The tiger is the largest wild cat species on the globe. Easily recognized by its orange and black stripes. Weighing up to 336kg and a length of 3.3 meters it is the third largest land carnivore mammal behind the polar and the brown bear. Even though the name tiger is loosely used their are many subspecies. scroll down to view the individual subspecies or go to the bottom to see a handy charts that show the visible differences.
The Bengal tiger
Distributed around India it has a light yellow/orange coat. weighing and average of 225kg and a total length of 310cm including the tail. the largest ever specimen to be found was in the 19th century at 12 foot. The white tiger is thought to be a recessive gene found also in the wild. this is not to be confused with albinism.
The Indochinese tiger
Found from Vietnam to Thailand. recorded being up to 9 foot. There are only around 350 of these left and are considered critically endangered. due to this not much is known about them. The last known of these left in China was eaten by a man who was later imprisoned for 12 years.
The Malayan Tiger
Found in Malaya and Singapore it is estimated that there is only 1,480 breeding adults left. the only difference between this and the subspecie the indochinese tiger, is it is slightly smaller.
Sumatran Tiger
A rare subspecies from an Indonesia island, it is the last surviving subspecies from the Sumatra islands group of tigers. there are thought to be 440 to 700 left, considered critically endangered. they are recognized by their darker fur and thicker stripes on their head. their stripes often tail off into spots. these are one of the smaller tiger breeds.
The Siberian Tiger (also known as Amur)
This is the largest cat species on the planet, its even among the biggest in terms of cat species that are extinct! although then Bengal tiger is bulkier this cat is longer. their tales are a meter long and males can weigh up to 220kg. a male tiger shot in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in 1950 weighed 400kg and a length of 11 foot in total. of course Siberian tigers in captivity are well fed and are up to 465kg.
these tigers are massive and need lots of calories during the winter they are known for hunting both black and brown bears. Brown bears are more common as of their habitat being more exposed. here is a taxidermy exhibit in the Vladivostok Museum, showing a Siberian tiger attacking a brown bear o show you how easy it is for them.
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Siberian tiger DNA was counted from over 100 tigers in the Russian Far East and it showed a shockingly low diversity in the gene pool. it seems as our habitat has grown and we killed so many tigers these guys had to travel great distances to even find other tigers to mate with. As numbers dwindled, less and less new genes were available and natural inbreeding took place. these kitties are known to travel up to 1000km!
The South China Tiger
This is possible our most endangered tiger. scientists haven't seen a South Chinese tiger in the wild since the 1970's. Although there are members in captivity, around 72, 57 showed signs of inbreeding, other genetic results show most of these guys have evidence of cross breeding with other species of tigers. as suggested by its name it originated from china and parts of fuji. It was known also as the Amoy tiger in the fur trade, now revered as a relic of the past.
Known as being the most distinct Tiger,
In stance they are smaller than the Bengal tiger but larger than the Sumatran Their coat is distinctive by a large pale patch and with more stripes that are thinner, with sharper points.
they are thought to have hunted animals like muntjack (small deer type animal) and wild pigs.
Other than this i cant tell you much about this breed as it just isn't known, behavior in captivity tends to be down to their environment so cant be used as fact.
Here is a great chart to quickly see the differences Tiger subspecies from different angles.
Let me know which kitty is your faverite and be sure to read my next blog on the extinct species!
Sources:
None of these images are owned by myself and have not been altered in anyway. i do not own the rights.
Most information and photos are found:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger
for the specie chart:
http://hdevers.deviantart.com/art/Tiger-Comparisons-Huge-File-215800028
The Siberian Tiger (also known as Amur)
There are thought to only be around 400 of these dudes left roaming around the far east of Russia. mainly recognizable by their deep reddish coats and general physique.
This is the largest cat species on the planet, its even among the biggest in terms of cat species that are extinct! although then Bengal tiger is bulkier this cat is longer. their tales are a meter long and males can weigh up to 220kg. a male tiger shot in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in 1950 weighed 400kg and a length of 11 foot in total. of course Siberian tigers in captivity are well fed and are up to 465kg.
these tigers are massive and need lots of calories during the winter they are known for hunting both black and brown bears. Brown bears are more common as of their habitat being more exposed. here is a taxidermy exhibit in the Vladivostok Museum, showing a Siberian tiger attacking a brown bear o show you how easy it is for them.
.jpg)
The South China Tiger
This is possible our most endangered tiger. scientists haven't seen a South Chinese tiger in the wild since the 1970's. Although there are members in captivity, around 72, 57 showed signs of inbreeding, other genetic results show most of these guys have evidence of cross breeding with other species of tigers. as suggested by its name it originated from china and parts of fuji. It was known also as the Amoy tiger in the fur trade, now revered as a relic of the past.
Known as being the most distinct Tiger,
they are thought to have hunted animals like muntjack (small deer type animal) and wild pigs.
Here is a great chart to quickly see the differences Tiger subspecies from different angles.
Let me know which kitty is your faverite and be sure to read my next blog on the extinct species!
Sources:
None of these images are owned by myself and have not been altered in anyway. i do not own the rights.
Most information and photos are found:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger
for the specie chart:
http://hdevers.deviantart.com/art/Tiger-Comparisons-Huge-File-215800028
I tried to decide which is my fav but it's impossible. I love all kitties large and small! Actually, I guess I do have a favorite and that would be a living kitty! That anyone could harm such beautiful animals just infuriates me.
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