Tiger Sub-species around the World
TIGER SUB-SPECIES
Earlier there were Nine subspecies of tiger, but human killing has left only six of them:
Siberian (Amur) tigers : Panthera tigris altaica
Siberian tigers hold the distinction of being the biggest of the world’s big cats. A typical male Amur tiger may weigh more than 250kg & measure nearly 3Mts from nose to tip of tail. They live along the forests of Amur River, a natural boundary line between Russia & China on the east coast. Amur tiger populations have been severely reduced by poaching, poaching of prey and habitat destruction. Only around 500 individuals exist in the world.
Royal Bengal tigers : Panthera tigris tigris
The Bengal tiger is most numerous of tigers in the wild today. It lives in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar (Burma) and Nepal, with India home to the biggest population. It mostly inhabits the deciduous forests of central and south India, the Terai-Duar grassland and Sal forests of the Himalayan foothills, and the Temperate forests of Bhutan. The Sunderban, which straddles Bangladesh and India, host the only mangrove forests where tigers are found. A burgeoning human population is reducing the space available to the tiger, resulting in increasing conflicts with humans that often lead to retributive killings. The current population status of the Royal Bengal tiger is about 1400 in the wild.
Indo - Chinese tigers : Panthera tigris corbetti
These are smaller tigers, found in South East Asia, such as Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. This sub-species ranks as the second most populous variety, with around 1,125 living in the wild.
South - China tigers : Panthera tigris amoyensis
South China tigers live in south-central China, and are commonly recognized as the most endangered tigers in the world. Thought to be the ancestor of all tigers, the South China sub-species has not been sighted in the wild for more than 25 years. If a wild population does remain, it may not be viable. The Chinese government now gives them the same status as the Panda and is actively pursuing a conservation program.
Sumatran tigers : Panthera tigris sumatrae
The smallest of the tigers, the Sumatran sub-species is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Numbering fewer than four hundred individuals, the sub-species is critically endangered. It is fighting for survival against poaching and large-scale habitat conversion.
Malayan tigers : Panthera tigris malayensis
The Malayan tiger was identified as a separate subspecies from the Indochinese tiger in 2004. It is found only in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. While similar to the Indochinese tiger, the Malayan tiger is smaller, being closer in the size to the Sumatran tiger. The average weight of adult males is 120 kg and females are 100kg.
Malayan tigers are sparsely distributed in isolated small forests, secondary vegetation, and abandoned agricultural land, in areas of low human and road density. Their low density is due to low prey numbers. The population is estimated to be around 500 individuals.
EXTINCT SUB-SPECIES
Siberian (Amur) tigers : Panthera tigris altaica
Siberian tigers hold the distinction of being the biggest of the world’s big cats. A typical male Amur tiger may weigh more than 250kg & measure nearly 3Mts from nose to tip of tail. They live along the forests of Amur River, a natural boundary line between Russia & China on the east coast. Amur tiger populations have been severely reduced by poaching, poaching of prey and habitat destruction. Only around 500 individuals exist in the world.
Royal Bengal tigers : Panthera tigris tigris
The Bengal tiger is most numerous of tigers in the wild today. It lives in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar (Burma) and Nepal, with India home to the biggest population. It mostly inhabits the deciduous forests of central and south India, the Terai-Duar grassland and Sal forests of the Himalayan foothills, and the Temperate forests of Bhutan. The Sunderban, which straddles Bangladesh and India, host the only mangrove forests where tigers are found. A burgeoning human population is reducing the space available to the tiger, resulting in increasing conflicts with humans that often lead to retributive killings. The current population status of the Royal Bengal tiger is about 1400 in the wild.
Indo - Chinese tigers : Panthera tigris corbetti
These are smaller tigers, found in South East Asia, such as Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. This sub-species ranks as the second most populous variety, with around 1,125 living in the wild.
South - China tigers : Panthera tigris amoyensis
South China tigers live in south-central China, and are commonly recognized as the most endangered tigers in the world. Thought to be the ancestor of all tigers, the South China sub-species has not been sighted in the wild for more than 25 years. If a wild population does remain, it may not be viable. The Chinese government now gives them the same status as the Panda and is actively pursuing a conservation program.
Sumatran tigers : Panthera tigris sumatrae
The smallest of the tigers, the Sumatran sub-species is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Numbering fewer than four hundred individuals, the sub-species is critically endangered. It is fighting for survival against poaching and large-scale habitat conversion.
Malayan tigers : Panthera tigris malayensis
The Malayan tiger was identified as a separate subspecies from the Indochinese tiger in 2004. It is found only in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. While similar to the Indochinese tiger, the Malayan tiger is smaller, being closer in the size to the Sumatran tiger. The average weight of adult males is 120 kg and females are 100kg.
Malayan tigers are sparsely distributed in isolated small forests, secondary vegetation, and abandoned agricultural land, in areas of low human and road density. Their low density is due to low prey numbers. The population is estimated to be around 500 individuals.
EXTINCT SUB-SPECIES
Balinese tiger : Panthera tigris balica
The Balinese tiger was limited to the island of Bali. These tigers were hunted to extinction – the last Balinese tiger is thought to have been killed in 1937.
Javan tiger : Panthera tigris sondaica
The Javan tiger was limited to the Indonesian island of Java. It now seems likely that this subspecies became extinct in the 80’s, as a result of hunting and habitat destruction. The last confirmed specimen was sighted in 1979, but there were a few reported sightings during 1990s.
Caspian tiger : Panthera tigris virgata
The Caspian tiger was a large subspecies, the heaviest confirmed weight of a male being around 240kg. Their colour was comparable to that of the Indian subspecies, but differed especially in the tight, narrow, striping pattern. The stripes were dark grey or brown, rather than black. Their fur was relatively long, especially during winter. The Caspian tiger was one of the two subspecies of tigers (along with the Bengal) that was used by Romans to battle gladiators. The Romans travelled far to capture exotic beasts for the arena. There are still occasional reported sightings of the Caspian Tiger in the wild.
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