About Tigers

*The following information is collected from WWF Tiger factsheet

The largest cat of all, the tiger is a powerful symbol among the different cultures that share its home.

At a glance:
- Species: Tiger (Panthera tigris)
- Habitat: Wide range, including evergreen forests, rainforests, temperate forest, deciduous forests, grasslands, and mangrove swamps

- Size:  up to 3.3 metres (11 ft) in total length, weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds), and having canines up to 4 inches long

- Lifespan: 10-15 years in the wild, and more than 20 years in captivity

- Characteristics: territorial and generally solitary animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey demands

- Location: South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Russian Far East

- Population: Around 4,000

- Status: Endangered to Critically Endangered (IUCN–The World Conservation Union)

There are six living sub-species of tiger

1. The Amur tiger (Siberian tiger)

This is the largest of the tiger sub-species. Once found in the taiga and boreal forests of the Russian Far East, China, and the Korean peninsula, it is now restricted to two provinces in the Russian Far East, and possibly to small pockets in the border areas of China and North Korea.

Amur Tigers

2. Bengal tiger (Indian tiger)

It is the most numerous sub-species, numbering around 2,000 individuals. The Bengal tiger inhabits deciduous forests, temperate forests, grasslands, and mangroves and is classified as Endangered.

Indian Tiger

 3.  Indochinese tiger

It mostly lives in tropical deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen forests. Total population is around 1500 individuals and can be found throughout Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam

Indochinese Tigers

4. South China tiger

Thought to be the ancestor of all tigers, the Critically Endangered South China tiger (also known as the Xiamen or Amoy tiger) has not been sighted in the wild for more than 25 years, and is believed by scientists to be extinct.

South China Tiger

5. Sumatran tiger

The last 400-500 Sumatran tiger found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatran are confined mostly to protected areas in montane forests, peat swamps, and remaining blocks of lowland rainforest, which are threatened by conversion to agriculture and plantations, logging, and road construction.

Sumantran Tiger

6. Malayan tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris jacksoni. They are living at tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (southern tip of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia). The Malayan tiger was only identified as being a separate subspecies from the Indochinese tiger in 2004. It is very similar to the Indochinese tiger, but is smaller in size.

Malayan Tiger

The three other tiger sub-species, the Bali, Caspian, and Javan tigers, became extinct in the 20th century.