Q 01/05

What did Sundarbans villagers wear on the backs of their heads in the 1980s to deter tigers attacking from behind?

A) Face masks

B) Small mirrors

C) Brass bells

D) Oil lanterns

Answer · why

A) Face masks

Face masks relied on the idea that the cats rarely strike prey that is watching them, though the trick faded as tigers reportedly caught on.

Q 02/05

In Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi, what is the name of the Bengal tiger stranded on the lifeboat?

A) Orange Juice

B) Ravi

C) Richard Parker

D) Francis Adirubasamy

Answer · why

C) Richard Parker

Richard Parker got his human name through a clerical error that swapped the cub's name with that of the hunter who captured him.

Q 03/05

White Bengal tigers, most often reported from the former state of Rewa, owe their pale coats to what?

A) True albinism

B) A recessive gene

C) A snowy habitat

D) A lack of sunlight

Answer · why

B) A recessive gene

A recessive gene has to come from both parents to turn a cub white, which is why zoos inbred the cats and why some captive ones are cross-eyed.

Q 04/05

Tigers of the Sundarbans delta on the Bay of Bengal are the only ones in the world living among which trees?

A) Bamboos

B) Rhododendrons

C) Coconut palms

D) Mangroves

Answer · why

D) Mangroves

Mangroves force these tigers to swim between islands to hunt, and their droppings show a menu that stretches to fish and crabs.

Q 05/05

Which body part of the Bengal tiger, described as exceptionally stout, is the longest found in any living cat?

A) Canine teeth

B) Front claws

C) Facial whiskers

D) Hind legs

Answer · why

A) Canine teeth

Canine teeth let a tiger clamp onto the throat of large prey and hold on until the animal suffocates, out of reach of horns and hooves.