Black tigers
Context:
Black tigers have been recorded only in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha.
Relevance:
GS-03 (Conservation)
Black tigers:
- Black tigers are rare colour variants of the tiger. They are not a distinct species or geographic subspecies.
- They are melanistic tigers that have distinctive dark stripe patterns.
- They are Bengal tigers with a gene mutation with stripes so thick and close together that the tawny background is barely visible between the stripes.
- As per the 2022 cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation, 16 individuals were recorded at Similipal Tiger Reserve, out of which 10 were melanistic.
- 37% of the tiger population in the Simlipal National Park, has this condition, which has been linked to isolation and inbreeding.
- Black tigers were first officially recorded in the forests of Similipal in 1975-76.
Simlipal Biosphere Reserve, National Park, Tiger Reserve:
- It is located in the Eastern Ghats.
- The reserve is listed in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
- It lies within two biogeographical regions:
- Mahanadian coastal region of the Oriental realm
- Chhotanagpur biotic province of the Deccan peninsular zone
- The vegetation around the park is Moist and dry deciduous forests and grasslands.
- Major Fauna: Bengal tigers, wild elephants, gaurs (Indian bison), chausingha.
- Major Avifauna: Hill myna and crested serpent eagle.
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