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11. The Little Sparrow                  different  from other tigers. Being  fierce in nature,
          The ringmaster  bowed to the audience, and said,      Royal Bengal Tigers are not friendly and prefer to live
          ‘Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you     a solitary life, except in winter when they can be seen
          THE  MIGHTY  ADOLF,  the  Strongest  Man  in  the     in a group of 3 or 4.
          World.’                                               Royal Bengal Tigers have sharp memory due to
          And into the ring stepped a man who looked as big     which they never forget faces. Their memory is
          as a giant. He wore flesh-coloured tights and had a   considered  to  be  sharper  than  humans  and  other
          leopard skin draped around his stomach. ‘And now,     animals. Whenever in a fight with other tigers, they
          ladies and gentlemen, who will challenge the Mighty   never roar, they hiss and fluff. Royal Bengal Tiger’s
          Adolf in a wrestling match? A hundred dollars for     saliva has an innate antiseptic property. When they
          anyone who can conquer the Mighty Adolf!’             lick themselves after an injury their saliva helps in
          ‘I can,’ said Pippi and stepped over the railing into   healing the  wound. This also stops the  bleeding.
          the ring.                                             Tiger’s vision is far better than humans which makes
                                                                them a super hunter at night time.
          She went up to Mighty Adolf and shook his hand
          heartily. ‘Shall we fight a little, you and I?’ she asked.   14. Our Encounter with a Snow Leopard
          She grabbed Mighty Adolf around the waist, and        The snow leopard is one of the most elusive cats in
          before  anyone  knew  what  was  happening  she  had   the world. It is found in twelve countries—including
          thrown him on the mat. Mighty Adolf leaped up, his
          face absolutely scarlet.                              China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
                                                                Russia, and Mongolia. It is known under many
          ‘Atta girl, Pippi!’ shrieked Tommy and Annika, and    names, such as  shan  in Ladakhi,  zigsa in Tibetan,
          all the people also began to shriek, ‘Atta girl, Pippi!’   barfani cheetah in Hindi and him tendua in Sanskrit.
          Mighty Adolf rushed at Pippi and caught her round     Its soft, dense fur helps it to survive in extremely cold
          the waist, but Pippi stood firm as a rock. ‘Tiddelipom   conditions and at high altitudes. The fur grows extra
          and piddeliday,’ said Pippi.                          thick during winter to keep it warm.
          All the people in the tent shouted, ‘Hurrah, Pippi!’   Its white-grey coat spotted with large black rosettes
          Then Pippi lifted him high in the air and, with her   helps it to blend in perfectly with the steep and rocky
          arms straight above her, carried him clear around the   mountains of Central Asia.
          ring. ‘Pippi is the winner! Pippi is the winner!’ cried   An adult male snow leopard can grow up to 5 feet
          all the people.
                                                                long  and  weigh  about  55  kg. The  snow  leopard’s
                                                                powerful body helps it to scale steep slopes with ease.
                       12. Direction of Growth                  With its powerful legs, it can jump as far as 50 feet.
                        The Royal Bengal Tiger                  Its tail can grow up to 3.5 feet long. It uses its long
          The Royal Bengal Tiger, is known to be the largest,  tail for balance and as a blanket to cover its sensitive
          fiercest, and most powerful member of the Big Cat  body parts against the severe cold. It preys upon the
          family present in India. Royal Bengal Tigers constitute  blue sheep of Tibet and the Himalayas, as well as the
          a large population of tiger families in the world. The  mountain ibex. It also eats smaller animals, such as
          Bengal tiger is found mostly in India, China, Bhutan,  marmots, hares, and game birds.
          Bangladesh, and Burma. Every Bengal Tiger has a
          unique and distinct stripe pattern which makes them














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