Symbols National fauna........................................................................... page 31 Indicators • Reads and comprehends information about the royal Bengal tiger and the Indian peafowl—national fauna of India. • Completes activities associated with texts about the royal Bengal tiger and the Indian peafowl.
r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S
Teac he r
Answers Teacher check
ew i ev Pr
Teacher information • The tiger is respected in India for its strength, agility, grace and power. It was once popularly killed for its skin. The royal Bengal tiger is one of the largest and most common subspecies. About 50% of the world’s tiger population lives in India in small isolated populations. Male tigers weigh about 220 kg and females about 140 kg. The tiger’s coat varies in colour from yellow to light orange and the stripes from dark brown to black. The tail is white with black rings and the belly is white. Female Bengal tigers produce between two and five cubs which are blind and helpless. The cubs drink milk from their mother for 6–8 weeks and then graduate to eating meat. They stay with their mother for about 18 months, after which they begin hunting on their own. • The Indian peafowl is a symbol of grace, pride and beauty. They are often used in mythology and folk stories, and found in pictures with gods and goddesses. In medieval times, the Mughals admired them and started keeping them in their gardens. Peafowl have a harsh cry in contrast to the beautiful male ritual dance to attract females. Some domesticated peafowl can be found in rural villages.
Additional activities • Find and read folktales and legends from India about tigers and the peafowl such as ‘The Peacock and the tortoise’, then draw an illustration for each. • Create a table to compare the peafowl and the tiger. Find information for sections which require details not included in the text on page 31.
w ww
. te
30
India
m . u
© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•
o c . che e r o t r s super
www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications®