The Tiger

The Tiger (Panthera tigris), a member of the Felidae family, is the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera. The tiger is native to much of eastern and southern Asia, and is an apex predator and an obligate carnivore.

Aside from their great power their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes that overlays near-white to reddish-orange fur, with lighter under parts. The most numerous tiger subspecies is the Bengal Tiger, while the largest is the Siberian Tiger.


Tigers have a lifespan of 10–15 years in the wild, but can live longer than 20 years in captivity. They are territorial and generally solitary animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey demands. 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.

Three of the nine subspecies of modern tiger have gone extinct, and the remaining six are classified as endangered, some critically so. The primary direct causes are habitat destruction, fragmentation, and hunting.

Poaching for fur and destruction of habitat have greatly reduced tiger populations in the wild. At the start of the 20th century, it is estimated there were over 100,000 tigers in the world but the population has dwindled to between 1,500 and 3,500 in the wild. Some estimates suggest that there are less than 2,500 mature breeding individuals, with no subpopulation containing more than 250 mature breeding individuals.