The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest living felid and a member of the genus Panthera, native to Asia. It is also one of the most endangered, having been eliminated from much of its historical range. The tiger was widespread throughout Asia, with nine traditionally recognized subspecies once present, from the shores of the Black Sea to the Russian Far East and the Korean Peninsula; and far south as to Indian Subcontinent and Bali in Indonesia.
Today, the tiger is still the undisputed apex predator everywhere it occurs; however, it is now only found in fragmented portions of its range, limited to the mainland Asian tiger populations of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Russian Far East, Southeast Asia, and the soley Sunda Islands tiger population on Sumatra. Tigers consistently face theat from humans in from of habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching for fur and body parts.
The tiger has a powerful, muscular body, shortened legs, strong forelimbs with wide front paws, and a large head. Its skull is robust, with a constricted front region. The ears are rounded. The tail that is about half the length of the rest of its body. The tiger has an orange fur with white underside, from head to tail, along with the inner surface of the legs and parts of the face. It is covered in vertical black or dark brown stripes, however, the stripes on the limbs are horizontal. The back of the ears is black with a prominent white spot. The three colour morphs of the Bengal tiger – white, snow white and golden – are now virtually non-existent in the wild, but only bred in captivity. Pseudo-melanistic tigers with thick, merged stripes are recorded in Simlipal National Park.
Subspecies & distribution[]
- Mainland Asian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris): the nominate subspecies; Bengal tiger (Endangered; Indian subcontinent), the Siberian tiger (Endangered; Russian Far East, Northeast China, possibly North Korea), South China tiger (Extinct in the wild; previously found in Southern China), Indochinese tiger (Endangered; Myanmar, Thailand, Laos), Malayan tiger (Critically Endangered, Malay Peninsula) and the Caspian tiger (Extinct; previously found from eastern Turkey to Xinjiang region).
- Sunda Island tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica): includes the Sumatran tiger (Critically Endangered; Sumatra), Bali tiger (Extinct; Bali) and Javan tiger (Extinct; Java) populations. Noted for its slightly smaller size with a deeper orange-red coat and distinctive facial "beard".
- Ngandong tiger (†Panthera tigris soloensis): Sundaland region of Indonesia; extinct during the Pleistocene epoch.
- Wanhsien tiger (†Panthera tigris acutidens): Sichuan province; extinct in Middle Pleistocene.
- Trinil tiger (†Panthera tigris trinilensis): Trinil and Java islands of Indonesia; extinct in Late Pleistocene.
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