The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species, most recognisable for their

pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. The
species is classified in the genus Panthera with the lion, leopard, jaguar and snow
leopard. Tigers are apex predators, primarily preying on ungulates such as deer and
bovids. They are territorial and generally solitary but social animals, often requiring
large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements. This,
coupled with the fact that they are indigenous to some of the more densely
populated places on Earth, has caused significant conflicts with humans.

Tigers once ranged widely across eastern Eurasia, from the Black Sea in the west, to
the Indian Ocean in the south, and from Kolyma to Sumatra in the east. Over the
past 100 years, they have lost 93% of their historic range, and have been extirpated
from Western and Central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large
areas of Southeast, Southern and Eastern Asia. Today, they range from the Siberian
taiga to open grasslands and tropical mangrove swamps. The remaining six tiger
subspecies have been classified as endangered by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The global population in the wild is estimated to
number between 3,062 and 3,948 individuals, down from around 100,000 at the
start of the 20th century, with most remaining populations occurring in small
pockets isolated from each other, of which about 2,000 exist on the Indian
subcontinent.[4] A 2016 global census estimated the population of wild tigers at
approximately 3,890 individuals.[5][6] Major reasons for population decline include
habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching. The extent of area
occupied by tigers is estimated at less than 1,184,911 km2 (457,497 sq mi), a 41%
decline from the area estimated in the mid-1990s. In 2016, wildlife conservation
group at WWF declared that world's count of wild tigers has risen for the first time in
a century.[7]

Tigers are among the most recognisable and popular of the world's charismatic
megafauna. They have featured prominently in ancient mythology and folklore, and
continue to be depicted in modern films and literature. They appear on many flags,
coats of arms, and as mascots for sporting teams. The tiger is the national animal of
Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and South Korea.

Contents [hide]
1 Taxonomy and etymology
1.1 Evolution
1.2 Subspecies
1.3 Hybrids
2 Description
2.1 Size
2.2 Colour variations
3 Distribution and habitat
4 Biology and behaviour
4.1 Social activity
4.2 Hunting and diet
4.3 Enemies and competitors
4.4 Reproduction
5 Conservation efforts
5.1 Rewilding and reintroducing
6 Relation with humans
6.1 Tiger as prey
6.2 Man-eating tigers
6.3 Commercial hunting and traditional medicine
6.4 In captivity
7 Cultural depictions
7.1 In myth and legend
7.2 In literature and film
7.3 As a symbol
8 See also
9 References
10 Bibliography
11 External links
Taxonomy and etymology
In 1758, Linnaeus described the tiger in his work Systema Naturae and gave it the
scientific name Felis tigris.[3] In 1929, the British taxonomist Reginald Innes Pocock
subordinated the species under the genus Panthera using the scientific name
Panthera tigris.[8]

The word Panthera is probably of Oriental origin and retraceable to the Ancient
Greek word panther, the Latin word panthera, the Old French word pantere, most
likely meaning "the yellowish animal", or from pandarah meaning whitish-yellow.
The derivation from Greek pan- ("all") and ther ("beast") may be folk etymology.[9]

The specific epithet, tigris, as well as the common name, tiger, come from the
Middle English tigre and the Old English tigras (a plural word), both used for the
animal.[10] These derive from the Old French tigre, itself a derivative of the Latin
word tigris and the Greek word tigris. The original source may have been the
Persian tigra meaning pointed or sharp and the Avestan tigrhi meaning an arrow,
perhaps referring to the speed with which a tiger launches itself at its prey.[11] It is
worth mentioning that Mesopotamia, where the Caspian tiger had occurred,[12] has
a river called 'Tigris'.[13]

Evolution

Tiger phylogenetic relationships

Restoration of Panthera zdanskyi, an extinct relative whose oldest remains were

found in northwest China, suggesting the origins of the tiger lineage
The tiger's closest living relatives were previously thought to be the lion, leopard
and jaguar, all of which are classified under the genus Panthera. Genetic analysis
indicates that the tiger and the snow leopard diverged from the other Panthera
species about 2.88 million years ago, and that both species may be more closely
related to each other than to the lion, leopard and jaguar.[14][15]

The oldest remains of an extinct tiger relative, called Panthera zdanskyi or the
Longdan tiger, have been found in the Gansu province of northwestern China. This
species is considered to be a sister taxon to the extant tiger and lived about 2
million years ago, at the beginning of the Pleistocene. It was smaller than the
modern tiger, being the size of a jaguar, and probably did not have the same coat
pattern. Despite being considered more "primitive", the Longdan tiger was
functionally and possibly ecologically similar to its modern cousin. As Panthera
zdanskyi lived in northwestern China, that may have been where the tiger lineage
originated. Tigers grew in size, possibly in response to adaptive radiations of prey
species like deer and bovids which may have occurred in Southeast Asia during the
early Pleistocene.[16]

The earliest fossils of true tigers are from Java, and are between 1.6 and 1.8 million
years old. Distinct fossils are known from the early and middle Pleistocene deposits
in China and Sumatra. A subspecies called the Trinil tiger (Panthera tigris trinilensis)
lived about 1.2 million years ago and is known from fossils found at Trinil in Java.
[17]

