CASPIAN TIGER

The Caspian tiger was a tiger population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies that was native to

eastern Turkey, northern Iran, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus around the Caspian Sea, Central Asia to
northern Afghanistan, the Xinjiang region in western China.[6] Until the Middle Ages, it was also
present in Ukraine and southern Russia.[7] It inhabited sparse forests and riverine corridors in this
region until the 1970s.[1] This population was regarded as a distinct subspecies and assessed as
extinct in 2003.[3]
Results of a phylogeographic analysis evinces that the Caspian and Siberian tiger populations
shared a common continuous geographic distribution until the early 19th century. [8]
Some Caspian tigers were intermediate in size between Siberian and Bengal tigers.[7][4][9]
It was also called Balkhash tiger, Hyrcanian tiger, Turanian tiger,[3] and Mazandaran tiger

CHARACTERISTICS

Skin of a Caspian tiger from Iran

Comparative illustration of the stripe patterns on the tails of Caspian (left) and Siberian tigers (right) [7]

Illustration of two Caspian tigers

FUR
Photographs of skins of Caspian and Siberian tigers indicate that the main background colour of the
Caspian tiger's fur varied and was generally brighter and more uniform than that of the Siberian tiger.
The stripes were narrower, fuller and more closely set than those of tigers from Manchuria. The
colour of its stripes was a mixture of brown or cinnamon shades. Pure black patterns were invariably
found only on head, neck, the middle of the back and at the tip of the tail. Angular patterns at the
base of the tail were less developed than those of Far Eastern populations. The contrast between
the summer and winter coats was sharp, though not to the same extent as in Far Eastern
populations. The winter coat was paler, with less distinct patterns. The summer coat had a similar
density and hair length to that of the Bengal tiger, though its stripes were usually narrower, longer
and closer set. It had the thickest fur amongst tigers, possibly due its occurrence in the temperate
parts of Asia.[7][4][9]

SIZE
Male Caspian tigers had a body length of 270–295 cm (106–116 in) and weighed 170–240 kg (370–
530 lb); females measured 240–260 cm (94–102 in) in head-to-body and weighed 85–135 kg (187–
298 lb).[4] Maximum skull length in males was 297–365.8 mm (11.69–14.40 in), while that of females
was 195.7–255.5 mm (7.70–10.06 in).[7] Its occiput was broader than of the Bengal tiger.[15] It ranked
among the largest extant cat species, along with the Siberian tiger. [4][7][18]
Some individuals attained exceptional sizes. In 1954, a tiger was killed near the Sumbar
River in Kopet-Dag, whose stuffed skin was put on display in a museum in Ashgabat. Its head-to-
body length was 2.25 m (7.4 ft). Its skull had a condylobasal length of about 305 mm (12.0 in),
and zygomatic width of 205 mm (8.1 in). Its skull length was 385 mm (15.2 in), hence more than the
known maximum of 365.8 mm (14.40 in) for this population, and slightly exceeding skull length of
most Siberian tigers.[7] In Prishibinske, a tiger was killed in February 1899. Measurements after
skinning revealed a body length of 270 cm (8.9 ft) between the pegs, plus a 90 cm (3.0 ft) long tail,
giving it a total length of about 360 cm (11.8 ft). Measurements between the pegs of up to 2.95 m
(9.7 ft) is known.[4] It was said to have been "a tiger of immense proportions" and "no smaller than the
common Tuzemna horse." It had rather long fur.[7]
Skull size and shape of Caspian tigers significantly overlap with and are almost indistinguishable
from other tiger specimens in mainland Asia.