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{{Short description|Species of large cat}} | |||
{{otheruses}} | |||
{{redirect|Tigress|other uses|Tiger (disambiguation)|and|Tigress (disambiguation)}} | |||
{{Taxobox | |||
{{pp-semi-indef}} | |||
| color = pink | |||
{{pp-move}} | |||
| name = Tiger | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} | |||
{{Use British English|date=April 2020}} | |||
{{Speciesbox | |||
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Early Pleistocene | Present}} | |||
| image = Walking tiger female.jpg | |||
| image_caption = A ] in ], India | |||
| image_upright = 1.2 | |||
| status = EN | | status = EN | ||
| status_system = IUCN3.1 | |||
| trend = down | |||
| status_ref =<ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Panthera tigris'' |author=Goodrich, J. |author2=Wibisono, H. |author3=Miquelle, D. |author4=Lynam, A.J |author5=Sanderson, E. |author6=Chapman, S. |author7=Gray, T. N. E. |author8=Chanchani, P. |author9=Harihar, A. |name-list-style=amp |date=2022 |page=e.T15955A214862019 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T15955A214862019.en |access-date=31 August 2022}}</ref> | |||
| status_ref = <ref name="IUCN">{{IUCN2006|assessors=Cat Specialist Group|year=2002|id=15955 era tigris|downloaded=10 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered </ref> | |||
| status2 = CITES_A1 | |||
| image = Manchuriantig.jpg | |||
| |
| status2_system = CITES | ||
| status2_ref = <ref name=iucn/> | |||
| image_caption = ] (''P. tigris altaica'') | |||
| taxon = Panthera tigris | |||
| regnum = ]ia | |||
| authority = (], 1758)<ref name=Linn1758/> | |||
| phylum = ] | |||
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | |||
| classis = ]ia | |||
| subdivision = | |||
| ordo = ] | |||
* '']'' | |||
| familia = ] | |||
* '']'' | |||
| genus = '']'' | |||
* {{extinct}}'']'' | |||
| species = '''''P. tigris''''' | |||
* {{extinct}}'']'' | |||
* {{extinct}}'']'' | |||
| binomial_authority = (], ]) | |||
| range_map = Tiger distribution.png | |||
| synonyms = | |||
| range_map_caption = Tiger distribution as of 2022 | |||
<center>'''''Felis tigris''''' <small>], ]</small><br> | |||
| range_map_upright = 1.2 | |||
'''''Tigris striatus''''' <small>], ]</small><br> | |||
| synonyms = | |||
'''''Tigris regalis''''' <small>], ]</small></center> | |||
{{Species list | |||
| Felis tigris | ], ] | |||
| Tigris striatus | ], 1858 | |||
| Tigris regalis | ], 1867 | |||
}} | }} | ||
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite book |first1=J. R. |last1=Ellerman |first2=T. C. S. |last2=Morrison-Scott |name-list-style=amp |date=1951 |title=Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946 |location=London |publisher=British Museum |pages=318–319 |chapter=''Panthera tigris'', Linnaeus, 1758 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/checklistofpalae00elle/page/318/mode/2up}}</ref> | |||
'''Tigers''' ('''''Panthera tigris''''') are ]s of the ] family and one of four "]s" in the '']'' ]. They are ]s and the largest and most powerful living cat species in the world<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/19.shtml|title=BBC Wildfacts – Tiger}}</ref><ref></ref>. The ] is the most common subspecies of tiger, constituting approximately 80% of the entire tiger population, and is found in the ]. The tiger's beautiful blend of grace and ferocity led the legendary author and conservationist, ] to remark - "The Tiger is a large hearted gentleman with boundless courage...". | |||
}} | |||
The '''tiger''' ('''''Panthera tigris''''') is a large ] and a member of the genus '']'' native to ]. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into nine ] ], though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of the ]. | |||
Throughout the tiger's range, it inhabits mainly forests, from ]ous and ]s in the ] and ] to ] on the ] and ]. The tiger is an ] and preys mainly on ]s, which it takes by ambush. It lives a mostly solitary life and occupies ]s, defending these from individuals of the same sex. The range of a male tiger overlaps with that of multiple females with whom he mates. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs that stay with their mother for about two years. When becoming independent, they leave their mother's home range and establish their own. | |||
Since the early 20th century, tiger populations have lost at least 93% of their historic range and are ] in ] and ], in large areas of ] and on the islands of ] and ]. Today, the tiger's range is severely fragmented. It is listed as ] on the ], as its range is thought to have declined by 53% to 68% since the late 1990s. Major threats to tigers are ] and ] due to ], ] for fur and the illegal trade of body parts for medicinal purposes. Tigers are also victims of ] as they attack and prey on livestock in areas where natural prey is scarce. The tiger is legally protected in all range countries. National conservation measures consist of action plans, ] patrols and schemes for monitoring tiger populations. In several range countries, ]s have been established and tiger reintroduction is planned. | |||
The tiger is among the most popular of the world's ]. It has been kept in captivity since ancient times and has been trained to perform in ]es and other entertainment shows. The tiger featured prominently in the ancient ] and ] of cultures throughout its historic range and has continued to ] worldwide. | |||
== Etymology == | |||
The ] ''tigras'' derives from ] {{lang|fro|tigre}}, from ] {{lang|la|tigris}}, which was a borrowing from {{transl|grc| tigris}} ({{langx|grc|τίγρις}}).<ref>{{cite book |author1=Liddell, H. G. |author2=Scott, R. |name-list-style=amp |title=A Greek-English Lexicon |edition=Revised and augmented |year=1940 |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |chapter=τίγρις |chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dti%2Fgris |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021200154/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=ti/gris |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Since ancient times, the word {{transl|grc|tigris}} has been suggested to originate from the ] or ] word for 'arrow', which may also be the origin of the name for the river ].<ref name=Varro>{{cite book |author=Varro, M. T. |translator=Kent, R. G. |year=1938 |title=De lingua latina |trans-title=On the Latin language |publisher=W. Heinemann |place=London |chapter=XX. Ferarum vocabula |trans-chapter=XX. The names of wild beasts |pages=94–97 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/onlatinlanguage01varruoft/page/96/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=Thorley>{{cite journal |last=Thorley |first=D. |year=2017 |title=Naming the tiger in the Early Modern world |journal=Renaissance Quarterly |volume=70 |issue=3 |pages=977–1006 |doi=10.1086/693884 |jstor=26560471 |s2cid=165388712}}</ref> However, today, the names are thought to be ], and the connection between the tiger and the river is doubted.<ref name=Thorley/> | |||
== Taxonomy == | |||
In 1758, ] described the tiger in his work '']'' and gave it the ] ''Felis tigris'', as the genus ''Felis'' was being used for all cats at the time. His ] was based on descriptions by earlier naturalists such as ] and ].<ref name=Linn1758>{{cite book |author=Linnaeus, C. |year=1758 |title=Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |volume=Tomus I |edition=decima, reformata |location=Holmiae |publisher=Laurentius Salvius |page=41 |chapter=''Felis tigris'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753000798865#page/41/mode/2up |language=la}}</ref> In 1929, ] placed the species in the genus '']'' using the scientific name ''Panthera tigris''.<ref name=pocock1929>{{cite journal |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1929 |title=Tigers |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=505–541 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbomb33341929bomb/page/n133}}</ref><ref name=pocock1939>{{cite book |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1939 |title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma |volume=((Mammalia. Volume 1)) |location=London |publisher=T. Taylor and Francis, Ltd. |pages=197–210 |chapter=''Panthera tigris'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/PocockMammalia1/pocock1#page/n247/mode/2up}}</ref> | |||
=== Subspecies === | |||
{{anchor|Populations}} | |||
Nine ] tiger ] have been proposed between the early 19th and early 21st centuries, namely the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]s.<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Carnivora |id=14000259 |page=546 |heading=Species ''Panthera tigris''}}</ref><ref name=Wilting2015/> The ] of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999 as most putative subspecies were distinguished on the basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size of specimens in ] collections that are not necessarily representative for the entire population. It was proposed to recognise only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely ''P. t. tigris'' in mainland Asia and the smaller ''P. t. sondaica'' in the ].<ref name=Kitchener1999>Kitchener, A. (1999). "Tiger distribution, phenotypic variation and conservation issues" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=19–39}}</ref> | |||
This two-subspecies proposal was reaffirmed in 2015 through a comprehensive analysis of morphological, ecological and ] (mtDNA) traits of all putative tiger subspecies.<ref name=Wilting2015>{{cite journal |title=Planning tiger recovery: Understanding intraspecific variation for effective conservation |last1=Wilting |first1=A. |last2=Courtiol |first2=A. |first3=P. |last3=Christiansen |first4=J. |last4=Niedballa |first5=A. K. |last5=Scharf |first6=L. |last6=Orlando |first7=N. |last7=Balkenhol |first8=H. |last8=Hofer |first9=S. |last9=Kramer-Schadt |first10=J. |last10=Fickel |first11=A. C. |last11=Kitchener |name-list-style=amp |date=2015 |volume=11 |issue=5 |page=e1400175 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.1400175 |pmid=26601191 |pmc=4640610 |journal=Science Advances |bibcode=2015SciA....1E0175W}}</ref> | |||
In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised ] taxonomy in accordance with the 2015 two-subspecies proposal and recognised only ''P. t. tigris'' and ''P. t. sondaica''.<ref name=catsg>{{cite journal |last1=Kitchener |first1=A. C. |last2=Breitenmoser-Würsten |first2=C. |last3=Eizirik |first3=E. |last4=Gentry |first4=A. |last5=Werdelin |first5=L. |last6=Wilting |first6=A. |last7=Yamaguchi |first7=N. |last8=Abramov |first8=A. V. |last9=Christiansen |first9=P. |last10=Driscoll |first10=C. |last11=Duckworth |first11=J. W. |last12=Johnson |first12=W. |last13=Luo |first13=S.-J. |last14=Meijaard |first14=E. |last15=O'Donoghue |first15=P. |last16=Sanderson |first16=J. |last17=Seymour |first17=K. |last18=Bruford |first18=M. |last19=Groves |first19=C. |last20=Hoffmann |first20=M. |last21=Nowell |first21=K. |last22=Timmons |first22=Z. |last23=Tobe |first23=S. |name-list-style=amp |date=2017 |title=A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group |journal=Cat News |issue=Special Issue 11 |pages=66–68 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y#page=66 |access-date=27 August 2019 |archive-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117172708/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y#page=66 |url-status=live}}</ref> Results of a 2018 ] study of 32 samples from the six living putative subspecies—the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South China, Siberian and Sumatran tiger—found them to be distinct and separate ]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Y.-C. |first2=X. |last2=Sun |first3=C. |last3=Driscoll |first4=D. G. |last4=Miquelle |first5=X. |last5=Xu |first6=P. |last6=Martelli |first7=O. |last7=Uphyrkina |first8=J. L. D. |last8=Smith |first9=S. J. |last9=O'Brien |first10=S.-J. |last10=Luo |name-list-style=amp |title=Genome-wide evolutionary analysis of natural history and adaptation in the world's tigers |journal=Current Biology |volume=28 |issue=23 |date=2018 |pages=3840–3849 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.019 |pmid=30482605 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018CBio...28E3840L}}</ref> These results were corroborated in 2021 and 2023.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Armstrong|first1=E. E.|last2=Khan|first2=A. |last3=Taylor|first3=R. W.|last4=Gouy|first4=A. |last5=Greenbaum |first5=G. |last6=Thiéry|first6=A |last7=Kang|first7=J. T.|last8=Redondo|first8=S. A.|last9=Prost|first9=S. |last10=Barsh |first10=G. |last11=Kaelin |first11=C. |last12=Phalke|first12=S. |last13=Chugani|first13=A. |last14=Gilbert|first14=M. |last15=Miquelle |first15=D. |last16=Zachariah |first16=A. |last17=Borthakur|first17=U. |last18=Reddy|first18=A. |last19=Louis|first19=E. |last20=Ryder |first20=O. A. |last21=Jhala |first21=Y. V.|last22=Petrov|first22=D. |last23=Excoffier|first23=L. |last24=Hadly|first24=E. |last25=Ramakrishnan |first25=U. |name-list-style=amp |year=2021|title=Recent evolutionary history of tigers highlights contrasting roles of genetic drift and selection |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume=38|issue=6|pages=2366–2379 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msab032 |pmid=33592092 |pmc=8136513}}</ref><ref name=Wang2023>{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=C. |last2=Wu|first2=D. D. |last3=Yuan |first3=Y. H. |last4=Yao |first4=M. C.|last5=Han|first5=J. L.|last6=Wu|first6=Y. J.|last7=Shan|first7=F. |last8=Li|first8=W. P. |last9=Zhai |first9=J. Q. |last10=Huang |first10=M|last11=Peng|first11=S. H.|last12=Cai|first12=Q .H.|last13=Yu|first13=J. Y. |last14=Liu|first14=Q. X. |last15=Lui |first15=Z. Y. |last16=Li|first16=L. X.|last17=Teng|first17=M. S.|last18=Huang|first18=W. |last19=Zhou|first19=J. Y. |last20=Zhang |first20=C. |last21=Chen|first21=W. |last22=Tu|first22=X. L.|year=2023|title=Population genomic analysis provides evidence of the past success and future potential of South China tiger captive conservation|journal=BMC Biology|volume=21 |issue=1 |page=64 |doi=10.1186/s12915-023-01552-y |doi-access=free |pmid=37069598 |pmc=10111772 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The Cat Specialist Group states that "Given the varied interpretations of data, the taxonomy of this species is currently under review by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group."<ref>{{cite web|title=Tiger|publisher=CatSG|url=http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=124|accessdate=14 June 2024}}</ref> | |||
The following tables are based on the ] of the tiger as of 2005,<ref name=MSW3/> and also reflect the classification recognised by the Cat Classification Task Force in 2017.<ref name=catsg/> | |||
{{clear}} | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+ style="text-align: centre;" | ''Panthera tigris tigris'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}}<ref name=Linn1758/> | |||
! Population !! Description !! Image | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. tigris'' (Linnaeus, 1758)}}<ref name=Linn1758/> | |||
| | This population inhabits the ].<ref name=Jackson1996>{{Cite book |author1=Nowell, K. |author2=Jackson, P. |title=Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan |place=Gland, Switzerland |publisher=IUCN |year=1996 |isbn=2-8317-0045-0 |name-list-style=amp |pages=55–65 |chapter=Tiger, ''Panthera tigris'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |chapter-url=https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/1996-008.pdf#page=80 |access-date=25 January 2024 |archive-date=25 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125121859/https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/1996-008.pdf#page=80 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Bengal tiger has shorter fur than tigers further north,<ref name=pocock1939/> with a light ] to orange-red colouration,<ref name=pocock1939/><ref>{{cite report|title=Indian National Studbook of the Bengal Tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') |publisher=Central Zoo Authority, Wildlife Institute of India |date=2011 |url=https://cza.nic.in/uploads/documents/studbooks/english/Bengal%20Tiger%20Studbook%202011.pdf |last1=Srivastav|first1=A. |last2=Malviya |first2=M. |last3=Tyagi |first3=P. C.|last4=Nigam |first4=P. |name-list-style=amp |accessdate=27 May 2024}}</ref> and relatively long and narrow nostrils.<ref name="Mazák2010"/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. virgata'' (], 1815)}}<ref name=Illiger>{{cite journal |last1=Illiger |first1=C. |date=1815 |title=Überblick der Säugethiere nach ihrer Verteilung über die Welttheile |journal=Abhandlungen der Königlichen Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin |volume=1804–1811 |pages=39–159 |url=https://bibliothek.bbaw.de/digitalisierte-sammlungen/akademieschriften/ansicht-akademieschriften?tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Baction%5D=show&tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Bcontroller%5D=AcademicPublication%5CVolume&tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Bpage%5D=195&tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Bvolume%5D=85&cHash=f015ec3f9a13240a9559ebdcb88aafa4}}</ref> | |||
| |This population occurred from Turkey to around the Caspian Sea.<ref name=Jackson1996/> It had bright rusty-red fur with thin and closely spaced brownish stripes,{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=137}} and a broad ].<ref name=Kitchener1999/> Genetic analysis revealed that it was closely related to the Siberian tiger.<ref name=Driscoll2009>{{Cite journal |last1=Driscoll |first1=C. A. |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=N. |last3=Bar-Gal |first3=G. K. |last4=Roca |first4=A. L. |last5=Luo |first5=S. |last6=MacDonald |first6=D. W. |last7=O'Brien |first7=S. J. |name-list-style=amp |title=Mitochondrial phylogeography illuminates the origin of the extinct Caspian Tiger and its relationship to the Amur Tiger |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0004125 |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=e4125 |date=2009 |pmid=19142238 |pmc=2624500 |bibcode=2009PLoSO...4.4125D |doi-access=free}}</ref> It has been extinct since the 1970s.<ref name=Seidensticker1999/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. altaica'' (], 1844)}}<ref name=Temminck>{{cite book |last=Temminck |first=C. J. |date=1844 |chapter=Aperçu général et spécifique sur les Mammifères qui habitent le Japon et les Iles qui en dépendent |title=Fauna Japonica sive Descriptio animalium, quae in itinere per Japoniam, jussu et auspiciis superiorum, qui summum in India Batava imperium tenent, suscepto, annis 1825–1830 collegit, notis, observationibus et adumbrationibus illustravit Ph. Fr. de Siebold |location=Leiden |publisher=Lugduni Batavorum |editor1=Siebold, P. F. v. |editor2=Temminck, C. J. |editor3=Schlegel, H. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/faunajaponicasi00sieb/page/43}}</ref> | |||
| |This population lives in the ], ] and possibly North Korea.<ref name=Jackson1996/> The Siberian tiger has long hair and dense fur.<ref name=Temminck/> Its ground colour varies widely from ]-yellow in winter to more reddish and vibrant after moulting.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=131}} The skull is shorter and broader than the skulls of tigers further south.<ref name="Mazák2010">{{cite journal |last1=Mazák |first1=J. H. |year=2010|title=Craniometric variation in the tiger (''Panthera tigris''): Implications for patterns of diversity, taxonomy and conservation |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=75 |issue=1 |pages=45–68 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2008.06.003|bibcode=2010MamBi..75...45M}}</ref> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. amoyensis'' (], 1905)}}<ref name=Hilzheimer>{{cite journal |last=Hilzheimer |first=M. |date=1905 |title=Über einige Tigerschädel aus der Straßburger zoologischen Sammlung |journal=Zoologischer Anzeiger |volume=28 |pages=594–599 |url=https://archive.org/details/zoologischeranze28deut/page/596}}</ref> | |||
| |This tiger historically lived in south-central China.<ref name=Jackson1996/> The skulls of the five ]s had shorter ]s and ] than tigers from India, a smaller cranium, ]s set closer together and larger ]es; skins were yellowish with ]-like stripes.<ref name=Hilzheimer/> It has a unique mtDNA ] due to interbreeding with ancient tiger lineages.<ref name=catsg/><ref name=Sun2023/><ref name=Hu2022/> It is ] as there has not been a confirmed sighting since the 1970s,<ref name=iucn/> and survives only in captivity.<ref name=Wang2023/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. corbetti'' (], 1968)}}<ref name=Mazak1968>{{cite journal |last=Mazák |first=V. |author-link=Vratislav Mazák |date=1968 |title=Nouvelle sous-espèce de tigre provenant de l'Asie du sud-est |journal=Mammalia |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=104–112 |doi=10.1515/mamm.1968.32.1.104|s2cid=84054536}}</ref> | |||
| |This tiger population occurs on the ].<ref name=Jackson1996/> Indochinese tiger specimens have smaller craniums than Bengal tigers and appear to have darker fur with somewhat thin stripes.<ref name=Mazak1968/><ref name=mazak06>{{cite journal |last1=Mazák |first1=J. H. |last2=Groves |first2=C. P. |name-list-style=amp |date=2006 |title=A taxonomic revision of the tigers (''Panthera tigris'') of Southeast Asia |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=71 |issue=5 |pages=268–287 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2006.02.007 |bibcode=2006MamBi..71..268M |url=http://www.dl.edi-info.ir/A%20taxonomic%20revision%20of%20the%20tigers%20of%20Southeast%20Asia.pdf |access-date=15 January 2024 |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531133543/http://www.dl.edi-info.ir/A%20taxonomic%20revision%20of%20the%20tigers%20of%20Southeast%20Asia.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. jacksoni'' (Luo et al., 2004)}}<ref name=Luo04>{{cite journal |last1=Luo |first1=S.-J. |last2=Kim |first2=J.-H. |last3=Johnson |first3=W. E. |last4=van der Walt |first4=J. |last5=Martenson |first5=J. |last6=Yuhki |first6=N. |last7=Miquelle |first7=D. G. |last8=Uphyrkina |first8=O. |last9=Goodrich |first9=J. M. |last10=Quigley |first10=H. B. |last11=Tilson |first11=R. |last12=Brady |first12=G. |last13=Martelli |first13=P. |last14=Subramaniam |first14=V. |last15=McDougal |first15=C. |last16=Hean |first16=S. |last17=Huang |first17=S.-Q. |last18=Pan |first18=W. |last19=Karanth |first19=U. K. |last20=Sunquist |first20=M. |last21=Smith |first21=J. L. D. |last22=O'Brien |first22=S. J. |name-list-style=amp |date=2004 |title=Phylogeography and genetic ancestry of tigers (''Panthera tigris'') |journal=] |volume=2 |issue=12 |page=e442 |pmid=15583716 |pmc=534810 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020442 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
| |The Malayan tiger was proposed as a distinct subspecies on the basis of mtDNA and ] that differ from the Indochinese tiger.<ref name=Luo04/> It does not differ significantly in fur colour or skull size from Indochinese tigers.<ref name=mazak06/> There is no clear geographical barrier between tiger populations in northern Malaysia and southern Thailand.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
| |] | |||
|} | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+ style="text-align: centre;" | ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' {{small|(Temminck, 1844)}}<ref name=catsg/> | |||
! Population !! Description !! Image | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| †] {{small|formerly ''P. t. sondaica'' (Temminck, 1944)}}<ref name=Temminck/> | |||
| |This tiger was described based on an unspecified number of skins with short and smooth hair.<ref name=Temminck/> Tigers from Java were small compared to tigers of the Asian mainland, had relatively elongated skulls compared to the Sumatran tiger and longer, thinner and more numerous stripes.<ref name=mazak06/> The Javan tiger is thought to have gone extinct by the 1980s.<ref name=Seidensticker1999/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| †] {{small|formerly ''P. t. balica'' (], 1912)}}<ref name=Schwarz>{{cite journal |last=Schwarz |first=E. |date=1912 |title=Notes on Malay tigers, with description of a new form from Bali |journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History |pages=324–326 |series=8 |volume=10 |issue=57 |doi=10.1080/00222931208693243 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsmagazineof8101912lond#page/324/mode/2up}}</ref> | |||
| | This tiger occurred on ] and had brighter fur and a smaller skull than the Javan tiger.<ref name=Schwarz/><ref name="der-tiger">{{cite book |author=Mazak, V. |year=2004 |title=Der Tiger |publisher=Westarp Wissenschaften Hohenwarsleben|location = Madgeburg |isbn=978-3-89432-759-0 |language=de}}</ref> A typical feature of Bali tiger skulls is the narrow occipital bone, which is similar to the Javan tiger's skull.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mazák |first1=V. |author-link=Vratislav Mazák |last2=Groves |first2=C. P. |last3=Van Bree |first3=P. |date=1978 |title=Skin and Skull of the Bali Tiger, and a list of preserved specimens of ''Panthera tigris balica'' (Schwarz, 1912) |journal=] |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=108–113 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The tiger went extinct in the 1940s.<ref name=Seidensticker1999>Seidensticker, J.; Christie, S. & Jackson, P. (1999). "Preface" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=xv–xx}}</ref> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. sumatrae'' (], 1929)}}<ref name=Pocock1929>{{cite journal |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |date=1929 |title=Tigers |journal=] |volume=33 |pages=505–541 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbomb33341929bomb/page/n185}}</ref> | |||
| The type specimen from ] had dark fur.<ref name=Pocock1929/> The Sumatran tiger has particularly long hair around the face,<ref name=Jackson1996/> thick body stripes and a broader and smaller ] than other island tigers.<ref name=mazak06/> | |||
| |] | |||
|} | |||
=== Evolution === | |||
{{Cladogram|align=right|caption=Phylogeny of the genus ''Panthera'' based on a 2016 ] study<ref name=Li_al2016>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=G. |last2=Davis |first2=B. W. |last3=Eizirik |first3=E. |last4=Murphy |first4=W. J. |date=2016 |title=Phylogenomic evidence for ancient hybridization in the genomes of living cats (Felidae) |journal=Genome Research |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1101/gr.186668.114 |pmid=26518481 |pmc=4691742}}</ref> | |||
|1={{clade | |||
|label1='']'' | |||
|1={{clade | |||
|1={{clade | |||
|1=] ] | |||
|2='''Tiger''' ] | |||
}} | |||
|2={{clade sequential | |||
|1=] ] | |||
|2=] ] | |||
|3=] ] | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
The tiger shares the genus ''Panthera'' with the ], ], ] and ]. Results of genetic analyses indicate that the tiger and snow leopard are ] whose ] split from each other between 2.70 and 3.70 million years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=B. W. |last2=Li |first2=G. |last3=Murphy |first3=W. J. |title=Supermatrix and species tree methods resolve phylogenetic relationships within the big cats, ''Panthera'' (Carnivora: Felidae) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |year=2010 |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=64–76 |pmid=20138224 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.036 |bibcode=2010MolPE..56...64D |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The tiger's whole genome sequencing shows ] that parallel those in other cat genomes.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The tiger genome and comparative analysis with lion and snow leopard genomes |doi=10.1038/ncomms3433 |pmid=24045858 |pmc=3778509 |journal=Nature Communications |volume=4 |page=2433 |year=2013 |last1=Cho |first1=Y. S. |last2=Hu |first2=L. |last3=Hou |first3=H. |last4=Lee |first4=H. |last5=Xu |first5=J. |last6=Kwon |first6=S. |last7=Oh |first7=S. |last8=Kim |first8=H. M. |last9=Jho |first9=S. |last10=Kim |first10=S. |last11=Shin |first11=Y. A. |last12=Kim |first12=B. C. |last13=Kim |first13=H. |last14=Kim |first14=C. U. |last15=Luo | first15=S. J. |last16=Johnson |first16=W. E. |last17=Koepfli |first17=K. P. |last18=Schmidt-Küntzel |first18=A. |last19=Turner |first19=J. A. |last20=Marker |first20=L. |last21=Harper |first21=C. |last22=Miller |first22=S. M. |last23=Jacobs |first23=W. |last24=Bertola |first24=L. D. |last25=Kim |first25=T. H. |last26=Lee |first26=S. |last27=Zhou |first27=Q. |last28=Jung |first28=H. J. |last29=Xu |first29=X. |last30=Gadhvi |first30=P. |name-list-style=amp |bibcode=2013NatCo...4.2433C |hdl=2263/32583}}</ref> | |||
The fossil species '']'' of early ] northern China was described as a possible tiger ancestor when it was discovered in 1924, but modern cladistics places it as ] to modern ''Panthera''.<ref name=Mazák>{{cite journal |year=2011 |title=Oldest Known Pantherine Skull and Evolution of the Tiger |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=10 |page=e25483 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0025483 |pmid=22016768 |last1=Mazák |first1=J. H. |last2=Christiansen |first2=P. |last3=Kitchener |first3=A. C. |bibcode=2011PLoSO...625483M |pmc=3189913 |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref><ref name=Tseng>{{cite journal |author1=Tseng, Z. J. |author2=Wang, X. |author3=Slater, G. J. |author4=Takeuchi, G. T. |author5=Li, Q. |author6=Liu, J. |author7=Xie, G. |date=2014 |title=Himalayan fossils of the oldest known pantherine establish ancient origin of big cats |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=281 |issue=1774 |page=20132686 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2013.2686|pmid=24225466 |pmc=3843846 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> '']'' lived around the same time and place, and was suggested to be a sister species of the modern tiger when it was examined in 2014.<ref name=Mazák/> However, as of 2023, at least two subsequent studies considered ''P. zdanskyi'' likely to be a ] of ''P. palaeosinensis'', noting that its proposed differences from that species fell within the range of individual variation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hemmer |first1=Helmut |title= The identity of the "lion", ''Panthera principialis'' sp. nov., from the Pliocene Tanzanian site of Laetoli and its significance for molecular dating the pantherine phylogeny, with remarks on Panthera shawi (Broom, 1948), and a revision of Puma incurva (Ewer, 1956), the Early Pleistocene Swartkrans "leopard" (Carnivora, Felidae)|url= |journal= Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments|year=2023 |volume= 103|issue= 2|pages= 465–487|doi=10.1007/s12549-022-00542-2 |bibcode=2023PdPe..103..465H |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1080/08912963.2022.2034808 |title=Discovery of jaguar from northeastern China middle Pleistocene reveals an intercontinental dispersal event |date=2023 |last1=Jiangzuo |first1=Q. |last2=Wang |first2=Y. |last3=Ge |first3=J. |last4=Liu |first4=S. |last5=Song |first5=Y. |last6=Jin |first6=C. |last7=Jiang |first7=H. |last8=Liu |first8=J. |journal=Historical Biology |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=293–302 |bibcode=2023HBio...35..293J |s2cid=246693903 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The earliest appearance of the modern tiger species in the fossil record are jaw fragments from ] in China that are dated to the early Pleistocene.<ref name=Mazák/> | |||
Middle- to late-Pleistocene tiger fossils have been found throughout China, Sumatra and Java. Prehistoric subspecies include '']'' and '']'' of Java and Sumatra and '']'' of China; late Pleistocene and early ] fossils of tigers have also been found in ] and Palawan, Philippines.<ref name=Kitchener2009>Kitchener, A. & Yamaguchi, N. (2009). "What is a Tiger? Biogeography, Morphology, and Taxonomy" in {{harvnb|Tilson|Nyhus|2010|pp=53–84}}</ref> Fossil specimens of tigers have also been reported from the Middle-Late Pleistocene of Japan.<ref>Hasegawa, Y., Takakuwa, Y., Nenoki, K. & Kimura, T. <abbr>. Bull. Gunma Museum Nat. Hist</abbr>. 23, (2019) (in Japanese with English abstract)</ref> Results of a ] study indicate that all living tigers have a common ancestor that lived between 108,000 and 72,000 years ago.<ref name=Luo04/> Genetic studies suggest that the tiger population contracted around 115,000 years ago due to glaciation. Modern tiger populations originated from a ] in Indochina and spread across Asia after the ]. As they colonised northeastern China, the ancestors of the South China tiger intermixed with a relict tiger population.<ref name=Hu2022>{{cite journal |last1=Hu|first1=J. |last2=Westbury |first2=M. V.|last3=Yuan|first3=J. |last4=Wang|first4=C. |last5=Xiao|first5=B. |last6=Chen|first6=S. |last7=Song|first7=S. |last8=Wang |first8=L. |last9=Lin |first9=H. |last10=Lai|first10=X. |last11=Sheng|first11=G. |name-list-style=amp |year=2022|title=An extinct and deeply divergent tiger lineage from northeastern China recognized through palaeogenomics |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=289 |issue=1979 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2022.0617|pmid=35892215|pmc=9326283}}</ref><ref name=Sun2023>{{cite journal |last1=Sun |first1=X. |last2=Liu |first2=Y.-C. |last3=Tiunov |first3=M. P. |last4=Gimranov|first4=D. O. |last5=Zhuang |first5=Y. |last6=Han |first6=Y. |last7=Driscoll |first7=C. A. |last8=Driscoll|first8=C. A. |last9=Pang |first9=Y. |last10=Li |first10=C. |last11=Pan|first11=Y|last12=Velasco|first12=M. S. |last13=Gopalakrishnan |first13=S. |last14=Yang |first14=R.-Z. |last15=Li |first15=B.-G. |last16=Jin |first16=K. |last17=Xu |first17=X. |last18=Uphyrkina |first18=O. |last19=Huang |first19=Y. |last20=Wu |first20=X.-H. |last21=Gilbert |first21=M. T. P. |last22=O'Brien |first22=S. J. |last23=Yamaguchi |first23=N. |last24=Luo |first24=S.-J. |year=2023 |title=Ancient DNA reveals genetic admixture in China during tiger evolution |journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution |volume=7 |issue=11 |pages=1914–1929 |doi=10.1038/s41559-023-02185-8 |pmid=37652999 |bibcode=2023NatEE...7.1914S |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
=== Hybrids === | |||
{{further|Felid hybrids|Panthera hybrid}} | |||
Tigers can ] with other ''Panthera'' cats and have done so in captivity. The ] is the offspring of a female tiger and a male lion and the ] the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion.<ref name=Gabryś>{{cite journal |author1=Gabryś, J. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kij, B. |author3=Kochan, J. |author4=Bugno-Poniewierska, M. |year=2021 |title=Interspecific hybrids of animals-in nature, breeding and science–a review |journal=Annals of Animal Science |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=403–415 |doi=10.2478/aoas-2020-0082 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The lion sire passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female tiger is absent, so that ligers grow far larger than either parent species. By contrast, the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene while the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene; hence, tigons are around the same size as their parents.<ref name=imprinting>{{cite web |title=Genomic Imprinting |publisher=Genetic Science Learning Center, Utah.org |access-date=26 August 2018 |url=https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/imprinting/ |archive-date=4 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904215316/https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/EPIGENETICS/imprinting/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Since they often develop life-threatening birth defects and can easily become obese, breeding these hybrids is regarded as unethical.<ref name=Gabryś/> | |||
== Characteristics == | |||
] | |||
The tiger has a typical felid morphology, with a muscular body, shortened legs, strong forelimbs with wide front paws, a large head and a tail that is about half the length of the rest of its body.<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=98}} It has five digits, including a ], on the front feet and four on the back, all of which have retractile claws that are compact and curved, and can reach {{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=26}} The ears are rounded and the eyes have a round pupil.<ref name=Mazak1981/> The snout ends in a triangular, pink tip with small black dots, the number of which increase with age.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhao|first1=C. |last2=Dai|first2=W. |last3=Liu|first3=Q. |last4=Liu|first4=D. |last5=Roberts |first5=N. J. |last6=Liu |first6=Z. |last7=Gong |first7=M. |last8=Qiu |first8=H. |last9=Liu |first9=C. |last10=Liu |first10=D. |last11=Ma |first11=G. |last12=Jiang |first12=G. |year=2024 |title=Combination of facial and nose features of Amur tigers to determine age|journal=Integrative Zoology |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12817 |pmid=38509845 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The tiger's skull is robust, with a constricted front region, proportionally small, elliptical ], long ]s and a lengthened ] with a large ].{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=103}}<ref name=Mazak1981/> It resembles a lion's skull, but differs from it in the concave or flattened underside of the lower jaw and in its longer nasals.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=103}}<ref name=Kitchener2009/> The tiger has 30 fairly robust teeth and its somewhat curved ] are the longest in the cat family at {{cvt|6.4|–|7.6|cm}}.<ref name=Mazak1981 />{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=25}} | |||
The tiger has a head-body length of {{cvt|1.4|–|2.8|m}} with a {{cvt|0.6|–|1.1|m}} tail and stands {{cvt|0.8|–|1.1|m}} at the shoulder.<ref name=Walker>{{cite book |author1=Novak, R. M. |author2=Walker, E. P. |name-list-style=amp |year=1999 |chapter=''Panthera tigris'' (tiger) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T37sFCl43E8C&pg=PA825 |title=Walker's Mammals of the World |edition=6th |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |isbn=978-0-8018-5789-8 |pages=825–828 |access-date=17 October 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505145513/https://books.google.com/books?id=T37sFCl43E8C&pg=PA825#v=onepage&q&f=false#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> The Siberian and Bengal tigers are the largest.<ref name=Mazak1981/> Male Bengal tigers weigh {{cvt|200|–|260|kg}}, and females weigh {{cvt|100|–|160|kg}}; island tigers are the smallest, likely due to ].<ref name=Kitchener1999/> Male Sumatran tigers weigh {{cvt|100|–|140|kg}}, and females weigh {{cvt|75|–|110|kg}}.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> | |||
The tiger is popularly thought to be the largest living felid species; but since tigers of the different subspecies and populations vary greatly in size and weight, the tiger's average size may be less than the lion's, while the largest tigers are bigger than their lion counterparts.<ref name=Kitchener2009/> | |||
===Coat=== | |||
] | |||
The tiger's coat usually has short hairs, reaching up to {{cvt|35|mm}}, though the hairs of the northern-living Siberian tiger can reach {{cvt|105|mm}}. Belly hairs tend to be longer than back hairs. The density of their fur is usually thin, though the Siberian tiger develops a particularly thick winter coat. The tiger has lines of fur around the face and long whiskers, especially in males.<ref name=Mazak1981/> It has an orange ] that varies from yellowish to reddish.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=28}} White fur covers the underside, from head to tail, along with the inner surface of the legs and parts of the face.<ref name=Mazak1981 />{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|pp=99–102}} On the back of the ears, it has a prominent white spot, which is surrounded by black.<ref name=Mazak1981 /> The tiger is marked with distinctive black or dark brown stripes, which are uniquely patterned in each individual.<ref name=Mazak1981>{{cite journal |author=Mazák, V. |year=1981 |title=''Panthera tigris'' |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=152 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.2307/3504004 |jstor=3504004 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Miquelle/> The stripes are mostly vertical, but those on the limbs and forehead are horizontal. They are more concentrated towards the backside and those on the trunk may reach under the belly. The tips of stripes are generally sharp and some may split up or split and fuse again. Tail stripes are thick bands and a black tip marks the end.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|pp=99–102}} | |||
The tiger is one of only a few striped cat species.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Allen, W. L. |author2=Cuthill, I. C. |author3=Scott-Samuel, N. E. |author4=Baddeley, R. |year=2010 |title=Why the leopard got its spots: relating pattern development to ecology in felids |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B |volume=278 |issue=1710 |pages=1373–1380 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2010.1734 |pmid=20961899 |pmc=3061134 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Stripes are advantageous for ] in vegetation with vertical patterns of light and shade, such as trees, reeds and tall grass.<ref name=Miquelle>Miquelle, D. "Tiger" in {{harvnb|MacDonald|2001|pp=18–21}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Caro |first=T. |year=2005 |title=The adaptive significance of coloration in mammals |journal=BioScience |volume=55 |issue=2|pages=125–136 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2005)0552.0.CO;2}}</ref> This is supported by a ] study showing that the striping patterns line up with their environment.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Godfrey |first1=D. |last2=Lythgoe |first2=J. N. |last3=Rumball |first3=D. A. |name-list-style=amp |year=1987 |title=Zebra stripes and tiger stripes: the spatial frequency distribution of the pattern compared to that of the background is significant in display and crypsis |journal=] |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=427–433 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.1987.tb00442.x}}</ref> | |||
The orange colour may also aid in concealment, as the tiger's prey is ] and possibly perceives the tiger as green and blended in with the vegetation.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Fennell, J. G. |author2=Talas, L. |author3=Baddeley, R. J. |author4=Cuthill, I. C. |author5=Scott-Samuel, N. E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2019 |title=Optimizing colour for camouflage and visibility using deep learning: the effects of the environment and the observer's visual system |journal=Journal of the Royal Society Interface |volume=16 |issue=154|doi=10.1098/rsif.2019.0183 |doi-access=free |page=20190183 |pmid=31138092 |pmc=6544896}}</ref> | |||
==== Colour variations ==== | |||
]|alt=White tiger with thickened stripes lying down]] | |||
The three ] of Bengal tigers – nearly stripeless snow-white, white and golden – are now virtually non-existent in the wild due to the reduction of wild tiger populations but continue in captive populations. The ] has a white background colour with ]-brown stripes. The ] is pale golden with reddish-brown stripes. The snow-white tiger is a morph with extremely faint stripes and a pale sepia-brown ringed tail. White and golden morphs are the result of an ] with a white ] and a ] locus, respectively. The snow-white variation is caused by ]s with both white and wideband loci.<ref name=Xu_al2017>{{cite journal |author1=Xu, X. |author2=Dong, G. X. |author3=Schmidt-Küntzel, A. |author4=Zhang, X. L. |author5=Zhuang, Y. |author6=Fang, R. |author7=Sun, X. |author8=Hu, X. S. |author9=Zhang, T. Y. |author10=Yang, H. D. |author11=Zhang, D. L. |author12=Marker, L. |author13=Jiang, Z.-F. |author14=Li, R. |author15=Luo, S.-J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2017 |title=The genetics of tiger pelage color variations |journal=Cell Research |volume=27 |issue=7 |pages=954–957 |doi=10.1038/cr.2017.32 |pmid=28281538 |pmc=5518981 |url=https://www.luo-lab.org/publications/Xu17-CellRes-GoldenTiger.pdf |access-date=25 August 2018}}</ref> The breeding of white tigers is controversial, as they have no use for conservation. Only 0.001% of wild tigers have the genes for this colour morph and the overrepresentation of white tigers in captivity is the result of ]. Hence, their continued breeding will risk both ] and loss of ] in captive tigers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xavier |first1=N. |year=2010 |title=A new conservation policy needed for reintroduction of Bengal tiger-white |journal=Current Science |volume=99 |issue=7 |pages=894–895 |url=https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/99/07/0894.pdf |access-date=29 January 2024}}</ref> | |||
Pseudo-] tigers with thick, merged stripes have been recorded in ] and three Indian zoos; a ] analysis of Indian tiger samples revealed that this ] is caused by a ] of a ] ] gene. Around 37% of the Simlipal tiger population has this feature, which has been linked to ].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Sagar, V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kaelin, C. B. |author3=Natesh, M. |author4=Reddy, P. A. |author5=Mohapatra, R. K. |author6=Chhattani, H. |author7=Thatte, P. |author8=Vaidyanathan, S. |author9=Biswas, S. |author10=Bhatt, S. |author11=Paul, S. |year=2021 |title=High frequency of an otherwise rare phenotype in a small and isolated tiger population |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=118 |issue=39 |page=e2025273118 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2025273118 |pmid=34518374 |pmc=8488692 |bibcode=2021PNAS..11825273S |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Most tigers live in forests or grasslands, for which their camouflage is ideally suited, and where it is easy to hunt prey that is faster or more agile. Among the big cats, only the tiger and ] are strong ]s; tigers are often found bathing in ]s, ]s, and ]s. Tigers hunt alone and eat primarily medium to large sized ]s such as ], ], ] and ]. However, they also take smaller prey on occasion. | |||
== Distribution and habitat == | |||
]s are the tiger's only true predator, as tigers are often poached illegally for their ]. Also, their bones and nearly all body parts are used in ] for a range of purported uses including pain killers and ]s. ] for fur and destruction of ] have greatly reduced tiger populations in the wild. A century ago, there were approximately over 100,000 tigers in the world; now numbers are down to below 2,500 mature breeding individuals, with no subpopulation containing more than 250 mature breeding individuals<ref name="IUCN" />. All subspecies of tigers have been placed on the ] list. | |||
] in Russia|alt=Picture of tiger in forest at night]] | |||
The tiger historically ranged from eastern Turkey, northern Iran and Afghanistan to Central Asia and from northern Pakistan through the ] and Indochina to southeastern Siberia, Sumatra, Java and Bali.<ref name=Mazak1981/> As of 2022, it inhabits less than 7% of its historical distribution and has a scattered range in the Indian subcontinent, the ], Sumatra, northeastern China and the ].<ref name=iucn/> As of 2020, India had the largest extent of global tiger habitat with {{cvt|300508|km2}}, followed by Russia with {{cvt|195819|km2}}.<ref name=Sanderson_al2023>{{cite journal |author1=Sanderson, E. W. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Miquelle, D. G. |author3=Fisher, K. |author4=Harihar, A. |author5=Clark, C. |author6=Moy, J. |author7=Potapov, P. |author8=Robinson, N. |author9=Royte, L. |author10=Sampson, D. |author11=Sanderlin, J. |author12=Yackulic, C. B. |author13=Belecky, M. |author14= Breitenmoser, U. |author15=Breitenmoser-Würsten, C. |author16=Chanchani, P. |author17=Chapman, S. |author18=Deomurari, A. |author19=Duangchantrasiri, S. |author20=Facchini, E. |author21=Gray, T. N. E. |author22=Goodrich, J. |author23=Hunter, L. |author24=Linkie, M. |author25=Marthy, W. |author26=Rasphone, A. |author27=Roy, S. |author28=Sittibal, D. |author29=Tempa, T. |author30=Umponjan, M. |author31=Wood, K. |year=2023 |title=Range-wide trends in tiger conservation landscapes, 2001–2020 |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |volume=4 |page=1191280 |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2023.1191280 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
The tiger mainly lives in forest habitats and is highly adaptable.<ref name=Sunquist2010>Sunquist, M. (2010). "What is a Tiger? Ecology and Behaviour" in {{harvnb|Tilson|Nyhus|2010|pp=19−34}}</ref> Records in Central Asia indicate that it primarily inhabited ] riverine forests and hilly and lowland forests in the ].{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|pp=108–112}} In the ]-] region of Russia and China, it inhabits ] and ]s; ]s serve as ] corridors, providing food and water for both tigers and ]s.<ref name=Miquelle_al1999>Miquelle, D. G.; Smirnov, E. N.; Merrill, T. W.; Myslenkov, A. E.; Quigley, H.; Hornocker, M. G. & Schleyer, B. (1999). "Hierarchical spatial analysis of Amur tiger relationships to habitat and prey" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=71–99}}</ref> On the Indian subcontinent, it inhabits mainly ], ], ]s, ]s, ]s and the ]s of the ].<ref name=Wikramanayake_al1999>Wikramanayake, E. D.; Dinerstein, E.; Robinson, J. G.; Karanth, K. U.; Rabinowitz, A.; Olson, D.; Mathew, T.; Hedao, P.; Connor, M.; Hemley, G. & Bolze, D. (1999). "Where can tigers live in the future? A framework for identifying high-priority areas for the conservation of tigers in the wild" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=265–267}}</ref> In the ]s, it was documented in ] up to an elevation of {{cvt|4200|m}} in Bhutan, of {{cvt|3630|m}} in the ] and of {{cvt|3139|m}} in ], southeastern Tibet.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Jigme, K. |author2=Tharchen, L. |name-list-style=amp |year=2012 |title=Camera-trap records of tigers at high altitudes in Bhutan |journal=Cat News |issue=56 |pages=14–15}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Adhikarimayum, A. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Gopi, G. V. |year=2018 |title=First photographic record of tiger presence at higher elevations of the Mishmi Hills in the Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot, Arunachal Pradesh, India |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=10 |issue=13 |pages=12833–12836 |doi=10.11609/jott.4381.10.13.12833-12836 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Li, X. Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Hu, W. Q. |author3=Wang, H. J. |author4=Jiang, X. L. |year=2023 |title=Tiger reappearance in Medog highlights the conservation values of the region for this apex predator |journal=Zoological Research |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=747–749 |doi=10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.178 |doi-access=free |pmid=37464931|pmc=10415778}}</ref> In Thailand, it lives in ] and ] forests.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Simcharoen, S. |author2=Pattanavibool, A. |author3=Karanth, K. U. |author4=Nichols, J. D. |author5=Kumar, N. S. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=How many tigers ''Panthera tigris'' are there in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand? An estimate using photographic capture-recapture sampling |journal=Oryx |volume=41 |issue=4 |pages=447–453 |doi=10.1017/S0030605307414107|doi-access=free}}</ref> In Sumatra, it inhabits lowland ]s and rugged ]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Wibisono, H. T. |author2=Linkie, M. |author3=Guillera-Arroita, G. |author4=Smith, J. A. |author5=Sunarto |author6=Pusarini, W. |author7=Asriadi |author8=Baroto, P. |author9=Brickle, N. |author10=Dinata, Y. |author11=Gemita, E. |author12=Gunaryadi, D. |author13=Haidir, I. A. |author14=Herwansyah |year=2011 |title=Population status of a cryptic top predator: An island-wide assessment of Tigers in Sumatran rainforests |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=11 |page=e25931 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0025931 |pmid=22087218 |pmc=3206793 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...625931W |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
==Physical traits== | |||
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] --> | |||
Tigers are the largest and heaviest cats in the world<ref name="WWF">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/ecology.cfm|title=WWF – Tigers – Ecology}}</ref>. Although different subspecies of tiger have different characteristics, in general male tigers weigh between 200 and 320 ] (440 lb and 700 lb) and females between 120 and 181 kg (265 lb and 400 lb). At an average, males are between 2.6 and 3.3 ]s (8 feet 6 inches to 10 feet 8 inch) in length, and females are between 2.3 and 2.75 metres (7 ft 6 in and 9 ft) in length. Of the living subspecies, ]s are the smallest, and ] or ]s are the largest. | |||
=== Population density === | |||
The stripes of most tigers vary from brown or hay to pure black, although ]s have far fewer apparent stripes. White tigers are not a separate sub-species; They are ] Indian tigers. The form and density of stripes differs between subspecies, but most tigers have in excess of 100 stripes. The now extinct ] may have had far more than this. The pattern of stripes is unique to each animal, and thus could potentially be used to identify individuals, much in the same way as ]s are used to identify people. This is not, however, a preferred method of identification, due to the difficulty of recording the stripe pattern of a wild tiger. It seems likely that the function of stripes is ], serving to hide these animals from their prey. Few large animals have colour vision as capable as that of humans, so the colour is not as great of a problem as one is believed that they are used more to enhance daytime vision than for colour vision. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buschgardens.org/infobooks/Tiger/sensetiger.html|title=Senses part from Busch Gardens Animal Information Database - Tiger infobook|accessdate: =] | |||
]ping during 2010–2015 in the deciduous and subtropical pine forest of ], northern India revealed a stable tiger ] of 12–17 individuals per {{cvt|100|km2}} in an area of {{cvt|521|km2}}.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bisht, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Banerjee, S. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Jhala, Y. |year=2019 |title=Demography of a high-density tiger population and its implications for tiger recovery |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume= 56 |issue=7 |pages=1725–1740 |doi=10.1111/1365-2664.13410 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019JApEc..56.1725B}}</ref> | |||
}}</ref> The stripe pattern is found on a tiger's skin and if you shaved one, you would find that its distinctive camouflage pattern would be preserved. | |||
In northern Myanmar, the population density in a sampled area of roughly {{cvt|3250|km2}} in a mosaic of tropical broadleaf forest and grassland was estimated to be 0.21–0.44 tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} as of 2009.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lynam, A. J. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Rabinowitz, A. |author3=Myint, T. |author4=Maung, M. |author5=Latt, K. T. |author6=Po, S. H. T. |year=2009 |title=Estimating abundance with sparse data: tigers in northern Myanmar |journal=Population Ecology |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=115–121 |doi=10.1007/s10144-008-0093-5 |bibcode=2009PopEc..51..115L}}</ref> | |||
Population density in mixed deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of Thailand's ] was estimated at 2.01 tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}}; during the 1970s and 1980s, ] and poaching had occurred in the adjacent ] and ]s, where population density was much lower, estimated at only 0.359 tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} as of 2016.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Phumanee, W. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Steinmetz, R. |author3=Phoonjampa, R. |author4=Weingdow, S. |author5=Phokamanee, S. |author6=Bhumpakphan, N. |author7=Savini, T. |year=2021 |title=Tiger density, movements, and immigration outside of a tiger source site in Thailand |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=3 |issue=12 |page=e560 |doi=10.1111/csp2.560 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021ConSP...3E.560P}}</ref> | |||
Population density in ] and montane forests in northern Malaysia was estimated at 1.47–2.43 adult tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} in ], but 0.3–0.92 adult tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} in the unprotected ] Temengor Forest Reserve.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rayan, D. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Linkie, M. |year=2015 |title=Conserving tigers in Malaysia: A science-driven approach for eliciting conservation policy change |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=184 |pages=18–26 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2014.12.024 |bibcode=2015BCons.184...18R}}</ref> | |||
==Behaviour and ecology== | |||
Several obscure references to various other tiger colors have also been found, including most notably, the reference to the "blue" or slate-colored tiger. | |||
] | |||
Camera trap data show that tigers in ] avoided locations frequented by people and were more active at night than during day.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carter |first1=N. H. |last2=Shrestha |first2=B. K. |last3=Karki |first3=J. B. |last4=Pradhan |first4=N. M. B. |last5=Liu|first5=J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2012 |title=Coexistence between wildlife and humans at fine spatial scales |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=109 |issue=38 |pages=15360–15365 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1210490109 |doi-access=free |pmid=22949642 |pmc=3458348|bibcode=2012PNAS..10915360C}}</ref> | |||
In ], six ]ed tigers were most active from dawn to early morning and reached their zenith around 7:00 o'clock in the morning.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Naha, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Jhala, Y. V. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Roy, M. |author5=Sankar, K. |author6=Gopal, R. |year=2016 |title=Ranging, activity and habitat use by tigers in the mangrove forests of the Sundarban |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=11 |issue=4 |page=e0152119 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0152119 |doi-access=free |pmid=27049644 |pmc=4822765 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1152119N}}</ref> | |||
A three-year-long camera trap survey in ] revealed that tigers were most active from dusk until midnight.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Pokheral, C. P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Wegge, P. |year=2019 |title=Coexisting large carnivores: spatial relationships of tigers and leopards and their prey in a prey-rich area in lowland Nepal |journal=Écoscience |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1080/11956860.2018.1491512 |bibcode=2019Ecosc..26....1P |s2cid=92446020}}</ref> | |||
In northeastern China, tigers were ] and active at night with activity peaking at dawn and dusk; they were largely active at the same time as their prey.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Yang, H. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Han, S. |author3=Xie, B. |author4=Mou, P. |author5=Kou, X. |author6=Wang, T. |author7=Ge, J. |author8=Feng, L. |year=2019 |title=Do prey availability, human disturbance and habitat structure drive the daily activity patterns of Amur tigers (''Panthera tigris altaica'')? |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=307 |issue=2 |pages=131–140 |doi=10.1111/jzo.12622 |s2cid=92736301}}</ref> | |||
The tiger is a powerful swimmer and easily transverses rivers as wide as {{cvt|8|km}}; it immerses in water, particularly on hot days.<ref name=Miquelle/> In general, it is less capable of climbing trees than many other cats due to its size, but cubs under 16 months old may routinely do so.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=26, 64–66}} An adult was recorded climbing {{cvt|10|m}} up a smooth ].<ref name=Mazak1981/> | |||
==Hunting methods== | |||
] | |||
===Social spacing=== | |||
Tigers often ambush their prey as other cats do, overpowering their prey from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock prey off balance. Once prone, the tiger bites the back of the neck, often breaking the prey's ], piercing the ], or severing the ] or ]. For large prey, a bite to the throat is preferred. After biting, the tiger then uses its muscled forelimbs to hold onto the prey, bringing it to the ground. The tiger remains latched onto the neck until its prey dies. | |||
Adult tigers lead largely solitary lives within ]s or ], the size of which mainly depends on prey abundance, geographic area and sex of the individual. Males and females defend their home ranges from those of the same sex and the home range of a male encompasses that of multiple females.<ref name=Mazak1981/><ref name=Miquelle/> Two females in the ] had home ranges of {{cvt|10.6|and|14.1|km2}}.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barlow, A. C. D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Smith, J. L. D. |author3=Ahmad, I. U. |author4=Hossain, A. N. M. |author5=Rahman, M. |author6=Howlader, A. |year=2011 |title=Female tiger ''Panthera tigris'' home range size in the Bangladesh Sundarbans: the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the species' conservation |journal=Oryx |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=125–128 |doi=10.1017/S0030605310001456 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
In ], the home ranges of five reintroduced females varied from {{cvt|53-67|km2}} in winter to {{cvt|55-60|km2}} in summer and to {{cvt|46-94|km2}} during the ]; three males had {{cvt|84-147|km2}} large home ranges in winter, {{cvt|82-98|km2}} in summer and {{cvt|81-118|km2}} during monsoon seasons.<ref name=Sarkar2016>{{cite journal |author1=Sarkar, M. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Ramesh, K. |author3=Johnson, J. A. |author4=Sen, S. |author5=Nigam, P.|author6=Gupta, S. K.|author7=Murthy, R. S. |author8=Saha, G. K. |year=2016 |title=Movement and home range characteristics of reintroduced tiger (''Panthera tigris'') population in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India |journal=European Journal of Wildlife Research |volume=62 |issue=5 |pages=537–547 |doi=10.1007/s10344-016-1026-9|bibcode=2016EJWR...62..537S |s2cid=254187854}}</ref> | |||
In ], 14 females had home ranges {{cvt|248-520|km2}} and five resident males of {{cvt|847-1923|km2}} that overlapped with those of up to five females.<ref name=Goodrich_2010>{{cite journal |author1=Goodrich, J. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Miquelle, D. G. |author3=Smirnov, E. M. | author4=Kerley, L. L. |author5=Quigley, H. B. |author6=Hornocker, M. G. |year=2010 |title=Spatial structure of Amur (Siberian) tigers (''Panthera tigris altaica'') on Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik, Russia |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=91 |issue=3 |pages=737–748 |doi=10.1644/09-mamm-a-293.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref> When tigresses in the same reserve had cubs of up to four months of age, they reduced their home ranges to stay near their young and steadily enlarged them until their offspring were 13–18 months old.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Klevtcova, A. V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Miquelle, D. G. |author3=Seryodkin, I. V. |author4=Bragina, E. V. |author5=Soutyrina, S. V. |author6=Goodrich, J. M. |year=2021 |title=The influence of reproductive status on home range size and spatial dynamics of female Amur tigers |journal=Mammal Research |volume=66 |pages=83–94 |doi=10.1007/s13364-020-00547-2}}</ref> | |||
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The tiger is a long-ranging species and individuals disperse over distances of up to {{cvt|650|km|mi}} to reach tiger populations in other areas.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Joshi, A. |author2=Vaidyanathan, S. |author3=Mondol, S. |author4=Edgaonkar, A. |author5=Ramakrishnan, U. |year=2013 |title=Connectivity of Tiger (''Panthera tigris'') Populations in the Human-Influenced Forest Mosaic of Central India |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=11 |pages=e77980 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0077980 |pmid=24223132 |pmc=3819329 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...877980J |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Young tigresses establish their first home ranges close to their mothers' while males migrate further than their female counterparts.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=76}} Four ] females in Chitwan dispersed between {{cvt|0|and|43.2|km|mi}} and 10 males between {{cvt|9.5|and|65.7|km}}.<ref name=Smith1993>{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=J. L. D. |year=1993 |title=The role of dispersal in structuring the Chitwan tiger population |volume=124 |journal=Behaviour |issue=3 |pages=165–195 |doi=10.1163/156853993X00560}}</ref> A subadult male lives as a transient in another male's home range until he is older and strong enough to challenge the resident male.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=76}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=54–55}} Tigers mark their home ranges by ] on vegetation and rocks, clawing or ] trees and marking trails with ], ] secretions and ground scrapings.<ref name=Miquelle/><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Burger |first1=B. V. |last2=Viviers |first2=M. Z. |last3=Bekker |first3=J. P. I. |last4=Roux |first4=M. |last5=Fish |first5=N. |last6=Fourie |first6=W. B. |last7=Weibchen |first7=G. |year=2008 |title=Chemical characterization of territorial marking fluid of male Bengal tiger, ''Panthera tigris'' |journal=Journal of Chemical Ecology |volume=34 |issue=5 |pages=659–671 |doi=10.1007/s10886-008-9462-y |pmid=18437496 |bibcode=2008JCEco..34..659B |hdl-access=free |hdl=10019.1/11220 |s2cid=5558760 |name-list-style=amp |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=586948b8396932dd13d9e5a880e77cb7618a273f |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Smith|first1=J. L. D. |last2=McDougal|first2=C. |last3=Miquelle |first3=D. |year=1989 |title=Scent marking in free-ranging tigers, ''Panthera tigris'' |url=|journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=37|pages=1–10 |doi=10.1016/0003-3472(89)90001-8 |s2cid=53149100 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=105}} Scent markings also allow an individual to pick up information on another's identity. Unclaimed home ranges, particularly those that belonged to a deceased individual, can be taken over in days or weeks.<ref name=Miquelle/> | |||
Male tigers are generally less tolerant of other males within their home ranges than females are of other females. Disputes are usually solved by intimidation rather than fighting. Once ] has been established, a male may tolerate a subordinate within his range, as long as they do not come near him. The most serious disputes tend to occur between two males competing for a female in ].{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=85–86}} Though tigers mostly live alone, relationships between individuals can be complex. Tigers are particularly social at kills and a male tiger will sometimes share a carcass with the females and cubs within this home range and unlike male lions, will allow them to feed on the kill before he is finished with it. However, a female is more tense when encountering another female at a kill.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=244–251}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=89}} | |||
Powerful swimmers, tigers are known to kill prey while swimming. Some tigers have even ambushed boats for the fishermen on board or their catches of fish.{{fact}} | |||
===Communication=== | |||
The majority of tigers never hunt humans except in desperation. Probably only 3 or 4 tigers out of every 1000 tigers kill a person as prey in their lifetimes. The usual man-eater is an injured or ill tiger which can no longer catch its usual prey and must resort to a smaller, slower target. Like most other large predators they generally recognize humans as unsuitable prey because of the danger of being hunted by a predator themselves (a human possessing spears or firearms). The ] mangrove swamps of ] have had a higher incidence of man-eaters, where some healthy tigers have been known to hunt humans as prey. | |||
{{Multiple image |align= right |direction=vertical |total_width=150|image1=Panthera tigris altaica 28 - Buffalo Zoo (1).jpg|caption1=Siberian tiger baring teeth as a sign of aggression|image2=Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) vocalising.webm |caption2=Captive ] roaring|alt=Image of tiger barring teeth (top) and a video of one roaring at a zoo}} | |||
During friendly encounters and bonding, tigers ] each other's bodies.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=262–263}} Facial expressions include the "defence threat", which involves a wrinkled face, bared teeth, pulled-back ears and widened pupils.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=263}}<ref name=Mazak1981/> Both males and females show a ], a characteristic curled-lip grimace, when smelling urine markings. Males also use the flehmen to detect the markings made by tigresses in oestrus.<ref name=Mazak1981/> Tigers will move their ears around to display the white spots, particularly during aggressive encounters and between mothers and cubs.<ref name=WCW/> They also use their tails to signal their mood. To show cordiality, the tail sticks up and sways slowly, while an apprehensive tiger lowers its tail or wags it side-to-side. When calm, the tail hangs low.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=29}} | |||
Tigers are normally silent but can produce numerous vocalisations.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=256}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=99}} They ] to signal their presence to other individuals over long distances. This vocalisation is forced through an open mouth as it closes and can be heard {{cvt|3|km}} away. They roar multiple times in a row and others respond in kind. Tigers also roar during mating and a mother will roar to call her cubs to her. When tense, tigers moan, a sound similar to a roar but softer and made when the mouth is at least partially closed. Moaning can be heard {{cvt|400|m}} away.<ref name="Mazak1981" />{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=258–261}} Aggressive encounters involve ], ] and hissing.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=261}} An explosive "coughing roar" or "coughing snarl" is emitted through an open mouth and exposed teeth.<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=261}}<ref name=WCW>{{Cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. E. |year=2002 |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |name-list-style=amp |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-77999-7 |chapter=Tiger ''Panthera tigris'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |pages=343–372 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA320}}</ref> In friendlier situations, tigers ], a soft, low-frequency snorting sound similar to ] in smaller cats.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1023/A:1020620121416 |year=1999| last1=Peters |first1=G. |last2=Tonkin-Leyhausen |first2=B. A. |name-list-style=amp |title=Evolution of acoustic communication signals of mammals: Friendly close-range vocalizations in Felidae (Carnivora) |journal=Journal of Mammalian Evolution |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=129–159 |s2cid=25252052}}</ref> Tiger mothers communicate with their cubs by grunting, while cubs call back with ]s.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=257–258}} When startled, they "woof". They produce a deer-like "pok" sound for unknown reasons, but most often at kills.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=256–258}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=62}} | |||
In the wild, tigers can leap as high as 5 m and as far as 9-10 m, making them one of the highest-jumping mammals (just slightly behind cougars in jumping ability). | |||
=== Hunting and diet === | |||
They have been reported to carry domestic livestock weighing 50 kg while easily jumping over fences 2 m high. Their forelimbs, massive and heavily muscled, are used to hold tightly onto the prey and to avoid being dislodged, especially by large prey such as ]s. ]s and ] weighing over a ton have been killed by tigers weighing about a sixth as much. A single tremendous blow of the paw can kill a full-grown ] or ], or can heavily injure a 150 kg ]. | |||
] in ]|alt=Tiger attacking a sambar deer from behind, pulling on its back]] | |||
The tiger is a ] and an ] feeding mainly on large and medium-sized ungulates, with a preference for ], ], ], ] and ].<!--Please do not add any more species to this sentence.--><ref name=Hayward>{{cite journal |last1=Hayward |first1=M. W. |last2=Jędrzejewski |first2=W. |last3=Jędrzejewska |first3=B. |year=2012 |title=Prey preferences of the tiger ''Panthera tigris''|journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=286 |issue=3 |pages=221–231 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00871.x |name-list-style=amp}}</ref><ref name=Steinmetz_al2021>{{cite journal |author1=Steinmetz, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Seuaturien, N. |author3=Intanajitjuy, P. |author4=Inrueang, P. |author5=Prempree, K. |year=2021 |title=The effects of prey depletion on dietary niches of sympatric apex predators in Southeast Asia |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=19–32 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12461 |pmid=32627329}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Variar, A. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Anoop, N. R. |author3=Komire, S. |author4=Vinayan, P. A. |author5=Sujin, N. S. |author6=Raj, A. |author7=Prasadan, P. K. |year=2023 |title=Prey selection by the Indian tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') outside protected areas in Indias Western Ghats: implications for conservation |journal=Food Webs |volume=34 |page=e00268 |doi=10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00268|bibcode=2023FWebs..3400268V }}</ref> | |||
] and body weight of prey species are assumed to be the main criteria for the tiger's prey selection, both inside and outside protected areas.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Biswas, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kumar, S. |author3=Bandhopadhyay, M. |author4=Patel, S. K. |author5=Lyngdoh, S. |author6=Pandav, B. |author7=Mondol, S. |year=2023 |title=What drives prey selection? Assessment of Tiger (''Panthera tigris'') food habits across the Terai-Arc Landscape, India |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=104 |issue=6 |pages=1302–1316 |doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyad069}}</ref> | |||
It also preys opportunistically on smaller species like ]s, ] and other ground-based birds, ]s and fish.<ref name=Mazak1981/><ref name=Miquelle/> Occasional attacks on ]s and ]es have also been reported.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Karanth, K. U. |year=2003 |title=Tiger ecology and conservation in the Indian subcontinent |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=100 |issue=2 & 3 |pages=169–189 |url=http://repository.ias.ac.in/89489/1/50p.pdf}}</ref> | |||
More often, tigers take the more vulnerable calves.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Karanth, K. U. |author2=Nichols, J. D. |name-list-style=amp |year=1998 |title=Estimation of tiger densities in India using photographic captures and recaptures |journal=Ecology |volume=79 |issue=8 |pages=2852–2862 |doi=10.1890/0012-9658(1998)0792.0.CO;2 |jstor=176521 |url=http://erepo.usiu.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11732/758/Estimation%20of%20tiger%20densities%20in%20India%20using%20photographic%20captures%20and%20recaptures.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y |access-date=16 December 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127044620/http://erepo.usiu.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11732/758/Estimation%20of%20tiger%20densities%20in%20India%20using%20photographic%20captures%20and%20recaptures.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
They sometimes prey on livestock and dogs in close proximity to settlements.<ref name=Mazak1981/> Tigers occasionally consume vegetation, fruit and minerals for ] and supplements.<ref name=Perry>{{cite book |author=Perry, R. |title=The World of the Tiger |year=1965 |publisher=Cassell |place=London |pages=133–134 |asin=B0007DU2IU}}</ref> | |||
Tigers learn to hunt from their mothers, though the ability to hunt may be partially inborn.<ref name="Fàbregas">{{cite journal |last1=Fàbregas |first1=M. C. |last2=Fosgate|first2=G. T. |last3=Koehler |first3=G. M.|year=2015|title=Hunting performance of captive-born South China tigers (''Panthera tigris amoyensis'') on free-ranging prey and implications for their reintroduction |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=192 |pages=57–64 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2015.09.007 |bibcode=2015BCons.192...57F |hdl=2263/50208 |hdl-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Depending on the size of the prey, they typically kill weekly though mothers must kill more often.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> Families hunt together when cubs are old enough.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=63}} They search for prey using vision and hearing.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=284–285}} A tiger will also wait at a watering hole for prey to come by, particularly during hot summer days.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=288}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=120}} It is an ambush predator and when approaching potential prey, it crouches with the head lowered and hides in foliage. It switches between creeping forward and staying still. A tiger may even doze off and can stay in the same spot for as long as a day, waiting for prey and launch an attack when the prey is close enough,{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=119–120, 122}} usually within {{cvt|30|m}}.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> If the prey spots it before then, the cat does not pursue further.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=288}} A tiger can sprint {{cvt|56|km/h|mph}} and leap {{cvt|10|m}};{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=287}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=23}} it is not a long-distance runner and gives up a chase if prey outpaces it over a certain distance.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=288}} | |||
==Biology and ecology== | |||
] in ]|alt=Two tigers attacking a boar]] | |||
] | |||
The tiger attacks from behind or at the sides and tries to knock the target off balance. It latches onto prey with its forelimbs, twisting and turning during the struggle and tries to pull it to the ground. The tiger generally applies a ] until its victim dies of ].<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=121}}{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=295}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=24}} It has an average bite force at the canine tips of 1234.3 ].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Christiansen, P. |year=2007 |title=Canine morphology in the larger Felidae: implications for feeding ecology |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=573–592 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00819.x |doi-access=free}}</ref> Holding onto the throat puts the cat out of reach of horns, antlers, tusks and hooves.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=121}}{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=295–296}} Tigers are adaptable killers and may use other methods, including ripping the throat or breaking the neck. Large prey may be disabled by a bite to the back of the ], severing the tendon. Swipes from the large paws are capable of stunning or breaking the skull of a ].{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=126}} They kill small prey with a bite to the back of the neck or head.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=289}}<ref name=Sunquist2010/> Estimates of the ] for hunting tigers range from a low of 5% to a high of 50%. They are sometimes killed or injured by large or dangerous prey like gaur, buffalo and boar.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> | |||
Tigers typically move kills to a private, usually vegetated spot no further than {{cvt|183|m}}, though they have been recorded dragging them {{cvt|549|m}}. They are strong enough to drag the carcass of a fully grown buffalo for some distance. They rest for a while before eating and can consume as much as {{cvt|50|kg}} of meat in one session, but feed on a carcass for several days, leaving little for scavengers.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=297–300}} | |||
Adult tigers are solitary and fiercely territorial animals. A tigress may have a territory of 20 km² while the territories of males are much larger, covering 60-100 km². Male territories may overlap those of many females, but males are intolerant of other males within their territory. Because of their aggressive nature, territorial disputes are violent and often end in the death of one of the males. To identify his territory the male marks trees by ] urine and anal gland secretions on trees as well as by marking trails with ]. Males show a behavior called ], a grimacing face, when identifying the condition of a female's reproductive condition by sniffing their urine markings. | |||
<!-- Unsourced image removed: ]}} ]] --> | |||
=== Competitors === | |||
A female is only receptive for a few days and mating is frequent during that time period. A pair will copulate frequently and noisily, like other cats. The gestation period is 103 days and 3–4 cubs of about 1 kg each are born. The females rear them alone. Wandering male tigers may kill cubs to make the female receptive. At 8 weeks, the cubs are ready to follow their mother out of the den. The cubs become independent around 18 months of age, but it is not until they are around 2–2½ years old that they leave their mother. The cubs reach sexual maturity by 3–4 years of age. The female tigers generally own territory near their mother, while males tend to wander in search of territory, which they acquire by fighting and eliminating a territorial male. Over the course of her life, a female tiger will give birth to an approximately equal number of male and female cubs. Tigers breed well in captivity, and the captive population in the United States may rival the wild population of the world. | |||
] attacking a tiger|alt=Painting of dhole pack attacking a tiger]] | |||
In much of their range, tigers share habitat with leopards and ]s. They typically dominate both of them, though with dholes it depends on their pack size. Interactions between the three predators involve chasing, ] and direct killing.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Srivathsa |first1=A. |last2=Ramachandran|first2=V. |last3=Saravanan |first3=P. |last4=Sureshbabu |first4=A. |last5=Ganguly|first5=D. |last6=Ramakrishnan |first6=U. |year=2023|title=Topcats and underdogs: intraguild interactions among three apex carnivores across Asia's forestscapes |journal=Biological Reviews|volume=98|issue=6|pages=2114–2135 |doi=10.1111/brv.12998 |pmid=37449566 |s2cid=259903849 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Large dhole packs may kill tigers.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=136}} Tigers, leopards and dholes coexist by hunting different sized prey.<ref name=Karanth>{{cite journal |last=Karanth |first=K. U. |author2=Sunquist, M. E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2000 |title=Behavioural correlates of predation by tiger (''Panthera tigris''), leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and dhole (''Cuon alpinus'') in Nagarahole, India | journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=250 |pages=255–265 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb01076.x |issue=2}}</ref> In ], the average weight for tiger kills was found to be {{cvt|91.5|kg}}, compared to {{cvt|37.6|kg}} for leopards and {{cvt|43.4|kg}} for dholes.<ref name=KaranthSunquist1995>{{cite journal |author1=Karanth, K. U. |author2=Sunquist, M. E. |name-list-style=amp |title=Prey selection by tiger, leopard and dhole in tropical forests |jstor=5647 |doi=10.2307/5647 |journal=Journal of Animal Ecology |volume=64 |issue=4 |year=1995 |pages=439–450|bibcode=1995JAnEc..64..439K}}</ref> In ], following a reduction in prey numbers, tigers continued to kill favoured prey while leopards and dholes increased their consumption of small prey.<ref name=Steinmetz_al2021/> | |||
Both leopards and dholes can live successfully in tiger habitat when there is abundant food and vegetation cover.<ref name=Karanth/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Odden, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Wegge, P. |author3=Fredriksen, T. |year=2010 |title=Do tigers displace leopards? If so, why? |journal=Ecological Research |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=875–881 |doi=10.1007/s11284-010-0723-1 |bibcode=2010EcoR...25..875O}}</ref> Otherwise, they appear to be less common where tigers are numerous. The recovery of the tiger population in ] during the 2000s led to a reduction in leopard population densities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harihar |first1=A. |last2=Pandav |first2=B. |last3=Goyal |first3=S. P. |year=2011 |title=Responses of leopard ''Panthera pardus'' to the recovery of a tiger ''Panthera tigris'' population |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=806–814 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.01981.x|doi-access=free |bibcode=2011JApEc..48..806H |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Similarly, at two sites in central India the size of dhole packs was negatively correlated with tiger densities.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Habib, B. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Nigam P. |author3=Ghaskadbi P. |author4=Bhandari A. |year=2021 |title=Dhole pack size variation: Assessing the effect of prey availability and apex predator |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=11 |issue=9 |pages=4774–4785 |doi=10.1002/ece3.7380 |pmid=33976847 |pmc=8093734 |bibcode=2021EcoEv..11.4774B}}</ref> Leopard and dhole distribution in Kui Buri correlated with both prey access and tiger scarcity.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Steinmetz|first1=R. |last2=Seuaturien |first2=N. |last3=Chutipong|first3=W. |name-list-style=amp |year=2013|title=Tigers, leopards, and dholes in a half-empty forest: Assessing species interactions in a guild of threatened carnivores |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=163|pages=68–78 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2012.12.016|bibcode=2013BCons.163...68S }}</ref> In ], tigers were found to inhabit the deeper parts of forests while the smaller predators were pushed closer to the fringes.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Thinley, P. |author2=Rajaratnam, R. |author3=Lassoie, J. P. |author4=Morreale, S. J. |author5=Curtis, P. D. |author6=Vernes, K. |author7=Leki Leki |author8=Phuntsho, S. |author9=Dorji, T. |author10=Dorji, P. |name-list-style=amp |year=2018 |title=The ecological benefit of tigers (''Panthera tigris'') to farmers in reducing crop and livestock losses in the eastern Himalayas: Implications for conservation of large apex predators |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=219 |pages=119–125 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.015|doi-access=free|bibcode=2018BCons.219..119T }}</ref> | |||
