July 28, 2022
By Shreesha Ghosh
Over the last century, tiger habitats have shrunk by 95 per cent. Less than 4,000 tigers are left in the wild. Out of 9 tiger subspecies, 3 are extinct. Let’s get to know these majestic beasts on International Tiger Day.
Image source: Pixabay
The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), also called the Indian tiger or the Royal Bengal tiger is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is quite an enormous beast and once roamed a much larger area. But it is on the endangered list now and currently resides in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
Image source: Alamy
ENDANGERED
The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is an endangered species that lives in Northern Asia (China, Russia and Korea), although its territory was once much larger. The Siberian tiger often grows big in captivity, more than the Bengal tiger, making it the largest purebred cat in the world.
Image source: Alamy
ENDANGERED
Native to Malaysia and the southern tip of Thailand, Malayan tigers were part of the Indochinese subspecies until 2004, when DNA samples revealed them to be distinct. Only 250 to 340 are alive in the world today. The Malayan Tiger looks similar to the Indochinese tiger, except it’s slightly smaller.
Image source: Alamy
ENDANGERED
The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is the smallest tiger subspecies and lives on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It has also been isolated from other tiger subspecies because it lives on an island. The Sumatran is a critically endangered species.
Critically ENDANGERED
Image source: Adobe Stock
If you ever get to see a White tiger, it may be an albino or the result of a genetic mutation called leucism, which causes the colouration of white with black stripes and blue eyes, specific to the Bengal tiger. Few of them survive in the wild because their white fur doesn’t provide any camouflage protection.
Image source: Alamy
ENDANGERED
The South China tiger may be at the greatest risk of extinction among all tiger subspecies. The WWF estimates there are just 30 to 80 South China tigers left in the world, all of which are in captivity. This tiger hasn’t been seen in the wild in over a quarter-century.
Image source: Alamy
Critically ENDANGERED
The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) was a large, powerful tiger that lived around the Caspian Sea. Their muted colours were so recognisable that they were named the grey tiger.
Image source: Alamy
EXTINCT
The Bali tiger (Pantera tigris balica), a native of the Indonesian islands, was once the world’s smallest tiger. It hasn’t been sighted since the 1930s. The only remains of the Bali tiger are bones and skulls, which have been preserved in museums.
Image source: Alamy
EXTINCT
The Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) was the last one that lived in Indonesia. They were slightly larger than Bali tigers. Although it has been listed as extinct since the 1970s, there are still periodic tiger sightings in the area believed to be Javan.
Image source: Wikipedia
EXTINCT