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CLASSIFICATION
OF TIGERS |
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SIBERIAN OR AMUR TIGER Measuring more than 4 meters, the Siberian Tiger is the largest cat in the world. Living in the snowbound forests in the north, the Siberian Tiger expectantly has the thickest fur coat, with fur measuring as long as 53 cm. During the summer, however, the coat becomes thinner. Typical colouration is slight lighter than the Bengal Tiger and the stripes are brown and narrow. Although the Siberian Tiger is thought to be the original tiger sub-species, as few as 30 remained in the 1930s but due to conservation efforts, there are more than 200-300 in the wild and well over a thousand in captivity. The Siberian Tiger is sometimes known as the Manchurian Tiger and it ranges from (former) Soviet Far East to North-Eastern China. |
| BENGAL
TIGER Also known as the Indian Tiger, the Bengal Tiger can measure more than 3 meters in length. The Bengal Tiger's territory extends from India to Nepal and Bangladesh. It was once common on the subcontinent but plummeted to critical levels in the 1940s before a Indira Gandhi-led initiative led to the implementation of national parks to protect the tiger. Today, between 3,000-5,000 survive in the wild although some believe higher numbers were reported to impress the late Mrs President. |
| CASPIAN
TIGER The Caspian Tiger shared the colouration and size of the Bengal Tiger but its range was westward including Afghanistan, Iran, the former Soviet Union and Turkey. This sub-species dwindled in numbers in the 1930s but has been considered extinct since the 1970s. While some were believed to have survived in the remote parts of Afghanistan, it would have unlikely survived civil turmoil and wars in the region. |
| SOUTH
CHINA TIGER The South China Tiger is native to eastern and southern China and its habitat have included forest and rocky mountains, and caves along the Chinese coast near the island of Amoy. The South China Tiger has a thinner coat than its Siberian cousin and has broader stripe markings. The Asian demand for tigers and tiger parts has had South China Tigers race towards extinction. Today, it is rarely seen and it is believed that less than 50 survive in scattered pockets of wilderness and in captivity. |
| INDO-CHINESE
OR CORBETT'S TIGER The Indo-Chinese Tiger's range stretches from southern China to the South East Asian countries of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia & Myanmar, where some 600 or so tigers still exist. Named after a famed hunter and author, Jim Corbett, the tiger's numbers would also have been affected by the civil unrests and wars in the region. The Indo-Chinese Tiger is small and darker in colour than the Bengal variety. |
| SUMATRAN
TIGER The Sumatran Tiger is native to the island of Sumatra and is considered the smallest amongst the sub-species of tigers at an average length of 2.5 meters. It has a dark red coat with cream coloured areas and long black stripes, often in double layers. The Sumatran Tiger has suffered from loss of habitat and unabated poaching, leaving about 500 specimens in the wild. |
| JAVAN
TIGER The Javan Tiger is named after its homeland on the Indonesian island of Java. The Javan Tiger was similar to the Sumatran Tiger but had a darker coat with stripes that were a closer set. While a dozen or so of these tigers were thought to exist in the 1950s, they are now considered extinct. |
| BALI
TIGER The only country to host more than one sub-species of tiger, Indonesia is also home to the Bali Tiger, albeit confined to the island more famous for its resorts. Despite debate over its classification as a separate sub-species, the Bali Tiger was darker than the other Indonesian tigers and had fewer stripes. Probably the most mysterious of tigers, the Bali Tiger was rarely seen. The last recorded shooting was in 1937 and it has since been considered extinct. |
| MALAYAN
TIGER The Malayan Tiger was until 2004 considered an Indo-Chinese Tiger. However, following a DNA test of more than 130 tigers and preserved pelts, there was sufficient evidence to classify the Malayan Tiger a separate sub-species, making it the ninth sub-species. At an estimated 600 surviving tigers in the wild, the Malayan Tiger's population accounted for about half of Indo-Chinese Tigers. Malayan Tigers have done better in the wild than their Indo-Chinese cousins as a result of a more stable society: except for a minor scuffle or two, Malaysia has no civil unrest or war to be ashamed that would have affected tiger populations. Nevertheless, Malayan Tiger numbers will be pressured by loss of habitat and poaching. |
| WHITE
TIGERS White Tigers are not a separate sub-species. White Tigers are a result of Bengal Tigers with a rare gene mutation. The White Tiger is not a true albino as it maintains the prominent black stripes of a typical tiger. White Tigers are descendants of the original white tiger that was caught in 1820. |
| TIGER
NUMBERS The tiger is considered highly endangered at the species-level by the Convention in International Trade of Endangered Species of Fauna & Flora (CITES). As a result, tigers are protected worldwide. Nevertheless, there is a persistent demand for tiger meat and parts for Asian traditional medicines and dinner tables. Nevertheless, awareness programs have made an impact, albeit slow one, in Asia. Also See: Tiger Population |
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