Siberian Tiger

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animala

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Carnivora

Family Felidae

Genus Panthera

Species P. tigris

Subspecies P.t. altaica

An animal of imagination and mystery, the tiger is an extremely popular species world-wide. Their are five remaining subspecies of Tigers left in the wild. They are the Sumatran, Bengal, Siberian, South China and Indochinese. Three subspecies of tiger, the Bali, Caspian and Javan, have gone extinct in the 20th century. This solitary and magnificent mammal suffers extreme population decline due to loss of habitat, reduction in numbers of its prey, deliberate poisoning by farmers as they are considered a threat to livestock, poaching and hunting. The skins and bones, blood and other body parts of the tiger are thought to have medicinal properties throughout Asia.

The Five Remaining Tiger Subspecies

1. The Sumatran Tiger - Panthera tigris sumatrae with it's dark coat is the smallest of the remaining five tiger species. It lives in the forests of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Their population in the wild is estimated to range between 400 and 500 individuals located primarily in the Sumatra's five national parks.The average weight of a male Sumatran Tiger is 120 Kg. There are approx 190 in captivity.

Picture of Sumatran Tiger

2. The Indochinese Tiger - Smaller and darker than Bengal tigers, Panthera tigris corbetti is primarily located in Thailand but can also be found in Laos, Myanmar, Ma

laysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and southern China. It is believed that as many as

1000 to 1500 members Indo-Chinese tigers survive in the wild.

Indochinese tigers look a lot like Bengal tigers, but are a bit smaller and darker, with shorter, narrower stripes.

3. Bengal Tiger - Panthera tigris tigris the most commonly known of all tigers and can be found in a variety of habitats in including lush forests, swamps and high altitudes of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Their wild population is approximately 3,000 to 4,750 tigers.

Picture of Bengal Tiger

4. Siberian Tiger - At up to 350 kilos, Panthera tigris altaica is the largest of all the tigers and in is actually the biggest cat on Earth. The Amur tiger as is also known can be found primarily in the forests of eastern Russia, It is estimated that 360–400 live in the wild although their are about 490 captive Siberian tigers

Picture of Siberian Tiger - The Siberian tiger (also known as the Amur, Korean, Manchurian, or North China tiger) is the largest and most powerful subspecies of naturally occurring feline. The Siberian tiger is where they are now being actively protected. About 10% of Siberian tiger populations reside in China. almost totally confined to a very restricted part of eastern Russia, the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorye and Khabarovsk, a location it shares with the Siberian leopard,

5. The South China Tiger - Panthera tigris amoyensis is the most critically endangered of all tigers. As it's name suggests it is found in Central and eastern China.

The South China tiger is the smallest of the tigers at 150 kilos. It's estimated that fewer than 30 can be found in the wild and 47 individuals currently live in zoo's throughout China.