In the wild, tigers mostly feed on deer, ], and wild ], including ] and ]es, young ] and young ], and sometimes, ]s and ]s. Tigers have been known to kill crocodiles on occasion <ref>Sunquist, Fiona & Mel Sunquist. 1988. Tiger Moon. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.</ref>, although predation is rare and the predators typically avoid one another. ]s and ]s are a serious threat to each other and both tend to avoid each other. Statistically though, the Siberian tiger has been the more successful in battles between the two animals because bears taken by tigers are often smaller sized bears, however tigers can and do kill larger brown bears. Even female tigers, which are considerably smaller than male tigers, are capable of taking down and killing adult gaurs by themselves. ], ] and ] are the tiger's favoured prey in ]. Young elephant and rhino calves are occasionally taken when they are left unprotected by their herds. A case where a tiger killed an adult female Indian rhino has been observed . | |||
=== Reproduction and life cycle === | |||
Tigers prefer large prey such as ], ] and wild ] because they provide more meat and last for many days, avoiding the need for another hunt. In all of their range, tigers are the top predators and do not compete with other carnivores other than the ] or Indian wild dog, which makes up for its relative lack of strength by numbers. They do not prey on large animals such as adult elephants and rhinos, although they will prey on their young whenever they have an opportunity. However, a hungry tiger will attack anything it regards as potential food, including humans. | |||
{{Redirect|Tiger cub|other uses|Tiger Cub (disambiguation){{!}}Tiger Cub}} | |||
{{Featured article}} | |||
] | |||
The tiger generally ] all year round, particularly between November and April. A tigress is in oestrus for three to six days at a time, separated by three to nine week intervals.<ref name=Mazak1981/> A resident male mates with all the females within his home range, who signal their receptiveness by roaring and marking.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=42}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=145}} Younger, transient males are also attracted, leading to a fight in which the more dominant, resident male drives the usurper off.<ref name=Sankhala/>{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=42}} During courtship, the male is cautious with the female as he waits for her to show signs she is ready to mate. She signals to him by positioning herself in ] with her tail to the side. ] typically lasts no more than 20 seconds, with the male biting the female by the scruff of her neck. After it is finished, the male quickly pulls away as the female may turn and slap him.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=42}} Tiger pairs may stay together for up to four days and mate multiple times.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=148}} ] lasts around or over three months.<ref name=Mazak1981/> | |||
Tigers have been studied in the wild using a variety of techniques. The populations of tigers were estimated in the past using plaster casts of their ]. In recent times, camera trapping has been used instead. Newer techniques based on ] from their scat are also being evaluated. Radio collaring has also been a popular approach to tracking them for study in the wild. | |||
A tigress gives birth in a secluded location, be it in dense vegetation, in a cave or under a rocky shelter.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} ] consist of as many as seven cubs, but two or three are more typical.<ref name=Sankhala/>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} Newborn cubs weigh {{cvt|785|–|1610|g}} and are blind and ].{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} The mother licks and cleans her cubs, suckles them and viciously defends them from any potential threat.<ref name=Sankhala>{{cite journal |last1=Sankhala |first1=K. S. |year=1967 |title=Breeding behaviour of the tiger ''Panthera tigris'' in Rajasthan |journal=International Zoo Yearbook |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=133–147 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1967.tb00354.x}}</ref> Cubs open their eyes at the age of three to 14 days and their vision becomes clear after a few more weeks.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} They can leave the denning site after two months and around the same time they start eating meat.<ref name=Sankhala/>{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=50–51}} The mother only leaves them alone to hunt and even then she does not travel far.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=50}} When she suspects an area is no longer safe, she moves her cubs to a new spot, transporting them one by one by grabbing them by the scruff of the neck with her mouth.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=51}} | |||
==Subspecies== | |||
A tigress in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve maximised the time spent with her cubs by reducing her home range, killing larger prey and returning to her den more rapidly than without cubs; when the cubs started to eat meat, she took them to kill sites, thereby optimising their protection and access to food.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Petrunenko, Y. K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Seryodkin, I. V. |author3=Bragina, E. V. |author4=Soutyrina, S. S. |author5=Mukhacheva, A. S. |author6=Rybin, N. N. |author7=Miquelle, D. G.|year=2019 |title=How does a tigress balance the opposing constraints of raising cubs? |journal=Mammal Research |volume=65 |issue=2 |pages=245–253 |doi=10.1007/s13364-019-00466-x}}</ref> | |||
In the same reserve, one of 21 cubs died in over eight years of monitoring and mortality did not differ between male and female juveniles.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Robinson, H. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Goodrich, J. M. |author3=Miquelle, D. G. |author4=Miller, C. S. |author5=Seryodkin, I. V. |year=2015 |title=Mortality of Amur tigers: The more things change, the more they stay the same |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=344–353 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12147|pmid=26096683 }}</ref> | |||
Tiger monitoring over six years in ] indicated an average annual survival rate of around 85 percent for 74 male and female cubs; survival rate increased to 97 percent for both males and female juveniles of one to two years of age.<ref name=Sadhu2017>{{cite journal |author1=Sadhu, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Jayam, P. P. C. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Shekhawat, R. S. |author5=Sharma, S. |author6=Jhala, Y. V. |year=2017 |title=Demography of a small, isolated tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') population in a semi-arid region of western India |journal=BMC Zoology |volume=2 |page=16 |doi=10.1186/s40850-017-0025-y|doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Causes of cub mortality include predators, floods, fires, death of the mother and fatal injuries.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=51}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=51}}<ref name=Barlow2009>{{cite journal |author1=Barlow, A. C. D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=McDougal, C. |author3=Smith, J. L. D. |author4=Gurung, B. |author5=Bhatta, S. R. |author6=Kumal, S. |author7=Mahato, B. |author8=Taman, D. B. |year=2009 |title=Temporal variation in Tiger (''Panthera tigris'') populations and its implications for monitoring |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=472–478 |doi=10.1644/07-MAMM-A-415.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Sadhu2017/> | |||
]|alt=Tigress with cub in snow]] | |||
There are eight ] of tiger, three of which are ] and one of which is almost certain to become so in the near future. Their historical range (severely diminished today) ran through ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], including the ]. The South China Tiger is believed to be the first tiger. These are the surviving subspecies, in descending order of wild population: | |||
After around two months, the cubs are able to follow their mother. They still hide in vegetation when she goes hunting. Young bond through play fighting and practice stalking. A hierarchy develops in the litter, with the biggest cub, often a male, being the most dominant and the first to eat its fill at a kill.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=61, 66–67}} Around the age of six months, cubs are fully weaned and have more freedom to explore their environment. Between eight and ten months, they accompany their mother on hunts.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=63}} A cub can make a kill as early as 11 months and reach independence as a juvenile of 18 to 24 months of age; males become independent earlier than females.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=270, 276}}<ref name=Sadhu2017/> Radio-collared tigers in Chitwan started leaving their natal areas at the age of 19 months.<ref name=Smith1993/> Young females are ] at three to four years, whereas males are at four to five years.<ref name=Mazak1981/> ] of the tiger is about 7–10 years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Generation length for mammals |author=Pacifici, M. |author2=Santini, L. |author3=Di Marco, M. |author4=Baisero, D. |author5=Francucci, L. |author6=Grottolo Marasini, G. |author7=Visconti, P. |author8=Rondinini, C. |journal=Nature Conservation |year=2013 |volume=5 |issue=5 |pages=87–94 |doi=10.3897/natureconservation.5.5734 |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
Wild Bengal tigers live 12–15 years.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Majumder, A. |year=2023 |title=Survival strategy – Temporal segregation of different age and sex classes of a Bengal tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'' Linnaeus) population in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh India |journal=Journal of Animal Diversity |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=43–54 |doi=10.61186/JAD.2023.5.3.5 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Data from the International Tiger ] 1938–2018 indicate that captive tigers lived up to 19 years.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Tidière, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Müller, P. |author3=Sliwa, A. |author4=Siberchicot, A. |author5=Douay, G. |year=2021 |title=Sex-specific actuarial and reproductive senescence in zoo-housed tiger (''Panthera tigris''): The importance of sub-species for conservation |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=320–329 |doi=10.1002/zoo.21610 |pmid=33861886 |url=https://findresearcher.sdu.dk/ws/files/182491417/zoo.21610.pdf}}</ref> | |||
The father does not play a role in raising the young, but he encounters and interacts with them. The resident male appears to visit the female–cub families within his home range. They socialise and even share kills.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=59, 89}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=55–56}} One male was recorded looking after cubs whose mother had died.<ref>{{cite news |author=Pandey, G. |date=2011 |title=India male tiger plays doting dad to orphaned cubs |work=BBC News |accessdate=14 February 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13598386 |archive-date=8 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408231242/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13598386 |url-status=live}}</ref> By defending his home range, the male protects the females and cubs from other males.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=59}} When a new male takes over, dependent cubs are at risk of ] as the male attempts to sire his own young with the females.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=66}} A seven-year long study in Chitwan National Park revealed that 12 of 56 detected cubs and juveniles were killed by new males taking over home ranges.<ref name=Barlow2009/> | |||
] | |||
* The ''']''' or the '''Royal Bengal tiger''' (''Panthera tigris tigris'') is found in parts of ], ], ], ], and ]. It lives in varied habitats - grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests and mangroves. The Indian government's estimated population figure for these tigers is between 3,100 and 4,500, 3,000 of which are found in India alone. However, many Indian tiger conservationists doubt this number, seeing it as overly optimistic. The number of Bengal tigers in India may be lower than 2000 <ref></ref>, as most of the collected statistics are based on pugmark identification, which often gives a biased result. Even though this is the most 'common' tiger, these tigers are under severe pressure from both habitat destruction and poaching. In ], India launched a massive wildlife conservation project, known as ], to protect the depleting numbers of tigers in India. The project helped increase the population of these tigers from 1,200 in the ] to 3,000 in the ] and is considered as one of the most successful wildlife conservation programs. Recently these numbers have been found to be cooked up; At least one Tiger Reserve (]) has lost its entire tiger population to poaching . Male Bengal tigers can range anywhere from 200 to 295 kg (440-650 lb) and females range between 120-180 kg (264-400 lb). Most males in the wild usually weigh 205 to 227 kg (450-500 lb), while the average female will weigh about 140 kg (310 lb). However, there are recorded instances of shot males that weighed more than 300 kg. One large male killed in Nepal in 1942 weighed 318 kg (700 lbs), while another, killed in 1910 in India, weighed 317 kg (700 lbs). The largest Bengal tiger ever shot was a male 3.3 m in total length and weighed close to 390 kg (858 lb.); this feline giant was killed in 1967. | |||
=== Health and diseases === | |||
] | |||
Tigers are recorded as hosts for various parasites including tapeworms like ''] erinacei'', '']'' in India and ]s like '']'' species in India and ''] preputialis'', ''] ursi'' and '']'' species in Siberia.<ref name=Mazak1981/> ] is known to occur in Siberian tigers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Seimon|first1=T. A. |last2=Miquelle |first2=D. G. |last3=Chang |first3=T. Y.|last4=Newton|first4=A. L. |last5=Korotkova |first5=I. |last6=Ivanchuk |first6=G. |last7=Lyubchenko |first7=E. |last8=Tupikov |first8=A. |last9=Slabe |first9=E. |last10=McAloose |first10=D. |year=2013 |title=Canine distemper virus: an emerging disease in wild endangered Amur tigers (''Panthera tigris altaica'') |journal=mBio |volume=4 |issue=4 |doi=10.1128/mbio.00410-13 |pmid=23943758 |pmc=3747579 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> A ] infection was the likely cause of death of a tigress in the Russian Far East that was also tested positive for ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Quigley, K. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Evermann, J. F. |author3=Leathers, C. W. |author4=Armstrong, D. L. |author5=Goodrich, J. |author6=Duncan, N. M. |author7=Miquelle, D. G. |year=2010 |title=Morbillivirus infection in a wild Siberian tiger in the Russian Far East |journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=1252–1256 |doi=10.7589/0090-3558-46.4.1252 |pmid=20966275}}</ref> | |||
* ''']''' (''Panthera tigris corbetti''), also called ''Corbett's'' tiger, is found in ], China, ], ], ], and ]. Estimates of its population vary between 1,200 to 1,800, but it seems likely that the number is in the lower part of the range. The largest current population is in Malaysia, where illegal ] is strictly controlled, but all existing populations are at extreme risk from ] and ]. In Vietnam, almost three-quarters of the tigers killed provide stock for Chinese pharmacies. Also, the tigers are seen by poor natives as a resource through which they can ease ]. Indochinese tigers are smaller and darker than Bengal tigers, and about the size of African lions. Males weigh from 150-190 kg on average while females are smaller at 110-140 kg. | |||
Blood samples from 11 adult tigers in Nepal showed ] for ]-2, ], feline coronavirus, ] and '']''.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=McCauley, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Stout, V. |author3=Gairhe, K. P. |author4=Sadaula, A. |author5=Dubovi, E. |author6=Subedi, S. |author7=Kaufman, G. E. |year=2021 |title=Serologic survey of selected pathogens in free-ranging Bengal tigers (''Panthera tigris tigris'') in Nepal |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Diseases |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=393–398 |doi=10.7589/JWD-D-20-00046 |doi-access=free |pmid=33822151}}</ref> | |||
== Threats == | |||
* The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris jacksoni''), exclusively found in the southern (]) part of the ], was not considered a subspecies in its own right until 2004. The new classification came about after a study by Luo et al from the ] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.ncifcrf.gov/ccr/lgd/|title=Laboratory of Genomic Diversity LGD}}</ref> Study, part of the ], US. Recent counts showed there are 600-800 tigers in the wild, making it the third largest tiger population behind the Bengal tiger and the Indochinese tiger. The Malayan tiger is a national icon in Malaysia, appearing on its ] and in logos of Malaysian institutions, such as ]. | |||
The tiger has been listed as ] on the ] since 1986 and the global tiger population is thought to have continuously declined from an estimated population of 5,000–8,262 tigers in the late 1990s to 3,726–5,578 individuals estimated as of 2022.<ref name=iucn/> During 2001–2020, landscapes where tigers live declined from {{cvt|1025488|km2}} to {{cvt|911901|km2}}.<ref name=Sanderson_al2023/> ], ] and ] for fur and body parts are the major threats that contributed to the decrease of tiger populations in all range countries.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
Protected areas in central India are highly fragmented due to linear infrastructure like roads, railway lines, ]s, ] channels and ] activities in their vicinity.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Schoen, J. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Neelakantan, A. |author3=Cushman, S. A. |author4=Dutta, T. |author5=Habib, B. |author6=Jhala, Y. V. |author7=Mondal, I. |author8=Ramakrishnan, U. |author9=Reddy, P. A. |author10=Saini, S. |author11=Sharma, S. |year=2022 |title=Synthesizing habitat connectivity analyses of a globally important human-dominated tiger-conservation landscape |journal=Conservation Biology |volume=36 |issue=4 |page=e13909 |doi=10.1111/cobi.13909 |doi-access=free|pmid=35288989 |pmc=9545158 |bibcode=2022ConBi..36E3909S}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
In the ] of southern Myanmar, ] coupled with mining activities and high hunting pressure threatens the tiger population.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Aung, S. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shwe, N. M. |author3=Frechette, J. |author4=Grindley, M. |author5=Connette, G. |year=2017 |title=Surveys in southern Myanmar indicate global importance for tigers and biodiversity |journal=Oryx |volume=51 |issue=1 |page=13 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316001393 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
* The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris sumatran'') is found only on the Indonesian island of ]. The wild population is estimated at between 400 and 500, seen predominantly in the island's five ]. Recent genetic testing has revealed the presence of unique genetic markers, indicating that it may develop into a separate species, if it is not made extinct.<ref>Cracraft J., Felsenstein J., Vaughn J., Helm-Bychowski K. (1998) Sorting out tigers (Panthera tigris) Mitochondrial sequences, nuclear inserts, systematics, and conservation genetics. Animal Conservation 1: 139–150.</ref> This has led to suggestions that Sumatran tigers should have greater priority for conservation than any other subspecies. ] is the main threat to the existing tiger population (logging continues even in the supposedly protected national parks), but 66 tigers were recorded as being shot and killed between 1998 and 2000, or nearly 20% of the total population. The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of all living tiger subspecies. Adult males weigh between 100-130 kg, females 70-90 kg. Their small size is an adaptation to the thick, dense forests of the Sumatra island where they reside, as well as the smaller-sized prey. | |||
In Thailand, nine of 15 protected areas hosting tigers are isolated and fragmented, offering a low probability for dispersal between them; four of these have not harboured tigers since about 2013.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Suttidate, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Steinmetz, R. |author3=Lynam, A. J. |author4=Sukmasuang, R. |author5=Ngoprasert, D. |author6=Chutipong, W. |author7=Bateman, B. L. |author8=Jenks, K. E. |author9=Baker-Whatton, M. |author10=Kitamura, S. |author11=Ziółkowska, E. |year=2021 |title=Habitat connectivity for endangered Indochinese tigers in Thailand |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=29 |page=e01718 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01718 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021GEcoC..2901718S}}</ref> | |||
In Peninsular Malaysia, {{cvt|8315.7|km2}} of tiger habitat was cleared during 1988–2012, most of it for industrial ]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shevade, V. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Potapov, P. V. |author3=Harris, N. L. |author4=Loboda, T. V. |year=2017 |title=Expansion of industrial plantations continues to threaten Malayan tiger habitat |journal=Remote Sensing |volume=9 |issue=7 |page=747 |doi=10.3390/rs9070747 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017RemS....9..747S |hdl=1903/31503 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Large-scale land acquisitions of about {{cvt|23000|km2}} for commercial ] and timber extraction in Cambodia contributed to the fragmentation of potential tiger habitat, especially in the Eastern Plains.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Debonne, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=van Vliet, J. |author3=Verburg, P. |title=Future governance options for large-scale land acquisition in Cambodia: impacts on tree cover and tiger landscapes |year= 2019 |journal=Environmental Science & Policy |volume=94 |issue= |pages=9–19 |doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.031 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019ESPol..94....9D |hdl=1871.1/1dced676-560b-46fb-a7c5-e0c888c5cff1 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> | |||
] coupled with habitat destruction, insufficient prey resources and poaching is a threat to the small and isolated tiger population in the ] along the China–Russia border.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Wang, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Smith, J. L. |author3=Accatino, F. |author4=Ge, J. |author5=Wang, T. |year=2023 |title=Addressing the impact of canine distemper spreading on an isolated tiger population in northeast Asia |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=18 |issue=6 |pages=994–1008 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12712|pmid=36881515}}</ref> | |||
In China, tigers became the target of large-scale 'anti-pest' campaigns in the early 1950s, where suitable habitats were fragmented following deforestation and resettlement of people to rural areas, who hunted tigers and prey species. Though tiger hunting was prohibited in 1977, the population continued to decline and is considered extinct in ] since 2001.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Dramatic decline of wild South China tigers ''Panthera tigris amoyensis'': field survey of priority tiger reserves |author1=Tilson, R. |author2=Defu, H. |author3=Muntifering, J. |author4=Nyhus, P. J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2004 |journal=Oryx |volume=38 |issue=1|pages=40–47 |doi=10.1017/S0030605304000079 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Nyhus, P. |year=2008 |title=''Panthera tigris'' ssp. ''amoyensis'' |page=e.T15965A5334628 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T15965A5334628.en}}</ref> | |||
] skin, 1915|alt=Tiger rug displayed on wall behind a man with a gun]] | |||
Tiger populations in India have been targeted by poachers since the 1990s and were extirpated in two tiger reserves in 2005 and 2009.<ref name=Jhala_al2021>{{cite journal |author1=Jhala, Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Gopal, R. |author3=Mathur, V. |author4=Ghosh, P. |author5=Negi, H. S. |author6=Narain, S. |author7=Yadav, S. P. |author8= Malik, A. |author9=Garawad, R. |author10=Qureshi, Q. |year=2021 |title=Recovery of tigers in India: Critical introspection and potential lessons |journal=People and Nature |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=281–293 |doi=10.1002/pan3.10177 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021PeoNa...3..281J}}</ref> | |||
Between March 2017 and January 2020, 630 activities of hunters using ], drift nets, hunting platforms and hunting dogs were discovered in a reserve forest of about {{cvt|1000|km2}} in southern Myanmar.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shwe, N. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Grainger, M. |author3=Ngoprasert, D. |author4=Aung, S. S. |author5=Grindley, M. |author6=Savini, T. |year=2023 |title=Anthropogenic pressure on large carnivores and their prey in the highly threatened forests of Tanintharyi, southern Myanmar |journal=Oryx |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=262–271 |doi=10.1017/S0030605321001654 |doi-access=free |hdl=11250/3040580 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> ] was considered the last important site for the tiger in Laos, but it has not been recorded there at least since 2013; this population likely fell victim to indiscriminate snaring.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rasphone, A. |author2=Kéry, M. |author3=Kamler, J. F. |name-list-style=amp |author4=Macdonald, D. W. |year=2019 |title=Documenting the demise of tiger and leopard, and the status of other carnivores and prey, in Lao PDR's most prized protected area: Nam Et-Phou Louey |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=20 |page=e00766 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00766 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2019GEcoC..2000766R}}</ref> ] units in Sumatra's ] landscape removed 362 tiger snare traps and seized 91 tiger skins during 2005–2016; annual poaching rates increased with rising skin prices.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Linkie, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Martyr, D. |author3=Harihar, A. |author4=Mardiah, S. |author5=Hodgetts, T. |author6=Risdianto, D. |author7=Subchaan, M. |author8=Macdonald, D. |year=2018 |title=Asia's economic growth and its impact on Indonesia's tigers |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=219 |pages=105–109 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.011|bibcode=2018BCons.219..105L}}</ref> | |||
Poaching is also the main threat to the tiger population in far eastern Russia, where ] roads facilitate access for poachers and people harvesting forest products that are important for prey species to survive in winter.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Slaght, J. C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Milakovsky, B. |author3=Maksimova, D. A. |author5=Seryodkin, I. |author4=Zaitsev, V. A. |author6=Panichev, A. |author7=Miquelle, D. |year=2017 |title=Anthropogenic influences on the distribution of a Vulnerable coniferous forest specialist: habitat selection by the Siberian musk deer ''Moschus moschiferus'' |journal=Oryx |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=174–180 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316001617 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Body parts of 207 tigers were detected during 21 surveys in 1991–2014 in two wildlife markets in Myanmar catering to customers in Thailand and China.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Nijman, V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shepherd, C. R. |year=2015 |title=Trade in tigers and other wild cats in Mong La and Tachilek, Myanmar – A tale of two border towns |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=182 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2014.10.031 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2015BCons.182....1N}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
