Tigers

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.

Amur (Siberian) Tiger

© WWF-Canon / Vladimir FILONOV

Scientific name: Panthera tigris altaica
Habitat: coniferous, scrub oak and birch woodlands
Location: primarily eastern Russia, with a few found in northeastern China and northern North Korea
Interesting fact: In the 1940s the Amur tiger was on the brink of extinction, with no more than 40 tigers remaining in the wild. Thanks to vigorous anti-poaching and other conservation efforts by the Russians with support from many partners, including WWF, the Amur tiger population recovered and has remained stable throughout the last decade.

Bengal (Indian) Tiger

© WWF-Canon / Vladimir FILONOV

Scientific name: Panthera tigris tigris
Habitat: Dry and wet deciduous forests, grassland and temperate forests, mangrove forests
Location: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal. India is home to the largest population.
Interesting fact: Some Bengal tigers are cream or white in color instead of orange, due to a recessive gene for this coloration. These “white” tigers are rarely found in the wild.

Indochinese Tiger

© WWF-Canon / Elizabeth KEMF

Scientific name: Panthera tigris corbetti
Habitat: remote forests in hilly to mountainous terrain, much of which lies along the borders between countries
Location: Widely dispersed throughout six countries: Thailand, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Interesting fact: Access to the areas where Indochinese tigers live is often restricted, and biologists have only recently been granted limited permits for field surveys. As a result, relatively little is known about the status of these tigers in the wild.

Malayan Tiger

© Martin HARVEY / WWF-Canon

Scientific name: Panthera tigris jacksoni
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Location: southern tip of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia
Interesting fact: The Malayan tiger was only identified as being a separate subspecies from the Indochinese tiger in 2004. It is very similar to the Indochinese tiger, but is smaller in size.

South China Tiger

© WWF-Canon / John MacKINNON

Scientific name: Panthera tigris amoyensis
Habitat: montane sub-tropical evergreen forest
Location: central and eastern China
Interesting fact: It is estimated that the South China tiger is functionally extinct. Currently 47 South China tigers live in 18 zoos, all in China. If there are any South China tigers in the wild, these few individuals would be found in southeast China, close to provincial borders.

Sumatran Tiger

© WWF-Canon / Alain COMPOST

Scientific name: Panthera tigris sumatrae
Habitat: montane forests, the remaining blocks of the island's lowland forest, peat swamps, and freshwater swamp forests
Location: exclusively on the Indonesian island of Sumatra
Interesting fact: Sumatran tigers are protected by law in Indonesia, with tough provisions for jail time and steep fines. Despite increased efforts in tiger conservation, including law enforcement and anti-poaching capacity, a substantial market remains in Sumatra for tiger parts and products.