Tigers first reached India and northern Asia in the late Pleistocene, reaching eastern
Beringia (but not the American Continent), Japan, and Sakhalin. As evidenced by
Sandra Herrington, some fossil skulls that are morphologically distinct from lion
skulls could indicate however that tigers might have been present in Alaska within
the last 100,000 years during the last glaciation.[18] Fossils found in Japan indicate
the local tigers were, like the surviving island subspecies, smaller than the mainland
forms, an example of insular dwarfism. Until the Holocene, tigers also lived in
Borneo, as well as on the island of Palawan in the Philippines.[19] As of the Middle
Ages, Caspian tigers were noted to range in the Pontic-Caspian steppes of Ukraine
and southern Russia.[20]

The tiger's full genome sequence was published in 2013. It and other cat genomes
were found to have similar repeat composition and an appreciably conserved
synteny.[21]

Subspecies
There are 11 recognised tiger subspecies. Two, the Trinil and Japanese tigers,
became extinct in prehistoric times.[22] The remaining subspecies all survived at
least into the mid-20th century; three of these are also considered extinct. Their
core historical range in South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan),
Eastern Asia (China, Mongolia, North Korea, Siberia, South Korea) and South East
Asia, including three Indonesian islands, is severely constricted today,
notwithstanding key extinct populations in the Black Sea (Iran, Georgia, Southern
Russia, Turkey) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan).

The modern subspecies are:

Surviving subspecies of tiger

Subspecies Description Image
Bengal tiger (P. t. tigris), also called the Indian tiger Lives in Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Nepal and is the most common subspecies. In 2011, the total adult population
was estimated at 1,5201,909 in India, 440 in Bangladesh, 155 in Nepal and 75 in
Bhutan.[23] In 2014, the population in India was estimated at 2,226,[24] 163253 in
Nepal and 103 in Bhutan as of 2015.[25] It lives in alluvial grasslands, subtropical
and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests, and
mangroves. In terms of average and maximum recorded weights in the wilderness,
[26][27] it is the largest of the surviving subspecies. Males attain a total nose-to-tail
length of 270 to 310 cm (110 to 120 in) and weigh between 180 to 258 kg (397 to
569 lb), while females range from 240 to 265 cm (94 to 104 in) and 100 to 160 kg
(220 to 350 lb).[28][29] In northern India and Nepal, the average is larger; males
can weigh up to 235 kilograms (518 lb), while females average 140 kilograms (310
lb).[30] Coat colour varies from light yellow to reddish yellow with black stripes.[31]
South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal; extinct in Pakistan and China
Tigerramki.jpg
Indochinese tiger (P. t. corbetti), also called Corbett's tiger Is found in Cambodia,
China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. In 2010 the total population was
estimated at about 350 individuals.[32] Their preferred habitat is forests in
mountainous or hilly regions.[28] Males average 108 inches (270 cm) in total length
and weigh between 150195 kg (331430 lb), while females average 96 inches (240
cm) and 100130 kg (220290 lb).[33]
Southeast Asia: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam; extinct in Cambodia and
China
Panthera tigris corbetti (Tierpark Berlin) 832-714-(118).jpg
Malayan tiger (P. t. jacksoni) Exclusively found in the southern part of the Malay
Peninsula. The last native wild tiger in Singapore was shot dead in 1930.[34] Was
not considered a subspecies in its own right until a 2004 genetic analysis showed
that they are distinct in mtDNA and micro-satellite sequences from the Indochinese
subspecies.[35] As of 2014 the total population is estimated at fewer than 500
individuals,[36] though a new report from September that year estimated it at
between 250 and 340 individuals.[37] Males range in total length from 190280 cm
(75110 in) and weigh between 47.2 to 129.1 kg (104 to 285 lb), while females
range from 180260 cm (71102 in) and 24 to 88 kg (53 to 194 lb).[38]
Southeast Asia: Malaysia; extinct in Thailand and Singapore.[34]
Tiger in the water.jpg
Siberian tiger (P. t. altaica), also known as the Amur tiger Inhabits the Amur-Ussuri
region of Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in far eastern Siberia, with the
exception of a small population in Hunchun National Siberian Tiger Nature Reserve
in northeastern China, near the border of North Korea.[39][40] In 2005, there were
331393 adult and subadult Siberian tigers in the region, with a breeding adult
population of about 250 individuals. As of 2015, there an estimated population of
480-540 individuals in the Russian Far East.[41][42][43] It is the largest subspecies,
in terms of maximum recorded weight in captivity,[27] and ranks among the largest
felids ever to have existed. Males have a head and body length of between 190230
cm (7591 in) and weigh between 180 to 306 kg (397 to 675 lb), while females
average 160180 cm (6371 in) and 100 to 167 kg (220 to 368 lb). Tail length is
about 60110 cm (2443 in).[28] Compared to other subspecies, Siberian tigers
have thicker coats, paler hues, and fewer stripes in dark brown instead of black.[31]
[33][44]
North Asia: China and Siberia; extinct in Mongolia, North Korea, and South Korea
Siberian Tiger sf.jpg
South China tiger (P. t. amoyensis), also known as the Amoy or Xiamen tiger Is the
most critically endangered subspecies of tiger, and one of the 10 most endangered
animals in the world.[33] Despite unconfirmed reports and some evidence of
footprints, there has been no confirmed wild sighting in over 25 years, leading
experts to consider it "functionally extinct", with the entire known population of
roughly 65+ individuals held in captivity.[45][46] It is the second-smallest
subspecies. Males range in total length from 230260 cm (91102 in) and weigh
between 130 to 180 kg (290 to 400 lb), while fem