During the years 2000–2022, at least 3,377 tigers were ] in 2,205 seizures in 28 countries; seizures encompassed 665 live and 654 dead individuals, 1,313 whole tiger skins, 16,214 body parts like bones, teeth, paws, claws, whiskers and {{cvt|1.1|t}} of meat; 759 seizures in India encompassed body parts of 893 tigers; and 403 seizures in Thailand involved mostly captive-bred tigers.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Wong, R. |author2=Krishnasamy, K. |name-list-style=amp |year=2022 |title=Skin and Bones: Tiger Trafficking Analysis from January 2000 – June 2022 |publisher=TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office |location=Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |url=https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/19714/skin_and_bones_tiger_trafficking_analysis_from_january_2000_to_june_2022_r7.pdf |access-date=1 March 2024 |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117215040/https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/19714/skin_and_bones_tiger_trafficking_analysis_from_january_2000_to_june_2022_r7.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Seizures in Nepal between January 2011 and December 2015 obtained 585 pieces of tiger body parts and two whole carcasses in 19 districts.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Paudel, P. K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Acharya, K. P. |author3=Baral, H. S. |author4=Heinen, J. T. |author5=Jnawali, S. R. |year=2020 |title=Trends, patterns, and networks of illicit wildlife trade in Nepal: A national synthesis |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=2 |issue=9 |page=e247 |doi=10.1111/csp2.247 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020ConSP...2E.247P}}</ref> Seizure data from India during 2001–2021 indicate that tiger skins were the most often traded body parts, followed by claws, bones and teeth; trafficking routes mainly passed through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Assam.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Nittu, G. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shameer, T. T. |author3=Nishanthini, N. K. |author4=Sanil, R. |year=2023 |title=The tide of tiger poaching in India is rising! An investigation of the intertwined facts with a focus on conservation |journal=GeoJournal |volume=88 |issue=1 |pages=753–766 |doi=10.1007/s10708-022-10633-4 |doi-access=free |pmid=35431409 |pmc=9005341|bibcode=2023GeoJo..88..753N }}</ref> | |||
* The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris altaica''), also known as the ''Amur'', ''Manchurian'' or ''North China'' tiger, is confined almost completely to Siberia, where it is now protected. The last two censuses(1996 and 2005) found 450-500 Siberian tigers within their single and more or less continuous range making it one of the biggest undivided tiger populations in the world. Considered the largest subspecies, the largest wild Siberian tiger on record weighed 384 kg (845 lb.), while a captive one weighed 423 kg (930 lb.). Some Bengal tigers grow to the same length as Siberian tigers, but they are less stocky. Weights can vary substantially depending on whether the tiger has been fully fed or has an empty belly. The average weight of a male Siberian tiger is around 227 kg (500 lb), but they can be anywhere from 205 to 364 kg (450-800 lb). The Siberian tiger is also noted for its thick coat, distinguished by a paler golden hue and a smaller number of stripes. The Siberian tiger is the largest and heaviest of all living felines. A six-month old Siberian tiger can be as big as a fully grown ]. | |||
A total of 292 illegal tiger parts were confiscated at US ports of entry from personal baggage, air cargo and mail between 2003 and 2012.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Khanwilkar, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Sosnowski, M. |year=2022 |author3=Guynup, S. |title=Patterns of illegal and legal tiger parts entering the United States over a decade (2003–2012) |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=4 |issue=3 |page=e622 |doi=10.1111/csp2.622 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022ConSP...4E.622K}}</ref> | |||
Demand for tiger parts for use in ] has also been cited as a major threat to tiger populations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Van Uhm |first1=D. P. |title=The Illegal Wildlife Trade: Inside the World of Poachers, Smugglers and Traders (Studies of Organized Crime) |date=2016 |publisher=Springer |location=New York|pages=224–226}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
Interviews with local people in the Bangladeshi Sundarbans revealed that they kill tigers for local consumption and trade of skins, bones and meat, in ] for attacks by tigers and for excitement.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Saif, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Rahman, H. T. |author3=MacMillan, D. C. |year=2018 |title=Who is killing the tiger ''Panthera tigris'' and why? |journal=Oryx |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=46–54 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316000491 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
* The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris amoyensis''), also known as the ''Amoy'' or ''Xiamen'' tiger, is the most critically endangered subspecies of tiger and will almost certainly become extinct. It is also considered to be the first of all tiger subspecies. This subspecies is one of the smallest tiger species. The length of the South China tiger ranges from 2.2-2.6 m (87-104 inches) for both males and females. Males weigh between 127 and 177 kg (280-390 lb.) while females weigh between 100 and 118 kg (220-260 lb.). It seems likely that the last known wild South China tiger was shot and killed in ], and no live tigers have been seen in their natural habitat for the last 20 years. In 1977, the Chinese government passed a law banning the killing of wild tigers, but this appears to have been too late to save the subspecies. There are currently 59 known captive South China tigers, all within China, but these are known to be descended from only six animals. Thus, the ] required to maintain the subspecies no longer exists, making its eventual extinction very likely. Currently, there are breeding efforts to reintroduce these tigers by 2008. | |||
Tiger body parts like skins, bones, teeth and hair are consumed locally by wealthy Bangladeshis and are illegally trafficked from Bangladesh to 15 countries including India, China, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan and the United Kingdom via land borders, airports and seaports.<ref name=Uddin2023/> | |||
Tiger bone glue is the prevailing tiger product purchased for medicinal purposes in ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Davis, E. O. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Willemsen, M. |author3=Dang, V. |author4=O'Connor, D. |author5=Glikman, J. A. |year=2020 |title=An updated analysis of the consumption of tiger products in urban Vietnam |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=22 |page=e00960 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e00960 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2020GEcoC..2200960D}}</ref> "Tiger farm" facilities in China and Southeast Asia breed tigers for their parts, but these appear to make the threat to wild populations worse by increasing the demand for tiger products.<ref name=Worldwildlife/> | |||
Local people killing tigers in retaliation for attacking and preying on livestock is a threat in several tiger range countries, as this consequence of ] also contributes to the decline of the population.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Singh, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Nigam, P. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Sankar, K. |author5=Krausman, P. R. |author6=Goyal, S. P. |author7=Nicholoson, K. L. |year=2015 |title=Characterizing human–tiger conflict in and around Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, western India |journal=European Journal of Wildlife Research |volume=61 |issue=2 |pages=255–261 |doi=10.1007/s10344-014-0895-z|bibcode=2015EJWR...61..255S }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Chowdhurym, A. N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Mondal, R. |author3=Brahma, A. |author4=Biswas, M. K. |year=2016 |title=Ecopsychosocial aspects of human–tiger conflict: An ethnographic study of tiger widows of Sundarban Delta, India |journal=Environmental Health Insights |volume=10 |pages=1–29 |doi=10.4137/EHI.S24 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Dhungana, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Savini, T. |author3=Karki, J. B. |author4=Dhakal, M. |author5=Lamichhane, B. R. |author6=Bumrungsri, S. |year=2018 |title=Living with tigers ''Panthera tigris'': Patterns, correlates, and contexts of human–tiger conflict in Chitwan National Park, Nepal |journal=Oryx |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=55–65 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316001587 |doi-access=free |hdl=1887/57668 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lubis, M. I. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Pusparini, W. |author3=Prabowo, S. A. |author4=Marthy, W. |author5=Tarmizi |author6=Andayani, N. |author7=Linkie, M. |year=2020 |title=Unraveling the complexity of human–tiger conflicts in the Leuser Ecosystem, Sumatra |journal=Animal Conservation |volume=23 |issue=6 |pages=741–749 |doi=10.1111/acv.12591|bibcode=2020AnCon..23..741L}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Neo, W. H. Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Lubis, M. I. |author3=Lee, J. S. H. |year=2023 |title=Settlements and plantations are sites of human–tiger interactions in Riau, Indonesia |journal=Oryx |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=476–480 |doi=10.1017/S0030605322000667 |doi-access=free |hdl=10356/165557 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> | |||
===Extinct tiger subspecies=== | |||
== Conservation == | |||
Tigers are uncommon in the fossil record. The distinct fossils of tigers were discovered in ] deposits – mostly in Asia. Nevertheless, tiger fossils 100,000 years old have been found in Alaska. Possibly because of a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska during the ice ages, this Alaskan tiger might be a North American population of Siberian tiger. In addition, some scientists have discovered similarities between tiger bones and those of the ], an extinct big cat that dominated much of North America as recently as 10,000 years ago. Some have used these observations to conclude that the American lion was a New World tiger species. | |||
{{Main|Tiger conservation}} | |||
{{further information|21st Century Tiger}} | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable floatright" | |||
|+ Global wild tiger population | |||
!Country | |||
!Year | |||
!Estimate | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|India}} India || 2022 || align="right" |3,167–3,682<ref name=Qureshi2023/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Russia}} Russia || 2022 || align="right" |573–600<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Indonesia}} Indonesia || 2022 || align="right" |393<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal || 2022 || align="right" |316–355<ref>{{cite book |author1=DNPWC |author2=DFSC |name-list-style=amp |year=2022 |title=Status of Tigers and Prey in Nepal 2022 |location=Kathmandu, Nepal |publisher=Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Department of Forests and Soil Conservation. Ministry of Forests and Environment |url=https://dnpwc.gov.np/media/files/Status_of_Tigers_Ic2ylSC.pdf |access-date=6 August 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408104009/https://dnpwc.gov.np/media/files/Status_of_Tigers_Ic2ylSC.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Thailand}} Thailand || 2022 || align="right" |148–189<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Malaysia || 2022 || align="right" |<150<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Bhutan}} Bhutan || 2022 || align="right" |131<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023 |title=National Tiger Survey 2021–22 |publisher=Government of Bhutan |author=Department of Forests and Park Services |place=Thimphu}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Bangladesh}} Bangladesh || 2022|| align="right" |118–122<ref>{{cite web |author=Begum, S. |date=30 July 2024 |title=Tiger population in Sundarban rises by 8-10pc in 2024 |work=Daily Observer |url=https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=482816|accessdate=6 October 2024}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|China}} China || 2022 || align="right"|>60<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Myanmar}} Myanmar || 2022 || align="right" |28<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| '''Total'''|| || align="right" |'''5,638–5,899''' | |||
|} | |||
Internationally, the tiger is protected under ], banning trade of live tigers and their body parts.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
In Russia, hunting the tiger has been banned since 1952.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=202}} | |||
In Bhutan, it has been protected since 1969 and enlisted as totally protected since 1995.<ref name=Tandin_al2018>{{cite report |author1=Tandin, T. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Penjor, U. |author3=Tempa, T. |author4=Dhendup, P. |author5=Dorji, S.|author6=Wangdi, S. |author7=Moktan, V.|year=2018 |title=Tiger Action Plan for Bhutan (2018-2023): A landscape approach to tiger conservation |location=Thimphu, Bhutan |publisher=Nature Conservation Division, Department of Forests and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests |doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.14890.70089 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Since 1972, it has been afforded the highest protection level under India's ].<ref name=Aryal>{{cite book |last1=Aryal |first1=R. S. |year=2004 |title=CITES Implementation in Nepal and India. Law, Policy and Practice |location=Kathmandu |publisher=Bhrikuti Aademic Publications |isbn=99933-673-4-6}}</ref> | |||
In Nepal and Bangladesh, it has been protected since 1973.<ref name=Aryal/><ref name=Uddin2023>{{cite journal |author1=Uddin, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Enoch, S. |author3=Harihar, A. |author4=Pickles, R. S. |author5=Hughes, A. C. |year=2023 |title=Tigers at a crossroads: Shedding light on the role of Bangladesh in the illegal trade of this iconic big cat |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=5 |issue=7 |page=e12952 |doi=10.1111/csp2.12952 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2023ConSP...5E2952U}}</ref> | |||
Since 1976, it has been totally protected under Malaysia's Protection of Wild Life Act,<ref>{{cite report |author=Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers |title=The Malayan Tiger Conservation Programme |year=2006 |publisher=Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia |place=Kuala Lumpur |url=https://conservewildcats.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/WildCats/ProjectReports/Malaysia/MYCATFinalreport2006-07.pdf |access-date=9 April 2024 |archive-date=9 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409203438/https://conservewildcats.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/WildCats/ProjectReports/Malaysia/MYCATFinalreport2006-07.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and the country's Wildlife Conservation Act enacted in 2010 increased punishments for wildlife-related crimes.<ref name=globaltiger>{{cite report |title=Global Tiger Recovery Program (2023–34) |publisher=Global Tiger Forum and the Global Tiger Initiative Council |url=https://globaltigerforum.org/global-tiger-recovery-program-2-0-2023-34/ |date=2023 |access-date=8 April 2024 |archive-date=8 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408150606/https://globaltigerforum.org/global-tiger-recovery-program-2-0-2023-34/ |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In Indonesia, it has been protected since 1990.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ministry of Forestry |title=Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for the Sumatran Tiger (''Panthera tigris sumatrae'') Indonesia 2007-2017 |publisher=Government of Indonesia |place=Jakarta |date=2007 |url=https://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/indonesia.pdf |access-date=12 April 2024 |archive-date=23 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923144656/https://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/indonesia.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In China, the trade in tiger body parts was banned in 1993.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Transnational environmentalism and entanglements of sovereignty: The Tiger Campaign across the Himalayas |first=E. T. |last=Yeh |journal=Political Geography |volume=31 |issue=7 |year=2012 |pages=408–418 | doi=10.1016/j.polgeo.2012.06.003}}</ref> | |||
The Thai Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act was enacted in 2019 to combat poaching and trading of body parts.<ref name=future>{{cite web |author=Kampongsun, S. |title=The future of ''Panthera tigris'' in Thailand and globally |date=2022 |publisher=IUCN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111015312/https://www.iucn.org/story/202208/future-panthera-tigris-thailand-and-globally|archive-date=11 November 2023|url=https://www.iucn.org/story/202208/future-panthera-tigris-thailand-and-globally |accessdate=8 April 2024}}</ref> | |||
In 1973, the ] and ] were founded in India to gain public support for tiger conservation.<ref name=Jhala_al2021/> Since then, 53 ] covering an area of {{cvt|75796|km2}} have been established in the country up to 2022.<ref name=Qureshi2023>{{cite book |author1=Qureshi, Q. |author2=Jhala, Y. V. |author3=Yadav, S. P. |author4=Mallick, A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2023 |title=Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India 2022 |publisher=National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India |location=New Delhi, Dehradun |url=https://wii.gov.in/images//images/documents/publications/statu_tiger_copredators-2022.pdf |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505145403/https://wii.gov.in/images//images/documents/publications/statu_tiger_copredators-2022.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Tiger fossils have also turned up in Japan. These fossils indicate that the Japanese tiger was no bigger than the island subspecies of tigers of recent ages. This may be due to the phenomenon in which body is related to environmental space, or in the case of a large predator like a tiger, availability of prey. | |||
Myanmar's national tiger conservation strategy developed in 2003 comprises management tasks such as restoration of degraded habitats, increasing the extent of protected areas and wildlife corridors, protecting tiger prey species, thwarting tiger killing and illegal trade of its body parts and promoting public awareness through wildlife education programmes.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lynam, A. J. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Khaing, S. T. |author3=Zaw, K. M. |year=2006 |title=Developing a national tiger action plan for the Union of Myanmar |journal=Environmental Management |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=30–39 |doi=10.1007/s00267-004-0273-9 |pmid=16362487 |bibcode=2006EnMan..37...30L}}</ref> | |||
Bhutan's first Tiger Action Plan implemented during 2006–2015 revolved around habitat conservation, human–wildlife conflict management, education and awareness; the second Action Plan aimed at increasing the country's tiger population by 20% until 2023 compared to 2015.<ref name=Tandin_al2018/> | |||
In 2009, the Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan was initiated to stabilise the country's tiger population, maintain habitat and a sufficient prey base, improve law enforcement and foster cooperation between governmental agencies responsible for tiger conservation.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hossain, A. N. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Lynam, A. J. |author3=Ngoprasert, D. |author4=Barlow, A. |author5=Barlow, C. G. |author6=Savini, T. |year=2018 |title=Identifying landscape factors affecting tiger decline in the Bangladesh Sundarbans |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=13 |page=e00382 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00382 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018GEcoC..1300382H}}</ref> | |||
The Thailand Tiger Action Plan ] in 2010 envisioned increasing the country's tiger populations by 50% in the ] and ] and reestablish populations in three potential landscapes until 2022.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Pisdamkham, C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Prayurasiddhi, T. |author3=Kanchanasaka, B. |author4=Maneesai, R. |author5=Simcharoen, S. |author6=Pattanavibool, A. |author7=Duangchantrasiri, S. |author8=Simcharoen, A. |author9=Pattanavibool, R. |author10=Maneerat, S. |author11=Prayoon, U. |author12=Cutter, P. G. |author13=Smith, J. L. D. |year=2010 |title=Thailand Tiger Action Plan 2010–2022 |location=Bangkok |publisher=Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303881962 |access-date=16 April 2024 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505145525/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303881962_Thailand_Tiger_Action_Plan_2010-2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The Indonesian National Tiger Recovery Program ratified in 2010 aimed at increasing the Sumatran tiger population by 2022.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Chandradewi, D. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Semiadi, G. |author3=Pinondang, I. |author4=Kheng, V. |author5=Bahaduri, L. D. |year=2019 |title=A decade on: The second collaborative Sumatra-wide Tiger survey |journal=Cat News |volume=69 |pages=41–42}}</ref> The third strategic and action plan for the conservation of the Sumatran tiger for the years 2020–2030 revolves around strengthening management of small tiger population units of less than 20 mature individuals and connectivity between 13 forest patches in ] and ] provinces.<ref>{{cite thesis |author=Wibisono, H. T. |year=2021 |title=An Island-wide Status of Sumatran Tiger (''Panthera tigris sumatrae'') and Principal Prey in Sumatra, Indonesia |type=Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology |publisher=University of Delaware |place=Delaware |url=https://udspace.udel.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/db24ae3d-1681-4d30-9773-4abb62cd861d/content}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
* The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris balica'') has always been limited to the island of ]. These tigers were hunted to extinction – the last Balinese tiger is thought to have been killed at Sumbar Kima, West Bali on ], ]; this was an adult female. No Balinese tiger was ever held in captivity. The tiger still plays an important role in Balinese ] religion. | |||
Increases in anti-poaching patrol efforts in four Russian protected areas during 2011–2014 contributed to reducing poaching, stabilising the tiger population and improving protection of ungulate populations.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hötte, M. H. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kolodin, I. A. |author3=Bereznuk, S. L. |author4=Slaght, J. C. |author5=Kerley, L. L. |author6=Soutyrina, S. V. |author7=Salkina, G. P. |author8=Zaumyslova, O. Y. |author9=Stokes, E. J. |author10=Miquelle, D. G. |year=2016 |title=Indicators of success for smart law enforcement in protected areas: A case study for Russian Amur tiger (''Panthera tigris altaica'') reserves |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=2–15 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12168|pmid=26458501}}</ref> Poaching and trafficking were declared to be moderate and serious crimes in 2019.<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
Anti-poaching operations were also established in Nepal in 2010, with increased cooperation and intelligence sharing between agencies. These policies have led to many years of "zero poaching" and the country's tiger population has doubled in a decade.<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
Anti-poaching patrols in the {{cvt|1200|km2}} large core area of ] lead to a decrease of poaching frequency from 34 detected incidents in 2015–2016 to 20 incidents during 2018–2019; the arrest of seven poaching teams and removal of snares facilitated the survival of three resident female tigers and at least 11 cubs.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lam, W. Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Phung, C. C. |author3=Mat, Z. A. |author4=Jamaluddin, H. |author5=Sivayogam, C. P. |author6=Zainal Abidin, F. A. |author7=Sulaiman, A. |author8=Cheok, M. K. Y. |author9=Osama, N. A. W. |author10=Sabaan, S. |author11=Abu Hashim, A. K. |author12=Booton, M. D. |author13=Harihar, A. |author14=Clements, G. R. |author15=Pickles, R. S. A. |year=2023 |title=Using a crime prevention framework to evaluate tiger counter-poaching in a Southeast Asian rainforest |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |volume=4 |page=1213552 |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2023.1213552 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Army and police officers are deployed for patrolling together with staff of protected areas in Malaysia.<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
]s are important conservation measures as they facilitate tiger populations to connect between protected areas; tigers use at least nine corridors that were established in the ] and ] in both Nepal and India.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bhatt, T. R. |author2=Castley, J. G. |author3=Sims-Castley, R. |author4=Bara, H. S. |author5=Chauvenet, A. L. M.|year=2023 |title=Connecting tiger (''Panthera tigris'') populations in Nepal: Identification of corridors among tiger-bearing protected areas |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=13 |issue=5 |page=e10140 |doi=10.1002/ece3.10140 |doi-access=free |pmid=37261321 |pmc=10227491 |bibcode=2023EcoEv..1310140B |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
* The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris sondaica'') was limited to the Indonesian island of ]. It now seems likely that this subspecies was made extinct in the ], as a result of hunting and habitat destruction, but the extinction of this subspecies was extremely probable from the ] onwards (when it is thought that fewer than 25 tigers remained in the wild). The last specimen was sighted in ]. | |||
Corridors in forested areas with low human encroachment are highly suitable.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Harihar, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Pandav, B. |author3=Ghosh-Harihar, M. |author4=Goodrich, J. |year=2020 |title=Demographic and ecological correlates of a recovering tiger (''Panthera tigris'') population: Lessons learnt from 13-years of monitoring |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=252 |page=108848 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108848|bibcode=2020BCons.25208848H}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rahaman, M. H. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Masroor, M. |author3=Sajjad, H. |author4=Saha, T. K. |year=2024 |title=Assessment of habitat suitability and potential corridors for Bengal Tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') in Valmiki Tiger Reserve, India, using MaxEnt model and Least-Cost modeling approach |journal=Environmental Modeling & Assessment |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=405–422 |doi=10.1007/s10666-024-09966-w |bibcode=2024EMdAs..29..405R}}</ref> | |||
In West Sumatra, 12 wildlife corridors were identified as high priority for mitigating human–wildlife conflicts.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rahman |first1=H. |last2=Hidayat |first2=R. H. |last3=Nofrizal|first3=A. Y. |last4=Wilastra |first4=I. |last5=Nasution |first5=A. F. R. |year=2023 |title=Priority corridor zone for human-tiger conflict mitigation: A landscape connectivity approach in West Sumatra region, Indonesia |journal=Journal for Nature Conservation |volume=76 |page=126501 |doi=10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126501 |bibcode=2023JNatC..7626501R |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
In 2019, China and Russia signed a ] for transboundary cooperation between two protected areas, ] and ], that includes the creation of wildlife corridors and bilateral monitoring and patrolling along the Sino-Russian border.<ref>{{cite report |author=Paudyal, B. N. |year=2023 |title=Evaluation of the project on transboundary cooperation on the conservation of Amur tigers, Amur leopards and Snow leopards in North-East Asia |publisher=United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |place=Bangkok, Thailand |url=https://repository.unescap.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12870/6674/ESCAP-2023-RP-Transboundary-cooperation-conservation-Amur-tigers-Amur-leopards-Snow-leopards-ENEA.pdf |access-date=7 April 2024 |archive-date=7 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407175636/https://repository.unescap.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12870/6674/ESCAP-2023-RP-Transboundary-cooperation-conservation-Amur-tigers-Amur-leopards-Snow-leopards-ENEA.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Rescued and ] problem tigers and ]ed tiger cubs have been released into the wild and monitored in India, Sumatra and Russia.<ref name=Sarkar2016/><ref name=Priatna2012>{{cite journal |author1=Priatna, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Santosa, Y. |author3=Prasetyo, L. B. |author4=Kartono, A. P. |title=Home range and movements of male translocated problem tigers in Sumatra |year=2012 |journal=Asian Journal of Conservation Biology |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=20–30 |url=http://ajcb.in/journals/full_papers/4_AJCB-VOL1-ISSUE1-Priatna%20et%20al.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rozhnov, V. V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Naidenko, S. V. |author3=Hernandez–Blanco, J. A. |author4=Chistopolova, M. D. |author5=Sorokin, P. A. |author6=Yachmennikova, A. A. |author7=Blidchenko, E. Yu. |author8=Kalinin, A. Yu. |author9=Kastrikin, V. A. |year=2021 |title=Restoration of the Amur Tiger (''Panthera tigris altaica'') population in the Northwest of its distribution area |journal=Biological Bulletin |volume=48 |issue=8 |pages=1401–1423 |doi=10.1134/S1062359021080239|bibcode=2021BioBu..48.1401R}}</ref> | |||
