The tiger is a majestic animal, known for its great power and beautiful, striped coat of fur.
Tigers are the largest felines in the world and one of the four species of Big Cats. These predators roam much of eastern and southern Asia and are a large part of oriental culture.
Although there are nine distinctive types of tigers, all of them have several characteristics in common. They are very large, reaching up to more than three meters in length and weighing up to 300 kg.
In fact, there is little difference in size between today’s tigers and those that have long been extinct. The tiger’s fur can be white or orange and is patterned with dark stripes.
Tigers are solitary creatures that roam large areas of habitat in search of prey to feed their carnivorous appetites. They are highly adaptable and can live anywhere from open grasslands to humid mangrove swamps or on the cold Siberian taiga.
Tiger Subspecies
There are nine subspecies of tigers. These are the Siberian/Amur, South China, Indo-Chinese, Bengal, Malayan, Sumatran, Javan, Bali, and Caspian tigers. Of these, three are extinct, the Javan, Bali, and Caspian. No confirmed sightings of any of these subspecies have been reported in some time.
Recent research has revealed a strong similarity of genetic structure in the subspecies of Siberian, South China, Indo-Chinese, and Bengal tigers. Some scientists are now recommending that all of these types, found on mainland Asia, be categorised as a single subspecies along with the Sumatran and Malayan tigers.
The Sumatran tiger seems to be significantly different from the mainland Asia populations due to its island habitat. The Malayan tiger was only recently listed as its own subspecies, in 2004.
The Bengal tiger is the most common. Its habitat includes the grasslands, rainforests, and dry forests of India and Bangladesh. The most recent count of Bengal tigers by the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India estimates that there are only 1,411 left in the wild, which is a 60% population decline.
The Indochinese tiger is smaller than the Bengal. It lives in the mountainous and forested regions of Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is estimated that the remaining population of Indochinese tigers is anywhere between 1,200 and 1,800 and of this number, only several hundred exist outside of captivity in the wild.
The Sumatran tiger is listed as critically endangered. It is the smallest of all subspecies in physical size. Only several hundred of these tigers remain in the wild, primarily in national parks. The Siberian tiger is the largest of all subspecies.
The South China tiger is the most endangered; in fact it is one of the list of 10 most endangered animals worldwide with none being sighted in quite some time.
Find out more about Siberian, White and Bengal tigers and the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Strategy.