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Tigers
Subspecies
Three tiger subspecies - the Bali, Javan, and Caspian - have become extinct in the past 70 years. The six remaining subspecies - Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China, and Sumatran - live only in Asia, and all are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.
© WWF-Canon / Vladimir FILONOV
Amur or Siberian Tiger
Panthera tigris altaica
- It is estimated that 431-529 still exist in the wild. About 490 captive Amur tigers are managed in zoo conservation programs.
- The Amur or Siberian tiger lives primarily in the coniferous, scrub oak, and birch woodlands of eastern Russia, with a few tigers found in northeastern China and northern North Korea.
© WWF-Canon / Vladimir FILONOV
Bengal Tiger
Panthera tigris tigris
- The estimated wild population of Bengal tigers is approximately 1841-2463 tigers, with about 333 in captivity, primarily in zoos in India.
- Most Bengal tigers live in India, although some range through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
- White tigers are simply a color variant of Bengal tigers and are rarely found in the wild.
© WWF-Canon / Elizabeth KEMF
Indochinese Tiger
Panthera tigris corbetti
- An estimated 736-1275 Indochinese tigers are left in the wild, and about 60 live in zoos in Asia and the United States.
- The distribution of the Indochinese tiger is centered in Thailand. Indochinese tigers are also found in Myanmar, southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and peninsular Malaysia. Within this range, tigers live in remote forests in hilly to mountainous terrain, much of which lies along the borders between countries. Access to these areas is often restricted, and biologists have only recently been granted limited permits for field surveys. As a result, relatively little is know about the status of these tigers in the wild.
© Martin HARVEY / WWF-Canon
Malayan Tiger
Panthera tigris jacksoni
The Malayan tiger was only identified as being a separate subspecies from the Indochinese tiger in 2004. It is found only in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula, that is, in the southern tip of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. Its status has not yet been determined.
- While morphologically similar to the Indochinese tiger, the Malayan tiger is smaller, being more close in size to the Sumatran tiger. The average weight for adult males is 120kg and for females is 100kg.
- An estimated 491-510 exist in the wild.
Sumatran Tiger
Panthera tigris sumatrae
© WWF-Canon / Alain COMPOST
- About 400-500 wild Sumatran tigers are believed to exist - primarily in the island's five national parks - and 210 captive animals live in zoos around the world.
- The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in habitat that ranges from lowland forest to submontane and montane forest with some peat-moss forest.
© WWF-Canon / John MacKINNON
South China Tiger
Panthera tigris amoyensis
- It is estimated that the South China tigers is functionally extinct. Currently 47 South China tigers live in 18 zoos, all in China. The South China tiger is the most critically endangered of all tiger subspecies.
- The South China tiger is found in central and eastern China.
Learn more about tiger subspecies:
- Read the population estimates for the remaining tiger subspecies.
Danger Watch
A species relative risk of extinction, as determined by the IUCN - The World Conservation Union. More
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Extinct
No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
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Extinct in the Wild
Known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population.
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Critically Endangered
Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
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Endangered
Facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
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Vulnerable
Facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
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Near Threatened
Likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
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Least Concern
Does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endagnered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened
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