* The ''']''' or '''Persian Tiger''' (''Panthera tigris virgata'') appears to have become extinct in the late ], with the last reliable sighting in ], though it is thought that such a tiger was last shot dead in the south-eastern-most part of Turkey in ]. Historically it ranged through ], ], ], ], the former ] and ]. This tiger was said to be yellow with black stripes. The Caspian tiger was one of two subspecies of tiger (along with the Bengal) that was used by the Romans to battle ] and other animals, including the ]. | |||
In Kazakhstan, ] and ] of prey species in ] have progressed and tiger reintroduction is planned for 2025.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gray, T. N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Rosenbaum, R. |author3=Jiang, G. |author4=Izquierdo, P. |author5=Yongchao, J .I. N. |author6=Kesaro, L. |author7=Lyet, A. |author8=Pasha, M. K. S. |author9=Patterson, D. J. |author10=Channa, P. |author11=Jinzhe, Q. I. |author12=Ripple, W. J. |author13=Roberts, J. L. |author14=Roy, S. |author15=Shwe, N. M. |author16=Wolf, C. |author17=Chapman, S. |year=2023 |title=Restoring Asia's roar: Opportunities for tiger recovery across the historic range |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |volume=4 |page=1124340 |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2023.1124340 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Reintroduction of tigers is considered possible in eastern Cambodia, once management of protected areas is improved and forest loss stabilized.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gray, T. N. E. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Crouthers, R. |author3=Ramesh, K. |author4=Vattakaven, J. |author5=Borah, J. |author6=Pasha, M. K. S. |author7=Lim, T. |author8=Phan, C. |author9=Singh, R. |author10=Long, B. |author11=Chapman, S. |year=2017 |title=A framework for assessing readiness for Tiger ''Panthera tigris'' reintroduction: a case study from eastern Cambodia |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |volume=26 |issue=10 |pages=2383–2399 |doi=10.1007/s10531-017-1365-1|bibcode=2017BiCon..26.2383G}}</ref> South China tigers are kept and bred in Chinese zoos, with plans to reintroduce their offspring into remote protected areas.<ref name=Wang2023/><ref name=Fàbregas/> Coordinated ]s among ]s have led to enough genetic diversity in tigers to act as "insurance against extinction in the wild".<ref name=Lou2008>{{cite journal|last1=Luo|first1=S.-J.|last2=Johnson|first2=W. E. |last3=Martenson |first3=J. |last4=Antunes |first4=A. |last5=Martelli |first5=P. |last6=Uphyrkina, O. |last7=Traylor-Holzer |first7=K. |last8=Smith|first8=J. L. D. |last9=O'Brien|first9=S. J. |year=2008 |title=Subspecies genetic assignments of worldwide captive tigers increase conservation value of captive populations |journal=Current Biology |volume=18 |issue=8 |pages=592–596 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2008.03.053 |pmid=18424146 |name-list-style=amp |bibcode=2008CBio...18..592L}}</ref> | |||
== Relationship with humans == | |||
* The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris trinilensis'') is the oldest tiger fossil dating from about 1.2 million years ago. This tiger was found at the locality of ], ], ]. <ref>Van den Hoek Ostende. 1999. Javan Tiger - Ruthlessly hunted down. . Downloaded on 11 August 2006.</ref> | |||
] | |||
=== Hunting === | |||
==Traditional Asian medicine== | |||
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article --> | |||
Tiger parts are used in traditional Chinese medicines. Many people in China believe that tiger parts have medicinal properties. There is no scientific corroboration to these beliefs, which include: | |||
{{Main|Tiger hunting}} | |||
Tigers have been hunted by humans for millennia, as indicated by a painting on the ] in India that is dated to 5,000–6,000 years ago. They were hunted throughout their range in Asia, chased on horseback, elephant-back or even with sled dogs and killed with spears and later firearms. Such hunts were conducted both by native governments and empires like the ], as well as European colonists. Tigers were often hunted as ] and because of their perceived danger.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=187–200}} An estimated 80,000 tigers were killed between 1875 and 1925.<ref name="Tiger-hunting">{{cite book |year=2005 |title=The Treasures of Indian Wildlife |location=Mumbai |publisher=Bombay Natural History Society |pages=22–27 |chapter=The Manpoora Tiger (about a Tiger Hunt in Rajpootanah) |editor1=Kothari, A. S. |editor2=Chhapgar, B. S. |editor3=Chhapgar, B. F. |isbn=0195677285 }}</ref>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=193}} | |||
===Attacks=== | |||
*The tail of the tiger is sometimes ground and mixed with ] to create an ] for use in treating ]. | |||
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article --> | |||
*The bones found in the tip of the tiger's tail are said to ward off evil spirits. | |||
{{main article|Tiger attack}} | |||
*Crushed tiger bones added to ] serves as a Taiwanese general tonic. | |||
]s|alt=Tiger standing along the banks of a mangrove swamp]] | |||
*Tiger's skin is said to cure a fever caused by ghosts. In order to use it effectively, the user must sit on the tiger's skin, but beware. If too much time is spent on the tiger's skin, legend says the user will become a tiger. | |||
In most areas, tigers avoid humans, but attacks are a risk wherever people coexist with them.<ref name=conflict/><ref name=Goodrich2010>{{cite journal|last1=Goodrich|first1=J. M. |year=2010 |title=Human–tiger conflict: A review and call for comprehensive plans |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=300–312 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-4877.2010.00218.x |doi-access=free |pmid=21392348}}</ref> Dangerous encounters are more likely to occur in ] habitats between wild and agricultural areas.<ref name=conflict>Nyhus, P. J. & Tilson, R. (2010). "''Panthera tigris'' vs ''Homo sapiens'': Conflict, coexistence, or extinction?" in {{harvnb|Tilson|Nyhus|2010|pp=125–142}}</ref> Most attacks on humans are defensive, including protection of young; however, tigers do sometimes see people as prey.<ref name=Goodrich2010/> ] tigers tend to be old and disabled.<ref name=Miquelle/> Tigers driven from their home ranges are also at risk of turning to man-eating.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=108–110}} | |||
*Adding honey to the ] and applying the combination to the hands and feet is said to effectively treat ]. | |||
*Burnt tiger hair can allegedly drive away ]. | |||
*Mixing the ] of a tiger with oil and rubbing the mixture on your body is an alleged cure for both laziness and ]. | |||
*Rolling the ]s into pills is an alleged remedy for ]. | |||
*If whiskers are kept as a charm, legend says one will be protected against bullets and have increased ]. | |||
*One will allegedly possess courage and shall be protected from sudden fright if you wear a tiger's claw as a piece of ] or carry one in your pocket. | |||
*Strength, cunning, and courage can allegedly be obtained by consuming a tiger's ]. | |||
*Floating ribs of a tiger are considered a good luck ]. | |||
*The tiger's penis is (erroneously) said to be an aphrodisiac. | |||
*Small bones in a tiger's feet tied to a child's ] are said to be a sure cure for convulsions. | |||
At the beginning of the 20th century, the ] was responsible for over 430 human deaths in Nepal and India before she was shot by ].{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=276}} This tigress suffered from broken teeth and was unable to kill normal prey. Modern authors speculate that sustaining on meagre human flesh forced the cat to kill more and more.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=73–74}} Tiger attacks were particularly high in Singapore during the mid-19th century, when plantations expanded into the tiger's habitat.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Powell |first=M. A. |year=2016 |title=People in peril, environments at risk: coolies, tigers, and colonial Singapore's ecology of poverty |journal=Environment and History |volume=22|issue=3|pages=455–482|doi=10.3197/096734016X14661540219393 |jstor=24810674|hdl=10356/88201 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> In the 1840s, the number of deaths in the area ranged from 200 to 300 annually.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=274}} ] caused 1,396 human deaths in the period 1935–2006 according to official records of the ].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barlow, A. C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Ahmad, I. |author3=Smith, J. L. |year=2013 |title=Profiling tigers (''Panthera tigris'') to formulate management responses to human-killing in the Bangladesh Sundarbans |journal=Wildlife Biology in Practice |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=30–39 |doi=10.2461/wbp.2013.9.6|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }}</ref> Victims of these attacks are local villagers who enter the tiger's domain to collect resources like wood and honey. Fishermen have been particularly common targets. Methods to counter tiger attacks have included face masks worn backwards, protective clothes, sticks and carefully stationed electric dummies.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=111–113}} | |||
==Tigers in literature and popular culture== | |||
===Captivity=== | |||
<div style="float: right; width: 18em; padding: .5em; margin: .5em; border: 1px solid #ccc;"> | |||
{{Multiple image |align= right |direction=vertical|image1=Clean Toes are a Tiger's Friend (15588882074).jpg |caption1=Tiger at ] in 2014 |image2=Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Gunther Gebel-Williams 1969.jpg |caption2=Publicity photo of animal trainer ] with several of his trained tigers, {{circa}} 1969|alt=Tiger behind a fence (top) and black-and-white photo of man kneeing in front of six tigers lying down with circus audience in background}} | |||
''Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright''<br/> | |||
''In the forests of the night,''<br/> | |||
''What immortal hand or eye''<br/> | |||
''Could frame thy fearful symmetry?...'' | |||
Tigers have been kept in captivity since ancient times. In ], tigers were displayed in ]s; they were slaughtered in ] hunts and used to ].<ref>Manfredi, P. "The Tiger in the Ancient World" in {{harvnb|Thapar|2004|p=173}}</ref> The Mongol ruler ] is reported to have kept tigers in the 13th century. Starting in the ], tigers were being kept in European ]s.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=179–180}} Tigers and other exotic animals were mainly used for the entertainment of elites but from the 19th century onward, they were exhibited more to the public. Tigers were particularly big attractions and their captive population soared.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=126–130}} In 2020, there were over 8,000 captive tigers in Asia, over 5,000 in the US and no less than 850 in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|title=EU's 'unlikely' role in global tiger trade revealed in new WWF, TRAFFIC report|publisher=World Wildlife Fund for Nature|date=30 September 2020|url=https://tigers.panda.org/?916741/EU-tigers-trade-WWF-report|accessdate=6 June 2023}}</ref> There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild.<ref name=Lou2008/> Captive tigers may display ]s such as pacing or inactivity. Modern zoos are able to reduce such behaviours with exhibits designed so the animals can move between separate but connected enclosures.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=K. D.|last2=Snider|first2=R. J. |last3=Dembiec |first3=D. P.|last4=Siegford|first4=J. M.|last5=Ali|first5=A. B.|year=2023|title=Effects of a modern exhibit design on captive tiger welfare |journal=Zoo Biology|volume=42|issue=3|pages=371–382|doi=10.1002/zoo.21746|pmid=36478300 |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Enrichment items are also important for the cat's welfare and the stimulation of its natural behaviours.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Damasceno |first1=J. |last2=Genaro |first2=G. |last3=Quirke |first3=T. |last4=McCarthy |first4=S. |last5=McKeown |first5=S. |last6=O'Riordan |first6=R. |year=2017|title=The effects of intrinsic enrichment on captive felids |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=186–192 |doi=10.1002/zoo.21361|pmid=29165868 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
<small>William Blake, "]", ''Songs of Experience''. The most anthologized poem in the English language.</small> | |||
</div> | |||
Tigers have played prominent roles in ]es and other live performances. ] included many tiger tamers in the 20th century including ], who became a big draw and had a long career. She was well known for being able to control the tigers despite being a small woman; using "manly" tools like whips and guns. Another trainer was ], who used chairs, whips and guns to provoke tigers and other beasts into acting fierce and allowed him to appear courageous. He would perform with as many as 40 tigers and lions in one act. From the 1960s onward, trainers like ] would use gentler methods to control their animals. ] was dubbed "the Tiger Whisperer" as she trained the cats to obey her by whispering to them.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=202–204}} ] became famous for performing with white tigers in ]. The act ended in 2003 when a tiger attacked Roy during a performance.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=140–141}} In 2009, tigers were the most traded circus animals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Iossa |first1=G. |last2=Soulsbury |first2=C. D. |last3=Harris |first3=S. |date=2009 |title=Are wild animals suited to a travelling circus life? |journal=Animal Welfare |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=129–140 |doi=10.1017/S0962728600000270 |s2cid=32259865 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The use of tigers and other animals in shows eventually declined in many countries due to pressure from ] groups and greater desires from the public to see them in more natural settings. Several countries restrict or ban such acts.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=204–205}} | |||
The word "tiger" is borrowed from Greek "''tigris''", itself borrowed from ] (). American English "Tigress" was first recorded in 1611. Tiger's-eyes "yellowish-brown quartz" is recorded from 1891. | |||
Tigers have become popular in the ] trade, particularly in the United States{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=214}} where only 6% of the captive tiger population in 2020 were being housed in zoos and other facilities approved by the ].<ref name=Worldwildlife/> Private collectors are thought to be ill-equipped to provide proper care for tigers, which compromises their welfare. They can also threaten public safety by allowing people to interact with them.<ref name=Worldwildlife>{{cite web |author=Henry, L. |date=2020 |title=5 Things Tiger King Doesn't Explain About Captive Tigers |website=World Wildlife Fund for Nature |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/5-things-tiger-king-doesn-t-explain-about-captive-tigers |accessdate=19 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220001943/https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/5-things-tiger-king-doesn-t-explain-about-captive-tigers |url-status=live}}</ref> The keeping of tigers and other big cats by private people was banned in the US in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |date=2023|title=June 18 Deadline for Compliance With Big Cat Public Safety Act|website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-04/big-cat-owners-must-register-june-18#:~:text=The%20Big%20Cat%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20makes%20it%20illegal%20to,with%20big%20cats%2C%20including%20cubs |accessdate=20 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220231426/https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-04/big-cat-owners-must-register-june-18#:~:text=The%20Big%20Cat%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20makes%20it%20illegal%20to,with%20big%20cats%2C%20including%20cubs |url-status=live}}</ref> Most countries in the European Union have banned breeding and keeping tigers outside of licensed zoos and rescue centres, but some still allow private holdings.<ref>{{cite report|title=Guidance Document on the export, re-export and intra-EU trade of captive-born and bred live tigers and their parts and derivatives|publisher=European Commission|date=18 April 2023|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52023XC0418(01)#:~:text=While%20most%20EU%20Member%20States,and%20travelling%20exhibitions%20(9)|accessdate=6 June 2024}}</ref> | |||
The tiger has certainly managed to appeal to man's imagination. Both ] in '']'' and ] in his '']'' depict the tiger as a ferocious, fearful animal. In ''The Jungle Book'', the tiger ] is the biggest and most dangerous enemy of ], the uncrowned king of the jungle. Even in the ] ], '']'', Hobbes the tiger sometimes escapes his role of cuddly animal. At the other end of the scale there is ], the tiger from ]'s ] stories, who is always happy and never induces fear. In the award winning ''A Tiger for Malgudi'', a ] befriends a tiger. Rajah, a pet of the character Jasmine of Disney's animated feature film ], is uncharacteristically ]-like in its behavior, but even more oddly '']'' is renowned for his '']'' and may be the only cat, real or fictional, who thrives on a vegetarian diet. | |||
===Cultural significance=== | |||
A stylized tiger cub was a mascot of the ] of ] with the name "]", and the tiger is one of the most chosen animals to be a mascot for sports teams, e.g. ] team ] and English rugby club ]. | |||
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article --> | |||
{{main|Cultural depictions of tigers}} | |||
{{further information|Tiger worship}} | |||
]|alt=Badge of black tiger with golden stripes]] | |||
The tiger is among the most famous of the ]. ] has called it "a rare combination of courage, ferocity and brilliant colour",<ref name=Sankhala/> while Candy d'Sa calls it "fierce and commanding on the outside, but noble and discerning on the inside". In a 2004 online poll involving more than 50,000 people from 73 countries, the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal with 21% of the vote, narrowly beating the dog.<ref>{{cite news |date=2004 |title=Endangered tiger earns its stripes as the world's most popular beast |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041206/ai_n12814678 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080120222416/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041206/ai_n12814678|url-status=dead |archive-date=20 January 2008|work=] |access-date=7 March 2009}}</ref> Similarly, a 2018 study found the tiger to be the most popular wild animal based on surveys, as well as appearances on websites of major zoos and posters of some animated movies.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Albert |first1=C. |name-list-style=amp|last2=Luque |first2=G. M.|last3=Courchamp|first3=F. |year=2018|title=The twenty most charismatic species |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=13|issue=7|page=e0199149|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0199149|doi-access=free |pmid=29985962 |pmc=6037359|bibcode=2018PLoSO..1399149A}}</ref> | |||
While the lion represented royalty and power in ], the tiger played such a role in various ]. In ], the tiger was seen as the "king of the forest" and symbolised the power of the ].<ref name=Symbolism>{{cite book |first=H. B. |last=Werness |year=2007 |title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art |publisher=Continuum |place=New York |pages=402–404|isbn=978-0826419132}}</ref> In ], the tiger is the third out of 12 symbols in the ] and controls the period between 15:00 and 17:00 o'clock in the afternoon. The ] is thought to bring "dramatic and extreme events". The ] is one of the ] of the ], representing the west along with the ] and the season of autumn. It is the counterpart to the ], which conversely symbolises the east, yang and springtime.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=39, 46}} The tiger is one of the animals displayed on the ] of the ]. The big cat was depicted on seals and coins during the ] of southern India, as it was the official emblem.<ref>Thapar, R. "In Times Past" in {{harvnb|Thapar|2004|pp=156, 164}}</ref> | |||
Humble Oil, a division of ] (Jersey Standard), used a stylized tiger to promote gasoline and the slogan "Put a Tiger in your Tank". Jersey Standard adopted the use of a real tiger in its advertising when it took the Exxon name company-wide in 1972, and the brand kept the tiger mascot as a part of ExxonMobil when they merged in ]. | |||
] riding a tiger. ] school, early 18th century|alt=Painting of an eight-armed goddess riding a tiger biting a buffalo demon]] | |||
Most recently, ] won the Man ] in 2002 with his novel '']'' about an Indian boy castaway on the ] with a Royal Bengal Tiger. | |||
Tigers have had religious and folkloric significance. In ], the tiger, monkey and deer are the Three Senseless Creatures, with the tiger symbolising anger.<ref name=Cooper92>{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=J. C. |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals |pages=227 |year=1992 |publisher=Aquarian Press |location=London |isbn=978-1-85538-118-6}}</ref> In ], the tiger is the ] of ], the goddess of feminine power and peace, whom the gods created to fight demons. Similarly, in the ], the tiger was depicted being ridden by the god ]. In ], tigers are messengers of the ]s.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=60, 86–88, 96}} In both ] and ], tigers are seen as protectors against evil spirits and their image was used to decorate homes, tombs and articles of clothing.<ref name=Symbolism/>{{sfn|Green|2006|p=96}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=152}} In the folklore of Malaysia and Indonesia, "tiger ]s" heal the sick by invoking the big cat. People turning into tigers and the inverse has also been widespread; in particular ] are people who could change into tigers and back again. The ] of Indochina believed that tigers could ] into humans.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=152}} Among some ], it was believed that men would seduce women by transforming into tigers.<ref name=Symbolism/> | |||
In the Chinese novel '']'', tigers appeared numerous times as attacking travellers. In the ] story he became famous when slaying with his bare hands a tiger who had been terrorizing the local towns nearly a decade. In reality, wild tigers, being dwellers of the jungle, have rarely been found in larger human cities in China, where the idea of a tiger on the street can act as a symbol of ] or unfounded fear, giving rise to such ] as '']''. The Tiger is one of the 12 ] animals. | |||
]'s 1794 poem "]" portrays the animal as the duality of beauty and ferocity. It is the sister poem to "]" in Blake's '']'' and he ponders how God could create such different creatures. The tiger is featured in the mediaeval Chinese novel '']'', where the cat battles and is slain by the bandit ], while the tiger ] in ]'s '']'' (1894) is the mortal enemy of the human protagonist ]. Friendly tame tigers have also existed in culture, notably ], the ] character and ], the ] cereal mascot.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=72–73, 78, 125–127, 147–148}} | |||
In the popular children's book series ], the Siberian Tiger is the favorite and battle morph of Animorphs leader Jake. | |||
== |
== See also == | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
{{clear}} | |||
The Tiger is the national animal of: | |||
*] (Royal Bengal Tiger) | |||
*], along with Dragon and Panda; the Tiger is the unofficial symbol | |||
*] (Royal Bengal Tiger) | |||
*] | |||
*] (Royal Bengal Tiger) | |||
*] (Siberian Tiger) | |||
*] | |||
*Former ] along with the black eagle (currently it is the ] (]) (official) and ] (unofficial)) | |||
*Former ] (Siberian Tiger) (currently it is the ] and golden ]) | |||
== |
== References == | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
Video of the Panthera tigris at Disney's Animal Kingdom | |||
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===Bibliography=== | |||
* Video of the Siberian Tiger and other Endangered Animals. | |||
* {{cite book|last1=Thapar |first1=V. |author-link=Valmik Thapar|year=2004|title=Tiger: The Ultimate Guide |publisher=CDS Books |place=New Delhi |isbn=1-59315-024-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/tigerultimategui0000thap/mode/2up}} | |||
* Video of the Sumatran Tiger and other Endangered Animals. | |||
* {{cite book|last=Green|first=S. |year=2006|title=Tiger|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-276-8 |place=London}} | |||
* Video of the Indochinese Tiger and other Endangered Animals. | |||
* {{cite book |editor-last=MacDonald |editor-first=D. |year=2001 |title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |edition=Second |publisher=Oxford University Press |place=Oxford |isbn=978-0-7607-1969-5}} | |||
* Free images of the Indochinese Tiger and other Endangered Animals. | |||
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Tilson|editor1-first=R. |editor2-last=Nyhus|editor2-first=P. J. |year=2010|title=Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics and Conservation of ''Panthera tigris'' |publisher=Academic Press |edition=Second |isbn=978-0-08-094751-8 |place=London}} | |||
* Free images of the Siberian Tiger and other Endangered Animals. | |||
* {{cite book|last=Mills|first=S. |year=2004|title=Tiger|publisher=Firefly Books|isbn=1-55297-949-0 |place=Richmond Hill|url=https://archive.org/details/tiger0000mill/mode/2up}} | |||
* Free images of the Sumatran Tiger and other Endangered Animals. | |||
* {{cite book|last=Schaller|first=G. B.|authorlink=George Schaller|year=1967|title=The Deer and the Tiger: A Study of Wildlife in India |publisher=University of Chicago Press |place=Chicago |isbn=0-226-73631-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/deertigerstudyof0000scha/page/n419/mode/2up}} | |||
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Seidensticker|editor1-first=J. |editor2-last=Christie|editor2-first=S. |editor3-last=Jackson|editor3-first=P. |editor3-link=Peter Jackson (conservationist) |year=1999 |title=Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human-Dominated Landscapes |publisher=Cambridge University Press |place=Cambridge |isbn=978-0521648356|url=https://archive.org/details/ridingtigertiger00unse}} | |||
* {{cite book |last1=Sludskii |first1=A. A. |chapter=Tiger ''Panthera tigris'' Linnaeus, 1758 |pages=95–202 |editor1=Heptner, V. G. |editor2=Sludskii, A. A. |year=1992 |title=Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola |trans-title=Mammals of the Soviet Union |volume=((II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) )) |edition=Second |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation |location=Washington DC|isbn=978-90-04-08876-4 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalsofsov221992gept#page/94/mode/2up}} | |||
== |
== External links == | ||
* {{Commons and category inline|Panthera tigris|linktext=''Panthera tigris''}} | |||
* ] | |||
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Panthera tigris|''Panthera tigris''}} | |||
* ] | |||
* {{Wikiquote-inline|Tigers}} | |||
* ] (popularly known as the ''Sabertooth tiger'', but not actually closely related to tigers) | |||
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Tigers}} | |||
* ], a hybrid of a male tiger and female ] | |||
* {{cite web|url=http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=124|publisher=] Cat Specialist Group|title=Tiger ''Panthera tigris''}} | |||
* ], a hybrid of a male lion and female tiger | |||
* ], a Buddhist temple in Thailand famous for its tame tigers | |||
* ], two famous tamers of tigers | |||
* ] | |||
{{Carnivora|Fe.}} | |||
==References== | |||
<references/> | |||
*], <cite>Man-eaters of Kumaon</cite>, Oxford University Press, 1946 | |||
* Mazák, V. 1981. Panthera tigris. Mammalian Species, 152: 1-8. American Society of Mammalogists. () | |||
*Tom brakefield, <cite>Big cats kingdom of might</cite>, Voyageur press, 1993 | |||
* http://www.pbs.org/edens/bhutan/a_tiger.htm | |||
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q19939|from2=Q41083521}} | |||
==External links== | |||
{{commons|Panthera tigris|Panthera tigris}} | |||
{{Wikispecies|Panthera tigris}} | |||
* Research and Conservation of of tigers in the largest remaining mangrove forest in the world. | |||
* Gentic testing data base of tigers, Saving Tigers One By One. | |||
* Securing a future for Tigers in the wild | |||
* Information about the Earth's vanishing Tigers. | |||
* - Live Webcam of Tigers at a Zoo | |||
* | |||
*Author Valmik Thapar on the tiger crisis | |||
* Scientist Ullas Karanth on the road ahead | |||
* | |||
* | |||
*ARKive - | |||
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Latest revision as of 06:24, 23 January 2025
Species of large cat "Tigress" redirects here. For other uses, see Tiger (disambiguation) and Tigress (disambiguation).
