incident reminded them of their fellow tour guide, who had a slight limp due to polio. Ever since the incident, the name stuck on.
Though the original Munna was furious initially, the fame of the brute helped change his mind. Munna was 19 years old when he passed away in 2021 due to old age. He was the most senior Tiger in the national park and was popularly known as the King of Kanha.
Besides them, Wagdoh, also known as Big Daddy or Scarface from Tadoba National Park and Ustad or T-24 from Ranthambore National Park, were popular tigers in India. While the former was the largest male Tiger in the country, weighing 300kg, the latter was the largest and most loved in Ranthambore.