Tiger Temporal range: Early Pleistocene – Present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ | |
---|---|
A Bengal tigress in Kanha Tiger Reserve, India | |
Conservation status | |
Endangered (IUCN 3.1) | |
CITES Appendix I (CITES) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
Genus: | Panthera |
Species: | P. tigris |
Binomial name | |
Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Subspecies | |
Tiger distribution as of 2022 | |
Synonyms | |
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a large cat and a member of the genus Panthera native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into nine recent subspecies, though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of the Sunda Islands.
Throughout the tiger's range, it inhabits mainly forests, from coniferous and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the Russian Far East and Northeast China to tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests on the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The tiger is an apex predator and preys mainly on ungulates, which it takes by ambush. It lives a mostly solitary life and occupies home ranges, defending these from individuals of the same sex. The range of a male tiger overlaps with that of multiple females with whom he mates. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs that stay with their mother for about two years. When becoming independent, they leave their mother's home range and establish their own.
Since the early 20th century, tiger populations have lost at least 93% of their historic range and are locally extinct in West and Central Asia, in large areas of China and on the islands of Java and Bali. Today, the tiger's range is severely fragmented. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as its range is thought to have declined by 53% to 68% since the late 1990s. Major threats to tigers are habitat destruction and fragmentation due to deforestation, poaching for fur and the illegal trade of body parts for medicinal purposes. Tigers are also victims of human–wildlife conflict as they attack and prey on livestock in areas where natural prey is scarce. The tiger is legally protected in all range countries. National conservation measures consist of action plans, anti-poaching patrols and schemes for monitoring tiger populations. In several range countries, wildlife corridors have been established and tiger reintroduction is planned.
The tiger is among the most popular of the world's charismatic megafauna. It has been kept in captivity since ancient times and has been trained to perform in circuses and other entertainment shows. The tiger featured prominently in the ancient mythology and folklore of cultures throughout its historic range and has continued to appear in culture worldwide.
Etymology
The Old English tigras derives from Old French tigre, from Latin tigris, which was a borrowing from tigris (Ancient Greek: τίγρις). Since ancient times, the word tigris has been suggested to originate from the Armenian or Persian word for 'arrow', which may also be the origin of the name for the river Tigris. However, today, the names are thought to be homonyms, and the connection between the tiger and the river is doubted.
Taxonomy
In 1758, Carl Linnaeus described the tiger in his work Systema Naturae and gave it the scientific name Felis tigris, as the genus Felis was being used for all cats at the time. His scientific description was based on descriptions by earlier naturalists such as Conrad Gessner and Ulisse Aldrovandi. In 1929, Reginald Innes Pocock placed the species in the genus Panthera using the scientific name Panthera tigris.
Subspecies
Nine recent tiger subspecies have been proposed between the early 19th and early 21st centuries, namely the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South China, Siberian, Caspian, Javan, Bali and Sumatran tigers. The validity of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999 as most putative subspecies were distinguished on the basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size of specimens in natural history museum collections that are not necessarily representative for the entire population. It was proposed to recognise only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely P. t. tigris in mainland Asia and the smaller P. t. sondaica in the Greater Sunda Islands.
This two-subspecies proposal was reaffirmed in 2015 through a comprehensive analysis of morphological, ecological and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) traits of all putative tiger subspecies. In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy in accordance with the 2015 two-subspecies proposal and recognised only P. t. tigris and P. t. sondaica. Results of a 2018 whole-genome sequencing study of 32 samples from the six living putative subspecies—the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South China, Siberian and Sumatran tiger—found them to be distinct and separate clades. These results were corroborated in 2021 and 2023. The Cat Specialist Group states that "Given the varied interpretations of data, the taxonomy of this species is currently under review by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group."
The following tables are based on the classification of the tiger as of 2005, and also reflect the classification recognised by the Cat Classification Task Force in 2017.
Population | Description | Image |
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Bengal tiger formerly P. t. tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) | This population inhabits the Indian subcontinent. The Bengal tiger has shorter fur than tigers further north, with a light tawny to orange-red colouration, and relatively long and narrow nostrils. | |
† Caspian tiger formerly P. t. virgata (Illiger, 1815) | This population occurred from Turkey to around the Caspian Sea. It had bright rusty-red fur with thin and closely spaced brownish stripes, and a broad occipital bone. Genetic analysis revealed that it was closely related to the Siberian tiger. It has been extinct since the 1970s. | |
Siberian tiger formerly P. t. altaica (Temminck, 1844) | This population lives in the Russian Far East, Northeast China and possibly North Korea. The Siberian tiger has long hair and dense fur. Its ground colour varies widely from ochre-yellow in winter to more reddish and vibrant after moulting. The skull is shorter and broader than the skulls of tigers further south. | |
South China tiger formerly P. t. amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905) | This tiger historically lived in south-central China. The skulls of the five type specimens had shorter carnassials and molars than tigers from India, a smaller cranium, orbits set closer together and larger postorbital processes; skins were yellowish with rhombus-like stripes. It has a unique mtDNA haplotype due to interbreeding with ancient tiger lineages. It is extinct in the wild as there has not been a confirmed sighting since the 1970s, and survives only in captivity. | |
Indochinese tiger formerly P. t. corbetti (Mazák, 1968) | This tiger population occurs on the Indochinese Peninsula. Indochinese tiger specimens have smaller craniums than Bengal tigers and appear to have darker fur with somewhat thin stripes. | |
Malayan tiger formerly P. t. jacksoni (Luo et al., 2004) | The Malayan tiger was proposed as a distinct subspecies on the basis of mtDNA and micro-satellite sequences that differ from the Indochinese tiger. It does not differ significantly in fur colour or skull size from Indochinese tigers. There is no clear geographical barrier between tiger populations in northern Malaysia and southern Thailand. |
Population | Description | Image |
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†Javan tiger formerly P. t. sondaica (Temminck, 1944) | This tiger was described based on an unspecified number of skins with short and smooth hair. Tigers from Java were small compared to tigers of the Asian mainland, had relatively elongated skulls compared to the Sumatran tiger and longer, thinner and more numerous stripes. The Javan tiger is thought to have gone extinct by the 1980s. | |
†Bali tiger formerly P. t. balica (Schwarz, 1912) | This tiger occurred on Bali and had brighter fur and a smaller skull than the Javan tiger. A typical feature of Bali tiger skulls is the narrow occipital bone, which is similar to the Javan tiger's skull. The tiger went extinct in the 1940s. | |
Sumatran tiger formerly P. t. sumatrae (Pocock, 1929) | The type specimen from Sumatra had dark fur. The Sumatran tiger has particularly long hair around the face, thick body stripes and a broader and smaller nasal bone than other island tigers. |
Evolution
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Phylogeny of the genus Panthera based on a 2016 nuclear DNA study |
The tiger shares the genus Panthera with the lion, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. Results of genetic analyses indicate that the tiger and snow leopard are sister species whose lineages split from each other between 2.70 and 3.70 million years ago. The tiger's whole genome sequencing shows repeated sequences that parallel those in other cat genomes.
The fossil species Panthera palaeosinensis of early Pleistocene northern China was described as a possible tiger ancestor when it was discovered in 1924, but modern cladistics places it as basal to modern Panthera. Panthera zdanskyi lived around the same time and place, and was suggested to be a sister species of the modern tiger when it was examined in 2014. However, as of 2023, at least two subsequent studies considered P. zdanskyi likely to be a synonym of P. palaeosinensis, noting that its proposed differences from that species fell within the range of individual variation. The earliest appearance of the modern tiger species in the fossil record are jaw fragments from Lantion in China that are dated to the early Pleistocene.
Middle- to late-Pleistocene tiger fossils have been found throughout China, Sumatra and Java. Prehistoric subspecies include Panthera tigris trinilensis and P. t. soloensis of Java and Sumatra and P. t. acutidens of China; late Pleistocene and early Holocene fossils of tigers have also been found in Borneo and Palawan, Philippines. Fossil specimens of tigers have also been reported from the Middle-Late Pleistocene of Japan. Results of a phylogeographic study indicate that all living tigers have a common ancestor that lived between 108,000 and 72,000 years ago. Genetic studies suggest that the tiger population contracted around 115,000 years ago due to glaciation. Modern tiger populations originated from a refugium in Indochina and spread across Asia after the Last Glacial Maximum. As they colonised northeastern China, the ancestors of the South China tiger intermixed with a relict tiger population.
Hybrids
Further information: Felid hybrids and Panthera hybridTigers can interbreed with other Panthera cats and have done so in captivity. The liger is the offspring of a female tiger and a male lion and the tigon the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion. The lion sire passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female tiger is absent, so that ligers grow far larger than either parent species. By contrast, the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene while the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene; hence, tigons are around the same size as their parents. Since they often develop life-threatening birth defects and can easily become obese, breeding these hybrids is regarded as unethical.
Characteristics
The tiger has a typical felid morphology, with a muscular body, shortened legs, strong forelimbs with wide front paws, a large head and a tail that is about half the length of the rest of its body. It has five digits, including a dewclaw, on the front feet and four on the back, all of which have retractile claws that are compact and curved, and can reach 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The ears are rounded and the eyes have a round pupil. The snout ends in a triangular, pink tip with small black dots, the number of which increase with age. The tiger's skull is robust, with a constricted front region, proportionally small, elliptical orbits, long nasal bones and a lengthened cranium with a large sagittal crest. It resembles a lion's skull, but differs from it in the concave or flattened underside of the lower jaw and in its longer nasals. The tiger has 30 fairly robust teeth and its somewhat curved canines are the longest in the cat family at 6.4–7.6 cm (2.5–3.0 in).
The tiger has a head-body length of 1.4–2.8 m (4 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in) with a 0.6–1.1 m (2 ft 0 in – 3 ft 7 in) tail and stands 0.8–1.1 m (2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 7 in) at the shoulder. The Siberian and Bengal tigers are the largest. Male Bengal tigers weigh 200–260 kg (440–570 lb), and females weigh 100–160 kg (220–350 lb); island tigers are the smallest, likely due to insular dwarfism. Male Sumatran tigers weigh 100–140 kg (220–310 lb), and females weigh 75–110 kg (165–243 lb). The tiger is popularly thought to be the largest living felid species; but since tigers of the different subspecies and populations vary greatly in size and weight, the tiger's average size may be less than the lion's, while the largest tigers are bigger than their lion counterparts.
Coat
The tiger's coat usually has short hairs, reaching up to 35 mm (1.4 in), though the hairs of the northern-living Siberian tiger can reach 105 mm (4.1 in). Belly hairs tend to be longer than back hairs. The density of their fur is usually thin, though the Siberian tiger develops a particularly thick winter coat. The tiger has lines of fur around the face and long whiskers, especially in males. It has an orange colouration that varies from yellowish to reddish. White fur covers the underside, from head to tail, along with the inner surface of the legs and parts of the face. On the back of the ears, it has a prominent white spot, which is surrounded by black. The tiger is marked with distinctive black or dark brown stripes, which are uniquely patterned in each individual. The stripes are mostly vertical, but those on the limbs and forehead are horizontal. They are more concentrated towards the backside and those on the trunk may reach under the belly. The tips of stripes are generally sharp and some may split up or split and fuse again. Tail stripes are thick bands and a black tip marks the end.
The tiger is one of only a few striped cat species. Stripes are advantageous for camouflage in vegetation with vertical patterns of light and shade, such as trees, reeds and tall grass. This is supported by a Fourier analysis study showing that the striping patterns line up with their environment. The orange colour may also aid in concealment, as the tiger's prey is colour blind and possibly perceives the tiger as green and blended in with the vegetation.
Colour variations
The three colour variants of Bengal tigers – nearly stripeless snow-white, white and golden – are now virtually non-existent in the wild due to the reduction of wild tiger populations but continue in captive populations. The white tiger has a white background colour with sepia-brown stripes. The golden tiger is pale golden with reddish-brown stripes. The snow-white tiger is a morph with extremely faint stripes and a pale sepia-brown ringed tail. White and golden morphs are the result of an autosomal recessive trait with a white locus and a wideband locus, respectively. The snow-white variation is caused by polygenes with both white and wideband loci. The breeding of white tigers is controversial, as they have no use for conservation. Only 0.001% of wild tigers have the genes for this colour morph and the overrepresentation of white tigers in captivity is the result of inbreeding. Hence, their continued breeding will risk both inbreeding depression and loss of genetic variability in captive tigers.
Pseudo-melanistic tigers with thick, merged stripes have been recorded in Simlipal National Park and three Indian zoos; a population genetic analysis of Indian tiger samples revealed that this phenotype is caused by a mutation of a transmembrane aminopeptidase gene. Around 37% of the Simlipal tiger population has this feature, which has been linked to genetic isolation.
Distribution and habitat
The tiger historically ranged from eastern Turkey, northern Iran and Afghanistan to Central Asia and from northern Pakistan through the Indian subcontinent and Indochina to southeastern Siberia, Sumatra, Java and Bali. As of 2022, it inhabits less than 7% of its historical distribution and has a scattered range in the Indian subcontinent, the Indochinese Peninsula, Sumatra, northeastern China and the Russian Far East. As of 2020, India had the largest extent of global tiger habitat with 300,508 km (116,027 sq mi), followed by Russia with 195,819 km (75,606 sq mi).
The tiger mainly lives in forest habitats and is highly adaptable. Records in Central Asia indicate that it primarily inhabited Tugay riverine forests and hilly and lowland forests in the Caucasus. In the Amur-Ussuri region of Russia and China, it inhabits Korean pine and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests; riparian forests serve as dispersal corridors, providing food and water for both tigers and ungulates. On the Indian subcontinent, it inhabits mainly tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tropical moist evergreen forests, tropical dry forests, alluvial plains and the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. In the Eastern Himalayas, it was documented in temperate forest up to an elevation of 4,200 m (13,800 ft) in Bhutan, of 3,630 m (11,910 ft) in the Mishmi Hills and of 3,139 m (10,299 ft) in Mêdog County, southeastern Tibet. In Thailand, it lives in deciduous and evergreen forests. In Sumatra, it inhabits lowland peat swamp forests and rugged montane forests.
Population density
Camera trapping during 2010–2015 in the deciduous and subtropical pine forest of Jim Corbett National Park, northern India revealed a stable tiger population density of 12–17 individuals per 100 km (39 sq mi) in an area of 521 km (201 sq mi). In northern Myanmar, the population density in a sampled area of roughly 3,250 km (1,250 sq mi) in a mosaic of tropical broadleaf forest and grassland was estimated to be 0.21–0.44 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) as of 2009. Population density in mixed deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of Thailand's Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary was estimated at 2.01 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi); during the 1970s and 1980s, logging and poaching had occurred in the adjacent Mae Wong and Khlong Lan National Parks, where population density was much lower, estimated at only 0.359 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) as of 2016. Population density in dipterocarp and montane forests in northern Malaysia was estimated at 1.47–2.43 adult tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) in Royal Belum State Park, but 0.3–0.92 adult tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) in the unprotected selectively logged Temengor Forest Reserve.
Behaviour and ecology
Camera trap data show that tigers in Chitwan National Park avoided locations frequented by people and were more active at night than during day. In Sundarbans National Park, six radio-collared tigers were most active from dawn to early morning and reached their zenith around 7:00 o'clock in the morning. A three-year-long camera trap survey in Shuklaphanta National Park revealed that tigers were most active from dusk until midnight. In northeastern China, tigers were crepuscular and active at night with activity peaking at dawn and dusk; they were largely active at the same time as their prey.
The tiger is a powerful swimmer and easily transverses rivers as wide as 8 km (5.0 mi); it immerses in water, particularly on hot days. In general, it is less capable of climbing trees than many other cats due to its size, but cubs under 16 months old may routinely do so. An adult was recorded climbing 10 m (33 ft) up a smooth pipal tree.
Social spacing
Adult tigers lead largely solitary lives within home ranges or territories, the size of which mainly depends on prey abundance, geographic area and sex of the individual. Males and females defend their home ranges from those of the same sex and the home range of a male encompasses that of multiple females. Two females in the Sundarbans had home ranges of 10.6 and 14.1 km (4.1 and 5.4 sq mi). In Panna Tiger Reserve, the home ranges of five reintroduced females varied from 53–67 km (20–26 sq mi) in winter to 55–60 km (21–23 sq mi) in summer and to 46–94 km (18–36 sq mi) during the monsoon; three males had 84–147 km (32–57 sq mi) large home ranges in winter, 82–98 km (32–38 sq mi) in summer and 81–118 km (31–46 sq mi) during monsoon seasons. In Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve, 14 females had home ranges 248–520 km (96–201 sq mi) and five resident males of 847–1,923 km (327–742 sq mi) that overlapped with those of up to five females. When tigresses in the same reserve had cubs of up to four months of age, they reduced their home ranges to stay near their young and steadily enlarged them until their offspring were 13–18 months old.
Bengal tigers spraying urine (above) and rubbing against a tree to mark territoryThe tiger is a long-ranging species and individuals disperse over distances of up to 650 km (400 mi) to reach tiger populations in other areas. Young tigresses establish their first home ranges close to their mothers' while males migrate further than their female counterparts. Four radio-collared females in Chitwan dispersed between 0 and 43.2 km (0.0 and 26.8 mi) and 10 males between 9.5 and 65.7 km (5.9 and 40.8 mi). A subadult male lives as a transient in another male's home range until he is older and strong enough to challenge the resident male. Tigers mark their home ranges by spraying urine on vegetation and rocks, clawing or scent rubbing trees and marking trails with faeces, anal gland secretions and ground scrapings. Scent markings also allow an individual to pick up information on another's identity. Unclaimed home ranges, particularly those that belonged to a deceased individual, can be taken over in days or weeks.
Male tigers are generally less tolerant of other males within their home ranges than females are of other females. Disputes are usually solved by intimidation rather than fighting. Once dominance has been established, a male may tolerate a subordinate within his range, as long as they do not come near him. The most serious disputes tend to occur between two males competing for a female in oestrus. Though tigers mostly live alone, relationships between individuals can be complex. Tigers are particularly social at kills and a male tiger will sometimes share a carcass with the females and cubs within this home range and unlike male lions, will allow them to feed on the kill before he is finished with it. However, a female is more tense when encountering another female at a kill.
Communication
Siberian tiger baring teeth as a sign of aggressionCaptive Sumatran tiger roaringDuring friendly encounters and bonding, tigers rub against each other's bodies. Facial expressions include the "defence threat", which involves a wrinkled face, bared teeth, pulled-back ears and widened pupils. Both males and females show a flehmen response, a characteristic curled-lip grimace, when smelling urine markings. Males also use the flehmen to detect the markings made by tigresses in oestrus. Tigers will move their ears around to display the white spots, particularly during aggressive encounters and between mothers and cubs. They also use their tails to signal their mood. To show cordiality, the tail sticks up and sways slowly, while an apprehensive tiger lowers its tail or wags it side-to-side. When calm, the tail hangs low.
Tigers are normally silent but can produce numerous vocalisations. They roar to signal their presence to other individuals over long distances. This vocalisation is forced through an open mouth as it closes and can be heard 3 km (1.9 mi) away. They roar multiple times in a row and others respond in kind. Tigers also roar during mating and a mother will roar to call her cubs to her. When tense, tigers moan, a sound similar to a roar but softer and made when the mouth is at least partially closed. Moaning can be heard 400 m (1,300 ft) away. Aggressive encounters involve growling, snarling and hissing. An explosive "coughing roar" or "coughing snarl" is emitted through an open mouth and exposed teeth. In friendlier situations, tigers prusten, a soft, low-frequency snorting sound similar to purring in smaller cats. Tiger mothers communicate with their cubs by grunting, while cubs call back with miaows. When startled, they "woof". They produce a deer-like "pok" sound for unknown reasons, but most often at kills.
Hunting and diet
The tiger is a carnivore and an apex predator feeding mainly on large and medium-sized ungulates, with a preference for sambar deer, Manchurian wapiti, barasingha, gaur and wild boar. Abundance and body weight of prey species are assumed to be the main criteria for the tiger's prey selection, both inside and outside protected areas. It also preys opportunistically on smaller species like monkeys, peafowl and other ground-based birds, porcupines and fish. Occasional attacks on Asian elephants and Indian rhinoceroses have also been reported. More often, tigers take the more vulnerable calves. They sometimes prey on livestock and dogs in close proximity to settlements. Tigers occasionally consume vegetation, fruit and minerals for dietary fibre and supplements.
Tigers learn to hunt from their mothers, though the ability to hunt may be partially inborn. Depending on the size of the prey, they typically kill weekly though mothers must kill more often. Families hunt together when cubs are old enough. They search for prey using vision and hearing. A tiger will also wait at a watering hole for prey to come by, particularly during hot summer days. It is an ambush predator and when approaching potential prey, it crouches with the head lowered and hides in foliage. It switches between creeping forward and staying still. A tiger may even doze off and can stay in the same spot for as long as a day, waiting for prey and launch an attack when the prey is close enough, usually within 30 m (98 ft). If the prey spots it before then, the cat does not pursue further. A tiger can sprint 56 km/h (35 mph) and leap 10 m (33 ft); it is not a long-distance runner and gives up a chase if prey outpaces it over a certain distance.
The tiger attacks from behind or at the sides and tries to knock the target off balance. It latches onto prey with its forelimbs, twisting and turning during the struggle and tries to pull it to the ground. The tiger generally applies a bite to the throat until its victim dies of strangulation. It has an average bite force at the canine tips of 1234.3 newtons. Holding onto the throat puts the cat out of reach of horns, antlers, tusks and hooves. Tigers are adaptable killers and may use other methods, including ripping the throat or breaking the neck. Large prey may be disabled by a bite to the back of the hock, severing the tendon. Swipes from the large paws are capable of stunning or breaking the skull of a water buffalo. They kill small prey with a bite to the back of the neck or head. Estimates of the success rate for hunting tigers range from a low of 5% to a high of 50%. They are sometimes killed or injured by large or dangerous prey like gaur, buffalo and boar.
Tigers typically move kills to a private, usually vegetated spot no further than 183 m (600 ft), though they have been recorded dragging them 549 m (1,801 ft). They are strong enough to drag the carcass of a fully grown buffalo for some distance. They rest for a while before eating and can consume as much as 50 kg (110 lb) of meat in one session, but feed on a carcass for several days, leaving little for scavengers.
Competitors
In much of their range, tigers share habitat with leopards and dholes. They typically dominate both of them, though with dholes it depends on their pack size. Interactions between the three predators involve chasing, stealing kills and direct killing. Large dhole packs may kill tigers. Tigers, leopards and dholes coexist by hunting different sized prey. In Nagarhole National Park, the average weight for tiger kills was found to be 91.5 kg (202 lb), compared to 37.6 kg (83 lb) for leopards and 43.4 kg (96 lb) for dholes. In Kui Buri National Park, following a reduction in prey numbers, tigers continued to kill favoured prey while leopards and dholes increased their consumption of small prey.
Both leopards and dholes can live successfully in tiger habitat when there is abundant food and vegetation cover. Otherwise, they appear to be less common where tigers are numerous. The recovery of the tiger population in Rajaji National Park during the 2000s led to a reduction in leopard population densities. Similarly, at two sites in central India the size of dhole packs was negatively correlated with tiger densities. Leopard and dhole distribution in Kui Buri correlated with both prey access and tiger scarcity. In Jigme Dorji National Park, tigers were found to inhabit the deeper parts of forests while the smaller predators were pushed closer to the fringes.
Reproduction and life cycle
"Tiger cub" redirects here. For other uses, see Tiger Cub.
The tiger generally mates all year round, particularly between November and April. A tigress is in oestrus for three to six days at a time, separated by three to nine week intervals. A resident male mates with all the females within his home range, who signal their receptiveness by roaring and marking. Younger, transient males are also attracted, leading to a fight in which the more dominant, resident male drives the usurper off. During courtship, the male is cautious with the female as he waits for her to show signs she is ready to mate. She signals to him by positioning herself in lordosis with her tail to the side. Copulation typically lasts no more than 20 seconds, with the male biting the female by the scruff of her neck. After it is finished, the male quickly pulls away as the female may turn and slap him. Tiger pairs may stay together for up to four days and mate multiple times. Gestation lasts around or over three months.
A tigress gives birth in a secluded location, be it in dense vegetation, in a cave or under a rocky shelter. Litters consist of as many as seven cubs, but two or three are more typical. Newborn cubs weigh 785–1,610 g (27.7–56.8 oz) and are blind and altricial. The mother licks and cleans her cubs, suckles them and viciously defends them from any potential threat. Cubs open their eyes at the age of three to 14 days and their vision becomes clear after a few more weeks. They can leave the denning site after two months and around the same time they start eating meat. The mother only leaves them alone to hunt and even then she does not travel far. When she suspects an area is no longer safe, she moves her cubs to a new spot, transporting them one by one by grabbing them by the scruff of the neck with her mouth. A tigress in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve maximised the time spent with her cubs by reducing her home range, killing larger prey and returning to her den more rapidly than without cubs; when the cubs started to eat meat, she took them to kill sites, thereby optimising their protection and access to food. In the same reserve, one of 21 cubs died in over eight years of monitoring and mortality did not differ between male and female juveniles. Tiger monitoring over six years in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve indicated an average annual survival rate of around 85 percent for 74 male and female cubs; survival rate increased to 97 percent for both males and female juveniles of one to two years of age. Causes of cub mortality include predators, floods, fires, death of the mother and fatal injuries.
After around two months, the cubs are able to follow their mother. They still hide in vegetation when she goes hunting. Young bond through play fighting and practice stalking. A hierarchy develops in the litter, with the biggest cub, often a male, being the most dominant and the first to eat its fill at a kill. Around the age of six months, cubs are fully weaned and have more freedom to explore their environment. Between eight and ten months, they accompany their mother on hunts. A cub can make a kill as early as 11 months and reach independence as a juvenile of 18 to 24 months of age; males become independent earlier than females. Radio-collared tigers in Chitwan started leaving their natal areas at the age of 19 months. Young females are sexually mature at three to four years, whereas males are at four to five years. Generation length of the tiger is about 7–10 years. Wild Bengal tigers live 12–15 years. Data from the International Tiger Studbook 1938–2018 indicate that captive tigers lived up to 19 years.
The father does not play a role in raising the young, but he encounters and interacts with them. The resident male appears to visit the female–cub families within his home range. They socialise and even share kills. One male was recorded looking after cubs whose mother had died. By defending his home range, the male protects the females and cubs from other males. When a new male takes over, dependent cubs are at risk of infanticide as the male attempts to sire his own young with the females. A seven-year long study in Chitwan National Park revealed that 12 of 56 detected cubs and juveniles were killed by new males taking over home ranges.
Health and diseases
Tigers are recorded as hosts for various parasites including tapeworms like Diphyllobothrium erinacei, Taenia pisiformis in India and nematodes like Toxocara species in India and Physaloptera preputialis, Dirofilaria ursi and Uiteinarta species in Siberia. Canine distemper is known to occur in Siberian tigers. A morbillivirus infection was the likely cause of death of a tigress in the Russian Far East that was also tested positive for feline panleukopenia and feline coronavirus. Blood samples from 11 adult tigers in Nepal showed antibodies for canine parvovirus-2, feline herpesvirus, feline coronavirus, leptospirosis and Toxoplasma gondii.
Threats
The tiger has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986 and the global tiger population is thought to have continuously declined from an estimated population of 5,000–8,262 tigers in the late 1990s to 3,726–5,578 individuals estimated as of 2022. During 2001–2020, landscapes where tigers live declined from 1,025,488 km (395,943 sq mi) to 911,901 km (352,087 sq mi). Habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching for fur and body parts are the major threats that contributed to the decrease of tiger populations in all range countries.
Protected areas in central India are highly fragmented due to linear infrastructure like roads, railway lines, transmission lines, irrigation channels and mining activities in their vicinity. In the Tanintharyi Region of southern Myanmar, deforestation coupled with mining activities and high hunting pressure threatens the tiger population. In Thailand, nine of 15 protected areas hosting tigers are isolated and fragmented, offering a low probability for dispersal between them; four of these have not harboured tigers since about 2013. In Peninsular Malaysia, 8,315.7 km (3,210.7 sq mi) of tiger habitat was cleared during 1988–2012, most of it for industrial plantations. Large-scale land acquisitions of about 23,000 km (8,900 sq mi) for commercial agriculture and timber extraction in Cambodia contributed to the fragmentation of potential tiger habitat, especially in the Eastern Plains. Inbreeding depression coupled with habitat destruction, insufficient prey resources and poaching is a threat to the small and isolated tiger population in the Changbai Mountains along the China–Russia border. In China, tigers became the target of large-scale 'anti-pest' campaigns in the early 1950s, where suitable habitats were fragmented following deforestation and resettlement of people to rural areas, who hunted tigers and prey species. Though tiger hunting was prohibited in 1977, the population continued to decline and is considered extinct in South China since 2001.
Tiger populations in India have been targeted by poachers since the 1990s and were extirpated in two tiger reserves in 2005 and 2009. Between March 2017 and January 2020, 630 activities of hunters using snares, drift nets, hunting platforms and hunting dogs were discovered in a reserve forest of about 1,000 km (390 sq mi) in southern Myanmar. Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park was considered the last important site for the tiger in Laos, but it has not been recorded there at least since 2013; this population likely fell victim to indiscriminate snaring. Anti-poaching units in Sumatra's Kerinci Seblat landscape removed 362 tiger snare traps and seized 91 tiger skins during 2005–2016; annual poaching rates increased with rising skin prices. Poaching is also the main threat to the tiger population in far eastern Russia, where logging roads facilitate access for poachers and people harvesting forest products that are important for prey species to survive in winter.
Body parts of 207 tigers were detected during 21 surveys in 1991–2014 in two wildlife markets in Myanmar catering to customers in Thailand and China. During the years 2000–2022, at least 3,377 tigers were confiscated in 2,205 seizures in 28 countries; seizures encompassed 665 live and 654 dead individuals, 1,313 whole tiger skins, 16,214 body parts like bones, teeth, paws, claws, whiskers and 1.1 t (1.1 long tons; 1.2 short tons) of meat; 759 seizures in India encompassed body parts of 893 tigers; and 403 seizures in Thailand involved mostly captive-bred tigers. Seizures in Nepal between January 2011 and December 2015 obtained 585 pieces of tiger body parts and two whole carcasses in 19 districts. Seizure data from India during 2001–2021 indicate that tiger skins were the most often traded body parts, followed by claws, bones and teeth; trafficking routes mainly passed through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Assam. A total of 292 illegal tiger parts were confiscated at US ports of entry from personal baggage, air cargo and mail between 2003 and 2012.
Demand for tiger parts for use in traditional Chinese medicine has also been cited as a major threat to tiger populations. Interviews with local people in the Bangladeshi Sundarbans revealed that they kill tigers for local consumption and trade of skins, bones and meat, in retaliation for attacks by tigers and for excitement. Tiger body parts like skins, bones, teeth and hair are consumed locally by wealthy Bangladeshis and are illegally trafficked from Bangladesh to 15 countries including India, China, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan and the United Kingdom via land borders, airports and seaports. Tiger bone glue is the prevailing tiger product purchased for medicinal purposes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. "Tiger farm" facilities in China and Southeast Asia breed tigers for their parts, but these appear to make the threat to wild populations worse by increasing the demand for tiger products.
Local people killing tigers in retaliation for attacking and preying on livestock is a threat in several tiger range countries, as this consequence of human–wildlife conflict also contributes to the decline of the population.
Conservation
Main article: Tiger conservation Further information: 21st Century TigerInternationally, the tiger is protected under CITES Appendix I, banning trade of live tigers and their body parts. In Russia, hunting the tiger has been banned since 1952. In Bhutan, it has been protected since 1969 and enlisted as totally protected since 1995. Since 1972, it has been afforded the highest protection level under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. In Nepal and Bangladesh, it has been protected since 1973. Since 1976, it has been totally protected under Malaysia's Protection of Wild Life Act, and the country's Wildlife Conservation Act enacted in 2010 increased punishments for wildlife-related crimes. In Indonesia, it has been protected since 1990. In China, the trade in tiger body parts was banned in 1993. The Thai Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act was enacted in 2019 to combat poaching and trading of body parts.
In 1973, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Tiger were founded in India to gain public support for tiger conservation. Since then, 53 tiger reserves covering an area of 75,796 km (29,265 sq mi) have been established in the country up to 2022. Myanmar's national tiger conservation strategy developed in 2003 comprises management tasks such as restoration of degraded habitats, increasing the extent of protected areas and wildlife corridors, protecting tiger prey species, thwarting tiger killing and illegal trade of its body parts and promoting public awareness through wildlife education programmes. Bhutan's first Tiger Action Plan implemented during 2006–2015 revolved around habitat conservation, human–wildlife conflict management, education and awareness; the second Action Plan aimed at increasing the country's tiger population by 20% until 2023 compared to 2015. In 2009, the Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan was initiated to stabilise the country's tiger population, maintain habitat and a sufficient prey base, improve law enforcement and foster cooperation between governmental agencies responsible for tiger conservation. The Thailand Tiger Action Plan ratified in 2010 envisioned increasing the country's tiger populations by 50% in the Western Forest Complex and Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex and reestablish populations in three potential landscapes until 2022. The Indonesian National Tiger Recovery Program ratified in 2010 aimed at increasing the Sumatran tiger population by 2022. The third strategic and action plan for the conservation of the Sumatran tiger for the years 2020–2030 revolves around strengthening management of small tiger population units of less than 20 mature individuals and connectivity between 13 forest patches in North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces.
Increases in anti-poaching patrol efforts in four Russian protected areas during 2011–2014 contributed to reducing poaching, stabilising the tiger population and improving protection of ungulate populations. Poaching and trafficking were declared to be moderate and serious crimes in 2019. Anti-poaching operations were also established in Nepal in 2010, with increased cooperation and intelligence sharing between agencies. These policies have led to many years of "zero poaching" and the country's tiger population has doubled in a decade. Anti-poaching patrols in the 1,200 km (460 sq mi) large core area of Taman Negara lead to a decrease of poaching frequency from 34 detected incidents in 2015–2016 to 20 incidents during 2018–2019; the arrest of seven poaching teams and removal of snares facilitated the survival of three resident female tigers and at least 11 cubs. Army and police officers are deployed for patrolling together with staff of protected areas in Malaysia.
Wildlife corridors are important conservation measures as they facilitate tiger populations to connect between protected areas; tigers use at least nine corridors that were established in the Terai Arc Landscape and Sivalik Hills in both Nepal and India. Corridors in forested areas with low human encroachment are highly suitable. In West Sumatra, 12 wildlife corridors were identified as high priority for mitigating human–wildlife conflicts. In 2019, China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding for transboundary cooperation between two protected areas, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park and Land of the Leopard National Park, that includes the creation of wildlife corridors and bilateral monitoring and patrolling along the Sino-Russian border.
Rescued and rehabilitated problem tigers and orphaned tiger cubs have been released into the wild and monitored in India, Sumatra and Russia. In Kazakhstan, habitat restoration and reintroduction of prey species in Ile-Balkash Nature Reserve have progressed and tiger reintroduction is planned for 2025. Reintroduction of tigers is considered possible in eastern Cambodia, once management of protected areas is improved and forest loss stabilized. South China tigers are kept and bred in Chinese zoos, with plans to reintroduce their offspring into remote protected areas. Coordinated breeding programs among zoos have led to enough genetic diversity in tigers to act as "insurance against extinction in the wild".
Relationship with humans
Hunting
Main article: Tiger huntingTigers have been hunted by humans for millennia, as indicated by a painting on the Bhimbetka rock shelters in India that is dated to 5,000–6,000 years ago. They were hunted throughout their range in Asia, chased on horseback, elephant-back or even with sled dogs and killed with spears and later firearms. Such hunts were conducted both by native governments and empires like the Mughal Empire, as well as European colonists. Tigers were often hunted as trophies and because of their perceived danger. An estimated 80,000 tigers were killed between 1875 and 1925.
Attacks
Main article: Tiger attackIn most areas, tigers avoid humans, but attacks are a risk wherever people coexist with them. Dangerous encounters are more likely to occur in edge habitats between wild and agricultural areas. Most attacks on humans are defensive, including protection of young; however, tigers do sometimes see people as prey. Man-eating tigers tend to be old and disabled. Tigers driven from their home ranges are also at risk of turning to man-eating.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Champawat Tiger was responsible for over 430 human deaths in Nepal and India before she was shot by Jim Corbett. This tigress suffered from broken teeth and was unable to kill normal prey. Modern authors speculate that sustaining on meagre human flesh forced the cat to kill more and more. Tiger attacks were particularly high in Singapore during the mid-19th century, when plantations expanded into the tiger's habitat. In the 1840s, the number of deaths in the area ranged from 200 to 300 annually. Tiger attacks in the Sundarbans caused 1,396 human deaths in the period 1935–2006 according to official records of the Bangladesh Forest Department. Victims of these attacks are local villagers who enter the tiger's domain to collect resources like wood and honey. Fishermen have been particularly common targets. Methods to counter tiger attacks have included face masks worn backwards, protective clothes, sticks and carefully stationed electric dummies.
Captivity
Tiger at Big Cat Rescue in 2014Publicity photo of animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams with several of his trained tigers, c. 1969Tigers have been kept in captivity since ancient times. In ancient Rome, tigers were displayed in amphitheatres; they were slaughtered in venatio hunts and used to kill criminals. The Mongol ruler Kublai Khan is reported to have kept tigers in the 13th century. Starting in the Middle Ages, tigers were being kept in European menageries. Tigers and other exotic animals were mainly used for the entertainment of elites but from the 19th century onward, they were exhibited more to the public. Tigers were particularly big attractions and their captive population soared. In 2020, there were over 8,000 captive tigers in Asia, over 5,000 in the US and no less than 850 in Europe. There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild. Captive tigers may display stereotypical behaviours such as pacing or inactivity. Modern zoos are able to reduce such behaviours with exhibits designed so the animals can move between separate but connected enclosures. Enrichment items are also important for the cat's welfare and the stimulation of its natural behaviours.
Tigers have played prominent roles in circuses and other live performances. Ringling Bros included many tiger tamers in the 20th century including Mabel Stark, who became a big draw and had a long career. She was well known for being able to control the tigers despite being a small woman; using "manly" tools like whips and guns. Another trainer was Clyde Beatty, who used chairs, whips and guns to provoke tigers and other beasts into acting fierce and allowed him to appear courageous. He would perform with as many as 40 tigers and lions in one act. From the 1960s onward, trainers like Gunther Gebel-Williams would use gentler methods to control their animals. Sara Houcke was dubbed "the Tiger Whisperer" as she trained the cats to obey her by whispering to them. Siegfried & Roy became famous for performing with white tigers in Las Vegas. The act ended in 2003 when a tiger attacked Roy during a performance. In 2009, tigers were the most traded circus animals. The use of tigers and other animals in shows eventually declined in many countries due to pressure from animal rights groups and greater desires from the public to see them in more natural settings. Several countries restrict or ban such acts.
Tigers have become popular in the exotic pet trade, particularly in the United States where only 6% of the captive tiger population in 2020 were being housed in zoos and other facilities approved by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Private collectors are thought to be ill-equipped to provide proper care for tigers, which compromises their welfare. They can also threaten public safety by allowing people to interact with them. The keeping of tigers and other big cats by private people was banned in the US in 2022. Most countries in the European Union have banned breeding and keeping tigers outside of licensed zoos and rescue centres, but some still allow private holdings.
Cultural significance
Main article: Cultural depictions of tigers Further information: Tiger worshipThe tiger is among the most famous of the charismatic megafauna. Kailash Sankhala has called it "a rare combination of courage, ferocity and brilliant colour", while Candy d'Sa calls it "fierce and commanding on the outside, but noble and discerning on the inside". In a 2004 online poll involving more than 50,000 people from 73 countries, the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal with 21% of the vote, narrowly beating the dog. Similarly, a 2018 study found the tiger to be the most popular wild animal based on surveys, as well as appearances on websites of major zoos and posters of some animated movies.
While the lion represented royalty and power in Western culture, the tiger played such a role in various Asian cultures. In ancient China, the tiger was seen as the "king of the forest" and symbolised the power of the emperor. In Chinese astrology, the tiger is the third out of 12 symbols in the Chinese zodiac and controls the period between 15:00 and 17:00 o'clock in the afternoon. The Year of the Tiger is thought to bring "dramatic and extreme events". The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, representing the west along with the yin and the season of autumn. It is the counterpart to the Azure Dragon, which conversely symbolises the east, yang and springtime. The tiger is one of the animals displayed on the Pashupati seal of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The big cat was depicted on seals and coins during the Chola dynasty of southern India, as it was the official emblem.
Tigers have had religious and folkloric significance. In Buddhism, the tiger, monkey and deer are the Three Senseless Creatures, with the tiger symbolising anger. In Hinduism, the tiger is the vehicle of Durga, the goddess of feminine power and peace, whom the gods created to fight demons. Similarly, in the Greco-Roman world, the tiger was depicted being ridden by the god Dionysus. In Korean mythology, tigers are messengers of the Mountain Gods. In both Chinese and Korean culture, tigers are seen as protectors against evil spirits and their image was used to decorate homes, tombs and articles of clothing. In the folklore of Malaysia and Indonesia, "tiger shamans" heal the sick by invoking the big cat. People turning into tigers and the inverse has also been widespread; in particular weretigers are people who could change into tigers and back again. The Mnong people of Indochina believed that tigers could shapeshift into humans. Among some indigenous peoples of Siberia, it was believed that men would seduce women by transforming into tigers.
William Blake's 1794 poem "The Tyger" portrays the animal as the duality of beauty and ferocity. It is the sister poem to "The Lamb" in Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience and he ponders how God could create such different creatures. The tiger is featured in the mediaeval Chinese novel Water Margin, where the cat battles and is slain by the bandit Wu Song, while the tiger Shere Khan in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1894) is the mortal enemy of the human protagonist Mowgli. Friendly tame tigers have also existed in culture, notably Tigger, the Winnie-the-Pooh character and Tony the Tiger, the Kellogg's cereal mascot.
See also
References
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Bibliography
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External links
- [REDACTED] Media related to Panthera tigris (category) at Wikimedia Commons
- [REDACTED] Data related to Panthera tigris at Wikispecies
- [REDACTED] Quotations related to Tigers at Wikiquote
- Tigers travel guide from Wikivoyage
- "Tiger Panthera tigris". IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group.
Taxon identifiers | |
---|---|
Panthera tigris |
|
Felis tigris |
- IUCN Red List endangered species
- Apex predators
- Big cats
- Conservation-reliant species
- EDGE species
- Extant Pleistocene first appearances
- Fauna of South Asia
- Fauna of Southeast Asia
- Felids of Asia
- Mammals described in 1758
- Mammals of East Asia
- National symbols of India
- National symbols of Malaysia
- National symbols of Singapore
- Panthera
- Species that are or were threatened by agricultural development
- Species that are or were threatened by deliberate extirpation efforts
- Species that are or were threatened by logging
- Species that are or were threatened by urbanization
- Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus