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{{Short description|Large striped cat native to Asia}} | |||
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{{redirect|Tigress|other uses|Tiger (disambiguation)|and|Tigress (disambiguation)}} | |||
{{About|the feline}} | |||
{{pp- |
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{{Taxobox | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} | |||
{{Use British English|date=April 2020}} | |||
{{Speciesbox | |||
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Early Pleistocene | Present}} | |||
| image = Walking tiger female.jpg | |||
| image_caption = A ] in ], India | |||
| image_upright = 1.2 | |||
| status = EN | | status = EN | ||
| status_system = |
| status_system = IUCN3.1 | ||
| status_ref =<ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Panthera tigris'' |author=Goodrich, J. |author2=Wibisono, H. |author3=Miquelle, D. |author4=Lynam, A.J |author5=Sanderson, E. |author6=Chapman, S. |author7=Gray, T. N. E. |author8=Chanchani, P. |author9=Harihar, A. |name-list-style=amp |date=2022 |page=e.T15955A214862019 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T15955A214862019.en |access-date=31 August 2022}}</ref> | |||
| trend = down | |||
| status2 = CITES_A1 | |||
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn">{{IUCN2008|assessors=Chundawat, R.S., Habib, B., Karanth, U., Kawanishi, K., Ahmad Khan, J., Lynam, T., Miquelle, D., Nyhus, P., Sunarto, Tilson, R. & Sonam Wang|year=2008|id=15955|title=Panthera tigris|downloaded=9 October 2008}}</ref> | |||
| status2_system = CITES | |||
| image = Tigerramki.jpg | |||
| status2_ref = <ref name=iucn/> | |||
| image_caption = A ] (''P. tigris tigris'') in India's ]. | |||
| taxon = Panthera tigris | |||
| image_width = 250px | |||
| authority = (], 1758)<ref name=Linn1758/> | |||
| regnum = ]ia | |||
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | |||
| phylum = ] | |||
| classis = ]ia | |||
| ordo = ] | |||
| familia = ] | |||
| genus = '']'' | |||
| species = '''''P. tigris''''' | |||
| binomial = ''Panthera tigris'' | |||
| binomial_authority = (], 1758) | |||
| synonyms = | |||
<center>'''''Felis tigris''''' <small>], 1758</small><ref name="Linn1758" /> <br /> | |||
'''''Tigris striatus''''' <small>], 1858</small><br /> | |||
'''''Tigris regalis''''' <small>], 1867</center> | |||
| range_map = Tiger_map.jpg | |||
| range_map_width = 250px | |||
| range_map_caption = Historical distribution of tigers (pale yellow) and 2006 (green).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savethetigerfund.org |title=Wild Tiger Conservation |publisher=Save The Tiger Fund |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> | |||
| subdivision_ranks = ] | |||
| subdivision = | | subdivision = | ||
'']'' |
* '']'' | ||
'']'' |
* '']'' | ||
'']'' |
* {{extinct}}'']'' | ||
'']'' |
* {{extinct}}'']'' | ||
'']'' |
* {{extinct}}'']'' | ||
| range_map = Tiger distribution.png | |||
'']''<br /> | |||
| range_map_caption = Tiger distribution as of 2022 | |||
†'']''<br /> | |||
| range_map_upright = 1.2 | |||
†'']''<br /> | |||
| synonyms = | |||
†'']'' | |||
{{Species list | |||
| Felis tigris | ], ] | |||
| Tigris striatus | ], 1858 | |||
| Tigris regalis | ], 1867 | |||
}} | |||
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite book |first1=J. R. |last1=Ellerman |first2=T. C. S. |last2=Morrison-Scott |name-list-style=amp |date=1951 |title=Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946 |location=London |publisher=British Museum |pages=318–319 |chapter=''Panthera tigris'', Linnaeus, 1758 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/checklistofpalae00elle/page/318/mode/2up}}</ref> | |||
}} | }} | ||
The '''tiger''' ('''''Panthera tigris''''') is a large ] and a member of the genus '']'' native to ]. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into nine ] ], though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of the ]. | |||
The '''tiger''' (''Panthera tigris'') is a member of the ] family and the largest of the four "]s" in the ] '']''.<ref name="britannica">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9072439/tiger|title=Encyclopaedia Britannica Online - Tiger (''Panthera tigris'')|accessdate=25 September 2007}}</ref> Native to much of eastern and southern ], the tiger is an ] and an ]. Reaching up to {{convert|3.3|m|ft|abbr=off}} in total length, weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds), and having canines up to 4 inches long,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://animal.discovery.com/videos/animal-face-off-lion-vs-tiger.html |title=Animal Face-Off: Lion vs. Tiger : Video : Animal Planet |publisher=Animal.discovery.com |date=2008-04-29 |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> the larger tiger subspecies are comparable in size to the biggest extinct felids.<ref name = "Lynx">.</ref><ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/19.shtml|title=BBC Wildfacts – Tiger}}</ref> Aside from their great bulk and power, their most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical ]s that overlays near-white to reddish-orange fur, with lighter underparts. The most numerous tiger subspecies is the ] while the largest subspecies is the ]. | |||
Throughout the tiger's range, it inhabits mainly forests, from ]ous and ]s in the ] and ] to ] on the ] and ]. The tiger is an ] and preys mainly on ]s, which it takes by ambush. It lives a mostly solitary life and occupies ]s, defending these from individuals of the same sex. The range of a male tiger overlaps with that of multiple females with whom he mates. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs that stay with their mother for about two years. When becoming independent, they leave their mother's home range and establish their own. | |||
Tigers have a lifespan of 10–15 years in the wild, but can live longer than 20 years in captivity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/tiger.php |title=Tiger Facts and Sound - Panthera tigris - Defenders of Wildlife - Defenders of Wildlife |publisher=Defenders.org |date=2010-02-14 |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> They are highly adaptable and range from the Siberian ], to open ]s, to tropical ] swamps. 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. Of the nine subspecies of modern tiger, three are ] and the remaining six are classified as ], some critically so. The primary direct causes are ] and ], and ]. Their historical range once stretched from ] and the ] through most of ] and ]. Today it has been radically reduced. While all surviving species are under formal protection, poaching, habitat destruction and ] continue to threaten the species. | |||
Since the early 20th century, tiger populations have lost at least 93% of their historic range and are ] in ] and ], in large areas of ] and on the islands of ] and ]. Today, the tiger's range is severely fragmented. It is listed as ] on the ], as its range is thought to have declined by 53% to 68% since the late 1990s. Major threats to tigers are ] and ] due to ], ] for fur and the illegal trade of body parts for medicinal purposes. Tigers are also victims of ] as they attack and prey on livestock in areas where natural prey is scarce. The tiger is legally protected in all range countries. National conservation measures consist of action plans, ] patrols and schemes for monitoring tiger populations. In several range countries, ]s have been established and tiger reintroduction is planned. | |||
Tigers are among the most recognisable and popular of the world's ]. They have featured prominently in ancient ] and ], and continue to be depicted in modern films and literature. Tigers appear on many ]s and ], as ]s for sporting teams, and as the ] of several Asian nations, including ].<ref>{{cite web |title= National Animal|url=http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_animal.php|date= |publisher=] Official website |page=}}</ref> | |||
The tiger is among the most popular of the world's ]. It has been kept in captivity since ancient times and has been trained to perform in ]es and other entertainment shows. The tiger featured prominently in the ancient ] and ] of cultures throughout its historic range and has continued to ] worldwide. | |||
==Naming and etymology== | |||
The word "tiger" is taken from the Greek word "''tigris''", which is possibly derived from a ] source meaning "arrow", a reference to the animal's speed and also the origin for the name of the ] river.<ref name="Liddell">{{cite book | author=] and ] | year=1980 | title=] (Abridged Edition) | publisher=] | location=United Kingdom | isbn=0-19-910207-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tiger |title='Tiger' at the Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> In American English, "Tigress" was first recorded in 1611. It was one of the many species originally described, as ''Felis tigris'', by ] in his 18th century work, '']''.<ref name="Linn1758">{{cite book | |||
| last = Linnaeus | |||
| first = Carolus | |||
| authorlink = Carolus Linnaeus | |||
| title = Systema naturae per regna tria naturae:secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. | |||
| publisher = Holmiae (Laurentii Salvii) | |||
| year = 1758 | |||
| page = 41 | |||
| url = http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726936 | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-08 | |||
| volume = 1 | |||
| edition = 10th}}</ref><ref>{{la icon}} {{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=C. | authorlink=Carolus Linnaeus | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. | publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii). |year=1758| page=824 | url=http://dz1.gdz-cms.de/index.php?id=img&no_cache=1&IDDOC=265100}}</ref> The generic component of its scientific designation, ''Panthera tigris'', is often presumed to derive from Greek ''pan-'' ("all") and ''theron'' ("beast"), but this may be a ]. Although it came into English through the classical languages, ''panthera'' is probably of ]n origin, meaning "the yellowish animal", or "whitish-yellow".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=panther | title="Panther" | work=Online Etymology Dictionary | publisher=] | accessdate=2007-07-05}}</ref> | |||
== Etymology == | |||
A group of tigers<ref>{{cite web | url=http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Whats_a_group_of_tigers_called | title="WIKI Answers article on 'Group of tigers'"}}</ref> is rare (see below), but when seen together is termed a "streak" or an "ambush". | |||
The ] ''tigras'' derives from ] {{lang|fro|tigre}}, from ] {{lang|la|tigris}}, which was a borrowing from {{transl|grc| tigris}} ({{langx|grc|τίγρις}}).<ref>{{cite book |author1=Liddell, H. G. |author2=Scott, R. |name-list-style=amp |title=A Greek-English Lexicon |edition=Revised and augmented |year=1940 |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |chapter=τίγρις |chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dti%2Fgris |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021200154/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=ti/gris |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Since ancient times, the word {{transl|grc|tigris}} has been suggested to originate from the ] or ] word for 'arrow', which may also be the origin of the name for the river ].<ref name=Varro>{{cite book |author=Varro, M. T. |translator=Kent, R. G. |year=1938 |title=De lingua latina |trans-title=On the Latin language |publisher=W. Heinemann |place=London |chapter=XX. Ferarum vocabula |trans-chapter=XX. The names of wild beasts |pages=94–97 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/onlatinlanguage01varruoft/page/96/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=Thorley>{{cite journal |last=Thorley |first=D. |year=2017 |title=Naming the tiger in the Early Modern world |journal=Renaissance Quarterly |volume=70 |issue=3 |pages=977–1006 |doi=10.1086/693884 |jstor=26560471 |s2cid=165388712}}</ref> However, today, the names are thought to be ], and the connection between the tiger and the river is doubted.<ref name=Thorley/> | |||
== Taxonomy == | |||
] | |||
In 1758, ] described the tiger in his work '']'' and gave it the ] ''Felis tigris'', as the genus ''Felis'' was being used for all cats at the time. His ] was based on descriptions by earlier naturalists such as ] and ].<ref name=Linn1758>{{cite book |author=Linnaeus, C. |year=1758 |title=Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |volume=Tomus I |edition=decima, reformata |location=Holmiae |publisher=Laurentius Salvius |page=41 |chapter=''Felis tigris'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753000798865#page/41/mode/2up |language=la}}</ref> In 1929, ] placed the species in the genus '']'' using the scientific name ''Panthera tigris''.<ref name=pocock1929>{{cite journal |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1929 |title=Tigers |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=505–541 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbomb33341929bomb/page/n133}}</ref><ref name=pocock1939>{{cite book |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1939 |title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma |volume=((Mammalia. Volume 1)) |location=London |publisher=T. Taylor and Francis, Ltd. |pages=197–210 |chapter=''Panthera tigris'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/PocockMammalia1/pocock1#page/n247/mode/2up}}</ref> | |||
== |
=== Subspecies === | ||
{{anchor|Populations}} | |||
Nine ] tiger ] have been proposed between the early 19th and early 21st centuries, namely the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]s.<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Carnivora |id=14000259 |page=546 |heading=Species ''Panthera tigris''}}</ref><ref name=Wilting2015/> The ] of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999 as most putative subspecies were distinguished on the basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size of specimens in ] collections that are not necessarily representative for the entire population. It was proposed to recognise only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely ''P. t. tigris'' in mainland Asia and the smaller ''P. t. sondaica'' in the ].<ref name=Kitchener1999>Kitchener, A. (1999). "Tiger distribution, phenotypic variation and conservation issues" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=19–39}}</ref> | |||
This two-subspecies proposal was reaffirmed in 2015 through a comprehensive analysis of morphological, ecological and ] (mtDNA) traits of all putative tiger subspecies.<ref name=Wilting2015>{{cite journal |title=Planning tiger recovery: Understanding intraspecific variation for effective conservation |last1=Wilting |first1=A. |last2=Courtiol |first2=A. |first3=P. |last3=Christiansen |first4=J. |last4=Niedballa |first5=A. K. |last5=Scharf |first6=L. |last6=Orlando |first7=N. |last7=Balkenhol |first8=H. |last8=Hofer |first9=S. |last9=Kramer-Schadt |first10=J. |last10=Fickel |first11=A. C. |last11=Kitchener |name-list-style=amp |date=2015 |volume=11 |issue=5 |page=e1400175 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.1400175 |pmid=26601191 |pmc=4640610 |journal=Science Advances |bibcode=2015SciA....1E0175W}}</ref> | |||
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2009}} | |||
In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised ] taxonomy in accordance with the 2015 two-subspecies proposal and recognised only ''P. t. tigris'' and ''P. t. sondaica''.<ref name=catsg>{{cite journal |last1=Kitchener |first1=A. C. |last2=Breitenmoser-Würsten |first2=C. |last3=Eizirik |first3=E. |last4=Gentry |first4=A. |last5=Werdelin |first5=L. |last6=Wilting |first6=A. |last7=Yamaguchi |first7=N. |last8=Abramov |first8=A. V. |last9=Christiansen |first9=P. |last10=Driscoll |first10=C. |last11=Duckworth |first11=J. W. |last12=Johnson |first12=W. |last13=Luo |first13=S.-J. |last14=Meijaard |first14=E. |last15=O'Donoghue |first15=P. |last16=Sanderson |first16=J. |last17=Seymour |first17=K. |last18=Bruford |first18=M. |last19=Groves |first19=C. |last20=Hoffmann |first20=M. |last21=Nowell |first21=K. |last22=Timmons |first22=Z. |last23=Tobe |first23=S. |name-list-style=amp |date=2017 |title=A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group |journal=Cat News |issue=Special Issue 11 |pages=66–68 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y#page=66 |access-date=27 August 2019 |archive-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117172708/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y#page=66 |url-status=live}}</ref> Results of a 2018 ] study of 32 samples from the six living putative subspecies—the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South China, Siberian and Sumatran tiger—found them to be distinct and separate ]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Y.-C. |first2=X. |last2=Sun |first3=C. |last3=Driscoll |first4=D. G. |last4=Miquelle |first5=X. |last5=Xu |first6=P. |last6=Martelli |first7=O. |last7=Uphyrkina |first8=J. L. D. |last8=Smith |first9=S. J. |last9=O'Brien |first10=S.-J. |last10=Luo |name-list-style=amp |title=Genome-wide evolutionary analysis of natural history and adaptation in the world's tigers |journal=Current Biology |volume=28 |issue=23 |date=2018 |pages=3840–3849 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.019 |pmid=30482605 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018CBio...28E3840L}}</ref> These results were corroborated in 2021 and 2023.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Armstrong|first1=E. E.|last2=Khan|first2=A. |last3=Taylor|first3=R. W.|last4=Gouy|first4=A. |last5=Greenbaum |first5=G. |last6=Thiéry|first6=A |last7=Kang|first7=J. T.|last8=Redondo|first8=S. A.|last9=Prost|first9=S. |last10=Barsh |first10=G. |last11=Kaelin |first11=C. |last12=Phalke|first12=S. |last13=Chugani|first13=A. |last14=Gilbert|first14=M. |last15=Miquelle |first15=D. |last16=Zachariah |first16=A. |last17=Borthakur|first17=U. |last18=Reddy|first18=A. |last19=Louis|first19=E. |last20=Ryder |first20=O. A. |last21=Jhala |first21=Y. V.|last22=Petrov|first22=D. |last23=Excoffier|first23=L. |last24=Hadly|first24=E. |last25=Ramakrishnan |first25=U. |name-list-style=amp |year=2021|title=Recent evolutionary history of tigers highlights contrasting roles of genetic drift and selection |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume=38|issue=6|pages=2366–2379 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msab032 |pmid=33592092 |pmc=8136513}}</ref><ref name=Wang2023>{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=C. |last2=Wu|first2=D. D. |last3=Yuan |first3=Y. H. |last4=Yao |first4=M. C.|last5=Han|first5=J. L.|last6=Wu|first6=Y. J.|last7=Shan|first7=F. |last8=Li|first8=W. P. |last9=Zhai |first9=J. Q. |last10=Huang |first10=M|last11=Peng|first11=S. H.|last12=Cai|first12=Q .H.|last13=Yu|first13=J. Y. |last14=Liu|first14=Q. X. |last15=Lui |first15=Z. Y. |last16=Li|first16=L. X.|last17=Teng|first17=M. S.|last18=Huang|first18=W. |last19=Zhou|first19=J. Y. |last20=Zhang |first20=C. |last21=Chen|first21=W. |last22=Tu|first22=X. L.|year=2023|title=Population genomic analysis provides evidence of the past success and future potential of South China tiger captive conservation|journal=BMC Biology|volume=21 |issue=1 |page=64 |doi=10.1186/s12915-023-01552-y |doi-access=free |pmid=37069598 |pmc=10111772 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The Cat Specialist Group states that "Given the varied interpretations of data, the taxonomy of this species is currently under review by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group."<ref>{{cite web|title=Tiger|publisher=CatSG|url=http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=124|accessdate=14 June 2024}}</ref> | |||
In the past, the tiger's range was widespread in Asia, from the ] and the ] to Siberia and Indonesia, but today's tiger range is only 7 percent of what it used to be. <ref> </ref> Furthermore, within the past decade alone, the estimated area known to be occupied by tigers has declined 41 percent. <ref> </ref> During the 19th century, these cats completely vanished from western Asia, and became restricted to isolated pockets in the remaining parts of their range. Today, their range is fragmented, and certain parts degraded, and extends from ] in the west to ] and ] in the east.<ref> </ref> The northern limit is close to the ] in south eastern ]. The only large island inhabited by tigers today is ]. Tigers vanished from ] and ] during the 20th century, and in ] are known only from ] remains. | |||
The following tables are based on the ] of the tiger as of 2005,<ref name=MSW3/> and also reflect the classification recognised by the Cat Classification Task Force in 2017.<ref name=catsg/> | |||
Tiger ]s will usually include sufficient ], proximity to ], and an abundance of ] sources. ]s live in many types of forests, including ]; ]; the semi-evergreen of ] and eastern ]; the mangrove forest of the ] Delta; the ] of ], and the thorn forests of the Western Ghats. Compared to the lion, the tiger prefers denser vegetation, for which its camouflage colouring is ideally suited, and where a single predator is not at a disadvantage compared with the multiple felines in a pride. Among the big cats, only the tiger and ] are strong ]; tigers are often found bathing in ]s, ]s, and ]s. Unlike other cats, which tend to avoid water, tigers actively seek it out. During the ] of the day, they often cool off in pools. Tigers are excellent swimmers and can swim up to 4 miles. This cat will also carry their dead prey across ]s. | |||
{{clear}} | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
==Physical characteristics, taxonomy and evolution== | |||
|+ style="text-align: centre;" | ''Panthera tigris tigris'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}}<ref name=Linn1758/> | |||
The oldest remains of a tiger-like cat, called '']'', have been found in China and Java. This species lived about 2 million years ago, at the beginning of the ], and was smaller than a modern tiger. The earliest fossils of true tigers are known from Java, and are between 1.6 and 1.8 million years old. Distinct fossils from the early and middle Pleistocene were also discovered in deposits from China, and Sumatra. A subspecies called the ''']''' (''Panthera tigris trinilensis'') lived about 1.2 million years ago and is known from fossils found at ] in ].<ref>Van den Hoek Ostende. 1999. Javan Tiger - Ruthlessly hunted down. . Downloaded on August 11, 2006.</ref> | |||
! Population !! Description !! Image | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. tigris'' (Linnaeus, 1758)}}<ref name=Linn1758/> | |||
| | This population inhabits the ].<ref name=Jackson1996>{{Cite book |author1=Nowell, K. |author2=Jackson, P. |title=Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan |place=Gland, Switzerland |publisher=IUCN |year=1996 |isbn=2-8317-0045-0 |name-list-style=amp |pages=55–65 |chapter=Tiger, ''Panthera tigris'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |chapter-url=https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/1996-008.pdf#page=80 |access-date=25 January 2024 |archive-date=25 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125121859/https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/1996-008.pdf#page=80 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Bengal tiger has shorter fur than tigers further north,<ref name=pocock1939/> with a light ] to orange-red colouration,<ref name=pocock1939/><ref>{{cite report|title=Indian National Studbook of the Bengal Tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') |publisher=Central Zoo Authority, Wildlife Institute of India |date=2011 |url=https://cza.nic.in/uploads/documents/studbooks/english/Bengal%20Tiger%20Studbook%202011.pdf |last1=Srivastav|first1=A. |last2=Malviya |first2=M. |last3=Tyagi |first3=P. C.|last4=Nigam |first4=P. |name-list-style=amp |accessdate=27 May 2024}}</ref> and relatively long and narrow nostrils.<ref name="Mazák2010"/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. virgata'' (], 1815)}}<ref name=Illiger>{{cite journal |last1=Illiger |first1=C. |date=1815 |title=Überblick der Säugethiere nach ihrer Verteilung über die Welttheile |journal=Abhandlungen der Königlichen Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin |volume=1804–1811 |pages=39–159 |url=https://bibliothek.bbaw.de/digitalisierte-sammlungen/akademieschriften/ansicht-akademieschriften?tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Baction%5D=show&tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Bcontroller%5D=AcademicPublication%5CVolume&tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Bpage%5D=195&tx_bbaw_academicpublicationshow%5Bvolume%5D=85&cHash=f015ec3f9a13240a9559ebdcb88aafa4}}</ref> | |||
| |This population occurred from Turkey to around the Caspian Sea.<ref name=Jackson1996/> It had bright rusty-red fur with thin and closely spaced brownish stripes,{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=137}} and a broad ].<ref name=Kitchener1999/> Genetic analysis revealed that it was closely related to the Siberian tiger.<ref name=Driscoll2009>{{Cite journal |last1=Driscoll |first1=C. A. |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=N. |last3=Bar-Gal |first3=G. K. |last4=Roca |first4=A. L. |last5=Luo |first5=S. |last6=MacDonald |first6=D. W. |last7=O'Brien |first7=S. J. |name-list-style=amp |title=Mitochondrial phylogeography illuminates the origin of the extinct Caspian Tiger and its relationship to the Amur Tiger |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0004125 |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=e4125 |date=2009 |pmid=19142238 |pmc=2624500 |bibcode=2009PLoSO...4.4125D |doi-access=free}}</ref> It has been extinct since the 1970s.<ref name=Seidensticker1999/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. altaica'' (], 1844)}}<ref name=Temminck>{{cite book |last=Temminck |first=C. J. |date=1844 |chapter=Aperçu général et spécifique sur les Mammifères qui habitent le Japon et les Iles qui en dépendent |title=Fauna Japonica sive Descriptio animalium, quae in itinere per Japoniam, jussu et auspiciis superiorum, qui summum in India Batava imperium tenent, suscepto, annis 1825–1830 collegit, notis, observationibus et adumbrationibus illustravit Ph. Fr. de Siebold |location=Leiden |publisher=Lugduni Batavorum |editor1=Siebold, P. F. v. |editor2=Temminck, C. J. |editor3=Schlegel, H. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/faunajaponicasi00sieb/page/43}}</ref> | |||
| |This population lives in the ], ] and possibly North Korea.<ref name=Jackson1996/> The Siberian tiger has long hair and dense fur.<ref name=Temminck/> Its ground colour varies widely from ]-yellow in winter to more reddish and vibrant after moulting.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=131}} The skull is shorter and broader than the skulls of tigers further south.<ref name="Mazák2010">{{cite journal |last1=Mazák |first1=J. H. |year=2010|title=Craniometric variation in the tiger (''Panthera tigris''): Implications for patterns of diversity, taxonomy and conservation |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=75 |issue=1 |pages=45–68 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2008.06.003|bibcode=2010MamBi..75...45M}}</ref> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. amoyensis'' (], 1905)}}<ref name=Hilzheimer>{{cite journal |last=Hilzheimer |first=M. |date=1905 |title=Über einige Tigerschädel aus der Straßburger zoologischen Sammlung |journal=Zoologischer Anzeiger |volume=28 |pages=594–599 |url=https://archive.org/details/zoologischeranze28deut/page/596}}</ref> | |||
| |This tiger historically lived in south-central China.<ref name=Jackson1996/> The skulls of the five ]s had shorter ]s and ] than tigers from India, a smaller cranium, ]s set closer together and larger ]es; skins were yellowish with ]-like stripes.<ref name=Hilzheimer/> It has a unique mtDNA ] due to interbreeding with ancient tiger lineages.<ref name=catsg/><ref name=Sun2023/><ref name=Hu2022/> It is ] as there has not been a confirmed sighting since the 1970s,<ref name=iucn/> and survives only in captivity.<ref name=Wang2023/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. corbetti'' (], 1968)}}<ref name=Mazak1968>{{cite journal |last=Mazák |first=V. |author-link=Vratislav Mazák |date=1968 |title=Nouvelle sous-espèce de tigre provenant de l'Asie du sud-est |journal=Mammalia |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=104–112 |doi=10.1515/mamm.1968.32.1.104|s2cid=84054536}}</ref> | |||
| |This tiger population occurs on the ].<ref name=Jackson1996/> Indochinese tiger specimens have smaller craniums than Bengal tigers and appear to have darker fur with somewhat thin stripes.<ref name=Mazak1968/><ref name=mazak06>{{cite journal |last1=Mazák |first1=J. H. |last2=Groves |first2=C. P. |name-list-style=amp |date=2006 |title=A taxonomic revision of the tigers (''Panthera tigris'') of Southeast Asia |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=71 |issue=5 |pages=268–287 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2006.02.007 |bibcode=2006MamBi..71..268M |url=http://www.dl.edi-info.ir/A%20taxonomic%20revision%20of%20the%20tigers%20of%20Southeast%20Asia.pdf |access-date=15 January 2024 |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531133543/http://www.dl.edi-info.ir/A%20taxonomic%20revision%20of%20the%20tigers%20of%20Southeast%20Asia.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. jacksoni'' (Luo et al., 2004)}}<ref name=Luo04>{{cite journal |last1=Luo |first1=S.-J. |last2=Kim |first2=J.-H. |last3=Johnson |first3=W. E. |last4=van der Walt |first4=J. |last5=Martenson |first5=J. |last6=Yuhki |first6=N. |last7=Miquelle |first7=D. G. |last8=Uphyrkina |first8=O. |last9=Goodrich |first9=J. M. |last10=Quigley |first10=H. B. |last11=Tilson |first11=R. |last12=Brady |first12=G. |last13=Martelli |first13=P. |last14=Subramaniam |first14=V. |last15=McDougal |first15=C. |last16=Hean |first16=S. |last17=Huang |first17=S.-Q. |last18=Pan |first18=W. |last19=Karanth |first19=U. K. |last20=Sunquist |first20=M. |last21=Smith |first21=J. L. D. |last22=O'Brien |first22=S. J. |name-list-style=amp |date=2004 |title=Phylogeography and genetic ancestry of tigers (''Panthera tigris'') |journal=] |volume=2 |issue=12 |page=e442 |pmid=15583716 |pmc=534810 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020442 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
| |The Malayan tiger was proposed as a distinct subspecies on the basis of mtDNA and ] that differ from the Indochinese tiger.<ref name=Luo04/> It does not differ significantly in fur colour or skull size from Indochinese tigers.<ref name=mazak06/> There is no clear geographical barrier between tiger populations in northern Malaysia and southern Thailand.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
| |] | |||
|} | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
Tigers first reached India and northern Asia in the late Pleistocene, reaching eastern ] (but not the American Continent), ], and ]. Fossils found in Japan indicate that the local tigers were, like the surviving island subspecies, smaller than the mainland forms. This may be due to the phenomenon in which body size is related to environmental space (see ]), or perhaps the availability of prey. Until the ], tigers also lived in ], as well as on the island of ] in the ].<ref>Piper et al. ''The first evidence for the past presence of the tiger Panthera tigris on the island of Palawan, Philippines: Extinction in an island population.'' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 264 (2008) 123–127</ref> | |||
|+ style="text-align: centre;" | ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' {{small|(Temminck, 1844)}}<ref name=catsg/> | |||
! Population !! Description !! Image | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| †] {{small|formerly ''P. t. sondaica'' (Temminck, 1944)}}<ref name=Temminck/> | |||
| |This tiger was described based on an unspecified number of skins with short and smooth hair.<ref name=Temminck/> Tigers from Java were small compared to tigers of the Asian mainland, had relatively elongated skulls compared to the Sumatran tiger and longer, thinner and more numerous stripes.<ref name=mazak06/> The Javan tiger is thought to have gone extinct by the 1980s.<ref name=Seidensticker1999/> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| †] {{small|formerly ''P. t. balica'' (], 1912)}}<ref name=Schwarz>{{cite journal |last=Schwarz |first=E. |date=1912 |title=Notes on Malay tigers, with description of a new form from Bali |journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History |pages=324–326 |series=8 |volume=10 |issue=57 |doi=10.1080/00222931208693243 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsmagazineof8101912lond#page/324/mode/2up}}</ref> | |||
| | This tiger occurred on ] and had brighter fur and a smaller skull than the Javan tiger.<ref name=Schwarz/><ref name="der-tiger">{{cite book |author=Mazak, V. |year=2004 |title=Der Tiger |publisher=Westarp Wissenschaften Hohenwarsleben|location = Madgeburg |isbn=978-3-89432-759-0 |language=de}}</ref> A typical feature of Bali tiger skulls is the narrow occipital bone, which is similar to the Javan tiger's skull.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mazák |first1=V. |author-link=Vratislav Mazák |last2=Groves |first2=C. P. |last3=Van Bree |first3=P. |date=1978 |title=Skin and Skull of the Bali Tiger, and a list of preserved specimens of ''Panthera tigris balica'' (Schwarz, 1912) |journal=] |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=108–113 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The tiger went extinct in the 1940s.<ref name=Seidensticker1999>Seidensticker, J.; Christie, S. & Jackson, P. (1999). "Preface" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=xv–xx}}</ref> | |||
| |] | |||
|- style="vertical-align: top;" | |||
| ] {{small|formerly ''P. t. sumatrae'' (], 1929)}}<ref name=Pocock1929>{{cite journal |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |date=1929 |title=Tigers |journal=] |volume=33 |pages=505–541 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbomb33341929bomb/page/n185}}</ref> | |||
| The type specimen from ] had dark fur.<ref name=Pocock1929/> The Sumatran tiger has particularly long hair around the face,<ref name=Jackson1996/> thick body stripes and a broader and smaller ] than other island tigers.<ref name=mazak06/> | |||
| |] | |||
|} | |||
=== |
=== Evolution === | ||
{{Cladogram|align=right|caption=Phylogeny of the genus ''Panthera'' based on a 2016 ] study<ref name=Li_al2016>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=G. |last2=Davis |first2=B. W. |last3=Eizirik |first3=E. |last4=Murphy |first4=W. J. |date=2016 |title=Phylogenomic evidence for ancient hybridization in the genomes of living cats (Felidae) |journal=Genome Research |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1101/gr.186668.114 |pmid=26518481 |pmc=4691742}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
|1={{clade | |||
Tigers are among the most recognisable of all the cats. They typically have rusty-reddish to brown-rusty coats, a whitish medial and ventral area, a white "fripooeyqwsgnge" that surrounds the face, and stripes that vary from brown or gray to pure black. The form and density of stripes differs between subspecies (as well as the ground coloration of the fur; for instance, Siberian tigers are usually paler than other tiger subspecies), but most tigers have over 100 stripes. The pattern of stripes is unique to each animal, and thus could potentially be used to identify individuals, much in the same way that ]s are used to identify people. This is not, however, a preferred method of identification, due to the difficulty of recording the stripe pattern of a wild tiger. It seems likely that the function of stripes is ], serving to help tigers conceal themselves amongst the dappled shadows and long grass of their environment as they stalk their prey. The stripe pattern is found on a tiger's skin and if shaved, its distinctive camouflage pattern would be preserved. | |||
|label1='']'' | |||
|1={{clade | |||
|1={{clade | |||
|1=] ] | |||
|2='''Tiger''' ] | |||
}} | |||
|2={{clade sequential | |||
|1=] ] | |||
|2=] ] | |||
|3=] ] | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
The tiger shares the genus ''Panthera'' with the ], ], ] and ]. Results of genetic analyses indicate that the tiger and snow leopard are ] whose ] split from each other between 2.70 and 3.70 million years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=B. W. |last2=Li |first2=G. |last3=Murphy |first3=W. J. |title=Supermatrix and species tree methods resolve phylogenetic relationships within the big cats, ''Panthera'' (Carnivora: Felidae) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |year=2010 |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=64–76 |pmid=20138224 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.036 |bibcode=2010MolPE..56...64D |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The tiger's whole genome sequencing shows ] that parallel those in other cat genomes.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The tiger genome and comparative analysis with lion and snow leopard genomes |doi=10.1038/ncomms3433 |pmid=24045858 |pmc=3778509 |journal=Nature Communications |volume=4 |page=2433 |year=2013 |last1=Cho |first1=Y. S. |last2=Hu |first2=L. |last3=Hou |first3=H. |last4=Lee |first4=H. |last5=Xu |first5=J. |last6=Kwon |first6=S. |last7=Oh |first7=S. |last8=Kim |first8=H. M. |last9=Jho |first9=S. |last10=Kim |first10=S. |last11=Shin |first11=Y. A. |last12=Kim |first12=B. C. |last13=Kim |first13=H. |last14=Kim |first14=C. U. |last15=Luo | first15=S. J. |last16=Johnson |first16=W. E. |last17=Koepfli |first17=K. P. |last18=Schmidt-Küntzel |first18=A. |last19=Turner |first19=J. A. |last20=Marker |first20=L. |last21=Harper |first21=C. |last22=Miller |first22=S. M. |last23=Jacobs |first23=W. |last24=Bertola |first24=L. D. |last25=Kim |first25=T. H. |last26=Lee |first26=S. |last27=Zhou |first27=Q. |last28=Jung |first28=H. J. |last29=Xu |first29=X. |last30=Gadhvi |first30=P. |name-list-style=amp |bibcode=2013NatCo...4.2433C |hdl=2263/32583}}</ref> | |||
The fossil species '']'' of early ] northern China was described as a possible tiger ancestor when it was discovered in 1924, but modern cladistics places it as ] to modern ''Panthera''.<ref name=Mazák>{{cite journal |year=2011 |title=Oldest Known Pantherine Skull and Evolution of the Tiger |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=10 |page=e25483 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0025483 |pmid=22016768 |last1=Mazák |first1=J. H. |last2=Christiansen |first2=P. |last3=Kitchener |first3=A. C. |bibcode=2011PLoSO...625483M |pmc=3189913 |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref><ref name=Tseng>{{cite journal |author1=Tseng, Z. J. |author2=Wang, X. |author3=Slater, G. J. |author4=Takeuchi, G. T. |author5=Li, Q. |author6=Liu, J. |author7=Xie, G. |date=2014 |title=Himalayan fossils of the oldest known pantherine establish ancient origin of big cats |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=281 |issue=1774 |page=20132686 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2013.2686|pmid=24225466 |pmc=3843846 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> '']'' lived around the same time and place, and was suggested to be a sister species of the modern tiger when it was examined in 2014.<ref name=Mazák/> However, as of 2023, at least two subsequent studies considered ''P. zdanskyi'' likely to be a ] of ''P. palaeosinensis'', noting that its proposed differences from that species fell within the range of individual variation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hemmer |first1=Helmut |title= The identity of the "lion", ''Panthera principialis'' sp. nov., from the Pliocene Tanzanian site of Laetoli and its significance for molecular dating the pantherine phylogeny, with remarks on Panthera shawi (Broom, 1948), and a revision of Puma incurva (Ewer, 1956), the Early Pleistocene Swartkrans "leopard" (Carnivora, Felidae)|url= |journal= Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments|year=2023 |volume= 103|issue= 2|pages= 465–487|doi=10.1007/s12549-022-00542-2 |bibcode=2023PdPe..103..465H |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1080/08912963.2022.2034808 |title=Discovery of jaguar from northeastern China middle Pleistocene reveals an intercontinental dispersal event |date=2023 |last1=Jiangzuo |first1=Q. |last2=Wang |first2=Y. |last3=Ge |first3=J. |last4=Liu |first4=S. |last5=Song |first5=Y. |last6=Jin |first6=C. |last7=Jiang |first7=H. |last8=Liu |first8=J. |journal=Historical Biology |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=293–302 |bibcode=2023HBio...35..293J |s2cid=246693903 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The earliest appearance of the modern tiger species in the fossil record are jaw fragments from ] in China that are dated to the early Pleistocene.<ref name=Mazák/> | |||
Like other big cats, tigers have a white spot on the backs of their ears. These spots, called ], serve a social function, by communicating the animal's mental state to ] in the gloom of dense forest or in tall grass. | |||
] | |||
Tigers have the additional distinction of being the heaviest cats found in the wild.<ref name="WWF">{{cite web|url= http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/ecology.m|title=WWF – Tigers – Ecology}}</ref> They also have powerfully built legs and shoulders, with the result that they, like lions, have the ability to pull down prey substantially heavier than themselves. However, the subspecies differ markedly in size, tending to increase proportionally with ], as predicted by ]. Thus, large male ]s (''Panthera tigris altaica'') can reach a total length of 3.5 m "over curves" (3.3 m. "between pegs") and a weight of 306 kilograms,<ref name="der-tiger">{{de icon}} Vratislav Mazak: ''Der Tiger''. Nachdruck der 3. Auflage von 1983. Westarp Wissenschaften Hohenwarsleben, 2004 ISBN 3-89432-759-6</ref> which is considerably larger than the sizes reached by island-dwelling tigers such as the Sumatran, the smallest living subspecies with a body weight of only 75–140 kg.<ref name="der-tiger"/> Tigresses are smaller than the males in each subspecies, although the size difference between male and female tigers tends to be more pronounced in the larger subspecies of tiger, with males weighing up to 1.7 times as much as the females.<ref>Matthiessen, Peter. 2000. Tigers in the Snow, p. 47. The Harvill Press, London.</ref> In addition, male tigers have wider forepaw pads than females. This difference is often used by biologists in determining the gender of tigers when observing their tracks.<ref name = "Tigersnow"/> The skull of the tiger is very similar to that of the lion, though the frontal region is usually not as depressed or flattened, with a slightly longer postorbital region. The lion's skull has broader nasal openings. However, due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually, only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.<ref name="USSR">{{cite book | author = V.G. Heptner & A.A. Sludskii | title = Mammals of the Soviet Union, Volume II, Part 2 | year = | pages = | isbn = 9004088768}}</ref> | |||
Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes of white tigers). | |||
Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than that of humans.<ref>Zoo animals. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.zooschool.ecsd.net/Tiger.htm</ref> | |||
Middle- to late-Pleistocene tiger fossils have been found throughout China, Sumatra and Java. Prehistoric subspecies include '']'' and '']'' of Java and Sumatra and '']'' of China; late Pleistocene and early ] fossils of tigers have also been found in ] and Palawan, Philippines.<ref name=Kitchener2009>Kitchener, A. & Yamaguchi, N. (2009). "What is a Tiger? Biogeography, Morphology, and Taxonomy" in {{harvnb|Tilson|Nyhus|2010|pp=53–84}}</ref> Fossil specimens of tigers have also been reported from the Middle-Late Pleistocene of Japan.<ref>Hasegawa, Y., Takakuwa, Y., Nenoki, K. & Kimura, T. <abbr>. Bull. Gunma Museum Nat. Hist</abbr>. 23, (2019) (in Japanese with English abstract)</ref> Results of a ] study indicate that all living tigers have a common ancestor that lived between 108,000 and 72,000 years ago.<ref name=Luo04/> Genetic studies suggest that the tiger population contracted around 115,000 years ago due to glaciation. Modern tiger populations originated from a ] in Indochina and spread across Asia after the ]. As they colonised northeastern China, the ancestors of the South China tiger intermixed with a relict tiger population.<ref name=Hu2022>{{cite journal |last1=Hu|first1=J. |last2=Westbury |first2=M. V.|last3=Yuan|first3=J. |last4=Wang|first4=C. |last5=Xiao|first5=B. |last6=Chen|first6=S. |last7=Song|first7=S. |last8=Wang |first8=L. |last9=Lin |first9=H. |last10=Lai|first10=X. |last11=Sheng|first11=G. |name-list-style=amp |year=2022|title=An extinct and deeply divergent tiger lineage from northeastern China recognized through palaeogenomics |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=289 |issue=1979 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2022.0617|pmid=35892215|pmc=9326283}}</ref><ref name=Sun2023>{{cite journal |last1=Sun |first1=X. |last2=Liu |first2=Y.-C. |last3=Tiunov |first3=M. P. |last4=Gimranov|first4=D. O. |last5=Zhuang |first5=Y. |last6=Han |first6=Y. |last7=Driscoll |first7=C. A. |last8=Driscoll|first8=C. A. |last9=Pang |first9=Y. |last10=Li |first10=C. |last11=Pan|first11=Y|last12=Velasco|first12=M. S. |last13=Gopalakrishnan |first13=S. |last14=Yang |first14=R.-Z. |last15=Li |first15=B.-G. |last16=Jin |first16=K. |last17=Xu |first17=X. |last18=Uphyrkina |first18=O. |last19=Huang |first19=Y. |last20=Wu |first20=X.-H. |last21=Gilbert |first21=M. T. P. |last22=O'Brien |first22=S. J. |last23=Yamaguchi |first23=N. |last24=Luo |first24=S.-J. |year=2023 |title=Ancient DNA reveals genetic admixture in China during tiger evolution |journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution |volume=7 |issue=11 |pages=1914–1929 |doi=10.1038/s41559-023-02185-8 |pmid=37652999 |bibcode=2023NatEE...7.1914S |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
===Subspecies=== | |||
] with her cub.]] | |||
There are nine recent ] of tiger, three of which are ]. Their historical range (severely diminished today) ran through ], ], ], ], ], ], and ], including some ]. The surviving subspecies, in descending order of wild population, are: | |||
=== Hybrids === | |||
*The ''']''' or the '''Royal Bengal tiger''' (''Panthera tigris tigris'') is the most common subspecies of tiger and is found primarily in ] and ].<ref>, Marshall Cavendish, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, John L Gittleman</ref> It lives in varied habitats: grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests, and mangroves. Males in the wild usually weigh {{convert|205|to|227|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, while the average female will weigh about 141 kg.<ref name="university2002">Sunquist, Mel and Fiona Sunquist. 2002. Wild Cats of the World. University Of Chicago Press, Chicago</ref> However, the northern Indian and the Nepalese Bengal tigers are somewhat bulkier than those found in the south of the Indian Subcontinent, with males averaging around {{convert|235|kg|lb}}.<ref name="university2002"/> While conservationists already believed the population to be below 2,000,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianjungles.com/090805d.htm |title=Task force says tigers under siege |publisher=Indianjungles.com |date=2005-08-05 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> the most recent audit by the Indian Government's ] has estimated the number at just 1,411 wild tigers (1165–1657 allowing for ]), a drop of 60% in the past decade.<ref>{{Cite news | last=Wade | first=Matt | author-link=Matt Wade | title=Threat to a national symbol as India's wild tigers vanish | newspaper=The Age (Melbourne) | date=February 15, 2008 | page=9 | ref=harv | postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> Since 1972, there has been a massive wildlife conservation project, known as ], to protect the Bengal tiger. Despite increased efforts by Indian officials, poaching remains rampant and at least one Tiger Reserve (]) has lost its entire tiger population to poaching.<ref>{{cite web |title=No tigers found in Sariska: CBI |publisher=DeccanHerald.com |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr112005/national130442005410.asp |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070210220826/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr112005/national130442005410.asp |archivedate=2007-02-10 |accessdate=2007-07-20 }} (Archive).</ref> | |||
{{further|Felid hybrids|Panthera hybrid}} | |||
Tigers can ] with other ''Panthera'' cats and have done so in captivity. The ] is the offspring of a female tiger and a male lion and the ] the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion.<ref name=Gabryś>{{cite journal |author1=Gabryś, J. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kij, B. |author3=Kochan, J. |author4=Bugno-Poniewierska, M. |year=2021 |title=Interspecific hybrids of animals-in nature, breeding and science–a review |journal=Annals of Animal Science |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=403–415 |doi=10.2478/aoas-2020-0082 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The lion sire passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female tiger is absent, so that ligers grow far larger than either parent species. By contrast, the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene while the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene; hence, tigons are around the same size as their parents.<ref name=imprinting>{{cite web |title=Genomic Imprinting |publisher=Genetic Science Learning Center, Utah.org |access-date=26 August 2018 |url=https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/imprinting/ |archive-date=4 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904215316/https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/EPIGENETICS/imprinting/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Since they often develop life-threatening birth defects and can easily become obese, breeding these hybrids is regarded as unethical.<ref name=Gabryś/> | |||
== Characteristics == | |||
] | |||
] | |||
*The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris corbetti''), also called '']'' tiger, is found in ], ], ], ], ], and ]. These tigers are smaller and darker than Bengal tigers: Males weigh from {{convert|150|–|190|kg|lb|abbr=on}} while females are smaller at {{convert|110|–|140|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Their preferred habitat is forests in mountainous or hilly regions. Estimates of the Indochinese tiger population vary between 1,200 to 1,800, with only several hundred left in the wild. All existing populations are at extreme risk from ], prey depletion as a result of poaching of primary prey species such as deer and wild pigs, ] and ]. In Vietnam, almost three-quarters of the tigers killed provide stock for Chinese pharmacies. | |||
The tiger has a typical felid morphology, with a muscular body, shortened legs, strong forelimbs with wide front paws, a large head and a tail that is about half the length of the rest of its body.<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=98}} It has five digits, including a ], on the front feet and four on the back, all of which have retractile claws that are compact and curved, and can reach {{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=26}} The ears are rounded and the eyes have a round pupil.<ref name=Mazak1981/> The snout ends in a triangular, pink tip with small black dots, the number of which increase with age.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhao|first1=C. |last2=Dai|first2=W. |last3=Liu|first3=Q. |last4=Liu|first4=D. |last5=Roberts |first5=N. J. |last6=Liu |first6=Z. |last7=Gong |first7=M. |last8=Qiu |first8=H. |last9=Liu |first9=C. |last10=Liu |first10=D. |last11=Ma |first11=G. |last12=Jiang |first12=G. |year=2024 |title=Combination of facial and nose features of Amur tigers to determine age|journal=Integrative Zoology |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12817 |pmid=38509845 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The tiger's skull is robust, with a constricted front region, proportionally small, elliptical ], long ]s and a lengthened ] with a large ].{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=103}}<ref name=Mazak1981/> It resembles a lion's skull, but differs from it in the concave or flattened underside of the lower jaw and in its longer nasals.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=103}}<ref name=Kitchener2009/> The tiger has 30 fairly robust teeth and its somewhat curved ] are the longest in the cat family at {{cvt|6.4|–|7.6|cm}}.<ref name=Mazak1981 />{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=25}} | |||
The tiger has a head-body length of {{cvt|1.4|–|2.8|m}} with a {{cvt|0.6|–|1.1|m}} tail and stands {{cvt|0.8|–|1.1|m}} at the shoulder.<ref name=Walker>{{cite book |author1=Novak, R. M. |author2=Walker, E. P. |name-list-style=amp |year=1999 |chapter=''Panthera tigris'' (tiger) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T37sFCl43E8C&pg=PA825 |title=Walker's Mammals of the World |edition=6th |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |isbn=978-0-8018-5789-8 |pages=825–828 |access-date=17 October 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505145513/https://books.google.com/books?id=T37sFCl43E8C&pg=PA825#v=onepage&q&f=false#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> The Siberian and Bengal tigers are the largest.<ref name=Mazak1981/> Male Bengal tigers weigh {{cvt|200|–|260|kg}}, and females weigh {{cvt|100|–|160|kg}}; island tigers are the smallest, likely due to ].<ref name=Kitchener1999/> Male Sumatran tigers weigh {{cvt|100|–|140|kg}}, and females weigh {{cvt|75|–|110|kg}}.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> | |||
] | |||
The tiger is popularly thought to be the largest living felid species; but since tigers of the different subspecies and populations vary greatly in size and weight, the tiger's average size may be less than the lion's, while the largest tigers are bigger than their lion counterparts.<ref name=Kitchener2009/> | |||
*The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris jacksoni''), exclusively found in the southern part of the ], was not considered a subspecies in its own right until 2004. The new classification came about after a study by Luo et al. from the ] Study,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.ncifcrf.gov/ccr/lgd/|title=Laboratory of Genomic Diversity LGD}}</ref> part of the ] of the United States. Recent counts showed there are 600–800 tigers in the wild, making it the third largest tiger population, behind the Bengal tiger and the Indochinese tiger. The Malayan tiger is the smallest of the mainland tiger subspecies, and the second smallest living subspecies, with males averaging about 120 kg and females about 100 kg in weight. The Malayan tiger is a national icon in Malaysia, appearing on its ] and in logos of Malaysian institutions, such as ]. | |||
===Coat=== | |||
] | |||
] | |||
*The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris sumatrae'') is found only on the Indonesian island of ], and is ].<ref>{{IUCN2006|assessors=Cat Specialist Group|year=1996|id=15966|title=Panthera tigris ssp. sumatrae|downloaded=11 May 2006}} Database entry includes a brief justification of why this subspecies is critically endangered and the criteria used.</ref> It is the smallest of all living tiger subspecies, with adult males weighing between {{convert|100|–|140|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|75|–|110|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>*{{aut|Nowak, Ronald M.}} (1999) ''Walker's Mammals of the World''. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9</ref> Their small size is an adaptation to the thick, dense forests of the island of Sumatra where they reside, as well as the smaller-sized prey. The wild population is estimated at between 400 and 500, seen chiefly in the island's ]. Recent genetic testing has revealed the presence of unique genetic markers, indicating that it may develop into a separate species,{{Specify|date=July 2008}}<!--ANY population (regardless of "unique genetic markers"), isolated or not (cf. sympatric speciation), may evolve into another species if given enough time --> if it does not go extinct.<ref>Cracraft J., Feinstein J., Vaughn J., Helm-Bychowski K. (1998) Sorting out tigers (Panthera tigris) Mitochondrial sequences, nuclear inserts, systematics, and conservation genetics. Animal Conservation 1: 139–150.</ref> This has led to suggestions that Sumatran tigers should have greater priority for conservation than any other subspecies. While ] is the main threat to existing tiger population (logging continues even in the supposedly protected national parks), 66 tigers were recorded as being shot and killed between 1998 and 2000, or nearly 20% of the total population. | |||
The tiger's coat usually has short hairs, reaching up to {{cvt|35|mm}}, though the hairs of the northern-living Siberian tiger can reach {{cvt|105|mm}}. Belly hairs tend to be longer than back hairs. The density of their fur is usually thin, though the Siberian tiger develops a particularly thick winter coat. The tiger has lines of fur around the face and long whiskers, especially in males.<ref name=Mazak1981/> It has an orange ] that varies from yellowish to reddish.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=28}} White fur covers the underside, from head to tail, along with the inner surface of the legs and parts of the face.<ref name=Mazak1981 />{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|pp=99–102}} On the back of the ears, it has a prominent white spot, which is surrounded by black.<ref name=Mazak1981 /> The tiger is marked with distinctive black or dark brown stripes, which are uniquely patterned in each individual.<ref name=Mazak1981>{{cite journal |author=Mazák, V. |year=1981 |title=''Panthera tigris'' |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=152 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.2307/3504004 |jstor=3504004 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Miquelle/> The stripes are mostly vertical, but those on the limbs and forehead are horizontal. They are more concentrated towards the backside and those on the trunk may reach under the belly. The tips of stripes are generally sharp and some may split up or split and fuse again. Tail stripes are thick bands and a black tip marks the end.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|pp=99–102}} | |||
The tiger is one of only a few striped cat species.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Allen, W. L. |author2=Cuthill, I. C. |author3=Scott-Samuel, N. E. |author4=Baddeley, R. |year=2010 |title=Why the leopard got its spots: relating pattern development to ecology in felids |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B |volume=278 |issue=1710 |pages=1373–1380 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2010.1734 |pmid=20961899 |pmc=3061134 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Stripes are advantageous for ] in vegetation with vertical patterns of light and shade, such as trees, reeds and tall grass.<ref name=Miquelle>Miquelle, D. "Tiger" in {{harvnb|MacDonald|2001|pp=18–21}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Caro |first=T. |year=2005 |title=The adaptive significance of coloration in mammals |journal=BioScience |volume=55 |issue=2|pages=125–136 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2005)0552.0.CO;2}}</ref> This is supported by a ] study showing that the striping patterns line up with their environment.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Godfrey |first1=D. |last2=Lythgoe |first2=J. N. |last3=Rumball |first3=D. A. |name-list-style=amp |year=1987 |title=Zebra stripes and tiger stripes: the spatial frequency distribution of the pattern compared to that of the background is significant in display and crypsis |journal=] |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=427–433 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.1987.tb00442.x}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
The orange colour may also aid in concealment, as the tiger's prey is ] and possibly perceives the tiger as green and blended in with the vegetation.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Fennell, J. G. |author2=Talas, L. |author3=Baddeley, R. J. |author4=Cuthill, I. C. |author5=Scott-Samuel, N. E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2019 |title=Optimizing colour for camouflage and visibility using deep learning: the effects of the environment and the observer's visual system |journal=Journal of the Royal Society Interface |volume=16 |issue=154|doi=10.1098/rsif.2019.0183 |doi-access=free |page=20190183 |pmid=31138092 |pmc=6544896}}</ref> | |||
*The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris altaica''), also known as the ''Amur'', ''Manchurian'', ''Altaic'', ''Korean'' or ''North China'' tiger, which is the most northernmost subspecies, is confined to the ]-] region of ] and ] in far eastern ], where it is now protected. <ref> </ref> The largest subspecies of tiger, it has a head and body length of 160–180 cm for females and 190–230+ cm for males, plus a tail of about 60–110 cm long (about 270–330 cm in total length) and an average weight of around {{convert|227|kg|lb}} for males,<ref name="university2002"/> the Amur tiger is also noted for its thick coat, distinguished by a paler golden hue and fewer stripes. The heaviest wild Siberian tiger on record weighed in at 384 kg,<ref>Graham Batemann: ''Die Tiere unserer Welt Raubtiere'', Deutsche Ausgabe: Bertelsmann Verlag, 1986. <!-- Clubausgabe hatte keine ISBN --></ref> but according to ] these giants are not confirmed via reliable references.<ref name = "der-tiger"/> Even so, a six-month old Siberian tiger can be as big as a fully grown ]. The last two censuses (1996 and 2005) found 450–500 Amur tigers within their single, and more or less continuous, range making it one of the largest undivided tiger populations in the world. Genetic research in 2009 demonstrated that the Siberian tiger, and the western "]" (once thought to have been a separate subspecies that became extinct in the wild in the late 1950s<ref name="casp">{{cite web|url=http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/curriculums/caspian-tiger-pc.cfm|title=The Caspian Tiger - ''Panthera tigris virgata''|accessdate=12 October 2007}}</ref><ref name="casp2">{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/caspian.html|title=The Caspian Tiger at www.lairweb.org.nz|accessdate=12 October 2007}}</ref>) are actually the same subspecies, since the separation of the two populations may have occurred as recently as the past century due to human intervention.<ref name="driscoll">{{cite web|url=http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004125 |title=Mitochondrial Phylogeography Illuminates the Origin of the Extinct Caspian Tiger and Its Relationship to the Amur Tiger |publisher=Plosone.org |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> | |||
==== Colour variations ==== | |||
] | |||
]|alt=White tiger with thickened stripes lying down]] | |||
*The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris amoyensis''), also known as the ''Amoy'' or ''Xiamen'' tiger, is the most critically endangered subspecies of tiger and is listed as one of the 10 most endangered animals in the world.<ref> Retrieved on 6 October 2007</ref>{{Clarify|10 most endangered species, or most endangered subspecies?|date=August 2008}} One of the smaller tiger subspecies, the length of the South China tiger ranges from {{convert|2.2|–|2.6|m|in|abbr=on}} for both males and females. Males weigh between {{convert|127|and|177|kg|lb|abbr=on}} while females weigh between {{convert|100|and|118|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. From 1983 to 2007, no South China tigers were sighted.<ref name="xinhua">{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2007-10/13/content_6873252.htm |title=绝迹24年华南虎重现陕西 村民冒险拍下照片 |publisher=News.xinhuanet.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> In 2007 a farmer spotted a tiger and handed in photographs to the authorities as proof.<ref name="xinhua"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7042257.stm |title=Rare China tiger seen in the wild |publisher=BBC News |date=2007-10-12 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> The photographs in question, however, were later exposed as fake, copied from a Chinese calendar and digitally altered, and the “sighting” turned into a massive scandal.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-11/17/content_6261263.htm|title=South China tiger photos are 'fake' |publisher=China Daily |date=2007-11-17|accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/29/content_6803353.htm|title=South China tiger photos are fake: provincial authorities |publisher=China Daily date=2008-06-29|accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article4237441.ece|title=Farmer's photo of rare South China tiger is exposed as fake |publisher=The Times date=2008-06-30|accessdate=2009-03-07 | location=London | first=Jeremy | last=Page | date=2008-06-30}}</ref> | |||
The three ] of Bengal tigers – nearly stripeless snow-white, white and golden – are now virtually non-existent in the wild due to the reduction of wild tiger populations but continue in captive populations. The ] has a white background colour with ]-brown stripes. The ] is pale golden with reddish-brown stripes. The snow-white tiger is a morph with extremely faint stripes and a pale sepia-brown ringed tail. White and golden morphs are the result of an ] with a white ] and a ] locus, respectively. The snow-white variation is caused by ]s with both white and wideband loci.<ref name=Xu_al2017>{{cite journal |author1=Xu, X. |author2=Dong, G. X. |author3=Schmidt-Küntzel, A. |author4=Zhang, X. L. |author5=Zhuang, Y. |author6=Fang, R. |author7=Sun, X. |author8=Hu, X. S. |author9=Zhang, T. Y. |author10=Yang, H. D. |author11=Zhang, D. L. |author12=Marker, L. |author13=Jiang, Z.-F. |author14=Li, R. |author15=Luo, S.-J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2017 |title=The genetics of tiger pelage color variations |journal=Cell Research |volume=27 |issue=7 |pages=954–957 |doi=10.1038/cr.2017.32 |pmid=28281538 |pmc=5518981 |url=https://www.luo-lab.org/publications/Xu17-CellRes-GoldenTiger.pdf |access-date=25 August 2018}}</ref> The breeding of white tigers is controversial, as they have no use for conservation. Only 0.001% of wild tigers have the genes for this colour morph and the overrepresentation of white tigers in captivity is the result of ]. Hence, their continued breeding will risk both ] and loss of ] in captive tigers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xavier |first1=N. |year=2010 |title=A new conservation policy needed for reintroduction of Bengal tiger-white |journal=Current Science |volume=99 |issue=7 |pages=894–895 |url=https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/99/07/0894.pdf |access-date=29 January 2024}}</ref> | |||
In 1977, the Chinese government passed a law banning the killing of wild tigers, but this may have been too late to save the subspecies, since it is possibly already extinct in the wild. There are currently 59 known captive South China tigers, all within China, but these are known to be descended from only six animals. Thus, the ] required to maintain the subspecies may no longer exist. Currently, there are breeding efforts to reintroduce these tigers to the wild. | |||
Pseudo-] tigers with thick, merged stripes have been recorded in ] and three Indian zoos; a ] analysis of Indian tiger samples revealed that this ] is caused by a ] of a ] ] gene. Around 37% of the Simlipal tiger population has this feature, which has been linked to ].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Sagar, V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kaelin, C. B. |author3=Natesh, M. |author4=Reddy, P. A. |author5=Mohapatra, R. K. |author6=Chhattani, H. |author7=Thatte, P. |author8=Vaidyanathan, S. |author9=Biswas, S. |author10=Bhatt, S. |author11=Paul, S. |year=2021 |title=High frequency of an otherwise rare phenotype in a small and isolated tiger population |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=118 |issue=39 |page=e2025273118 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2025273118 |pmid=34518374 |pmc=8488692 |bibcode=2021PNAS..11825273S |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
===Extinct subspecies=== | |||
] | |||
*The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris balica'') was limited to the island of ]. They were the smallest of all tiger subspecies, with a weight of 90–100 kg in males and 65–80 kg in females.<ref name="der-tiger"/> These tigers were hunted to extinction—the last Balinese tiger is thought to have been killed at Sumbar Kima, West Bali on 27 September 1937; this was an adult female. No Balinese tiger was ever held in captivity. The tiger still plays an important role in ] ]. | |||
] | |||
*The ''']''' (''Panthera tigris sondaica'') was limited to the Indonesian island of ]. It now seems likely that this subspecies became extinct in the 1980s, as a result of hunting and habitat destruction, but the extinction of this subspecies was extremely probable from the 1950s onwards (when it is thought that fewer than 25 tigers remained in the wild). The last confirmed specimen was sighted in 1979, but there were a few reported sightings during the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20021030.S03 |title=Bambang M. 2002. In search of 'extinct' Javan tiger. The Jakarta Post (October 30) |publisher=Thejakartapost.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.javantiger.or.id|title=Harimau jawa belum punah! (Indonesian Javan Tiger website)}}</ref> With a weight of 100–141 kg for males and 75–115 kg for females, the Javan tiger was one of the smaller subspecies, approximately the same size as the Sumatran tiger.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} | |||
== Distribution and habitat == | |||
] 1899]] | |||
] in Russia|alt=Picture of tiger in forest at night]] | |||
''']''' (formerly ''Panthera tigris virgata)'', also known as the '''Persian tiger''' or '''Turanian tiger''' was the westernmost population of ], found in ], ], ], ], ], ], the ], ], ], and ] until it apparently became ] in the late 1950s, though there have been several alleged more recent sightings of the tiger.<ref name="casp2">{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/caspian.html|title=The Caspian Tiger at www.lairweb.org.nz|accessdate=12 October 2007}}</ref> Though originally thought to have been a distinct ], genetic research in 2009 suggest that the animal was largely identical to the ].<ref name="driscoll"/> | |||
The tiger historically ranged from eastern Turkey, northern Iran and Afghanistan to Central Asia and from northern Pakistan through the ] and Indochina to southeastern Siberia, Sumatra, Java and Bali.<ref name=Mazak1981/> As of 2022, it inhabits less than 7% of its historical distribution and has a scattered range in the Indian subcontinent, the ], Sumatra, northeastern China and the ].<ref name=iucn/> As of 2020, India had the largest extent of global tiger habitat with {{cvt|300508|km2}}, followed by Russia with {{cvt|195819|km2}}.<ref name=Sanderson_al2023>{{cite journal |author1=Sanderson, E. W. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Miquelle, D. G. |author3=Fisher, K. |author4=Harihar, A. |author5=Clark, C. |author6=Moy, J. |author7=Potapov, P. |author8=Robinson, N. |author9=Royte, L. |author10=Sampson, D. |author11=Sanderlin, J. |author12=Yackulic, C. B. |author13=Belecky, M. |author14= Breitenmoser, U. |author15=Breitenmoser-Würsten, C. |author16=Chanchani, P. |author17=Chapman, S. |author18=Deomurari, A. |author19=Duangchantrasiri, S. |author20=Facchini, E. |author21=Gray, T. N. E. |author22=Goodrich, J. |author23=Hunter, L. |author24=Linkie, M. |author25=Marthy, W. |author26=Rasphone, A. |author27=Roy, S. |author28=Sittibal, D. |author29=Tempa, T. |author30=Umponjan, M. |author31=Wood, K. |year=2023 |title=Range-wide trends in tiger conservation landscapes, 2001–2020 |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |volume=4 |page=1191280 |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2023.1191280 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
The tiger mainly lives in forest habitats and is highly adaptable.<ref name=Sunquist2010>Sunquist, M. (2010). "What is a Tiger? Ecology and Behaviour" in {{harvnb|Tilson|Nyhus|2010|pp=19−34}}</ref> Records in Central Asia indicate that it primarily inhabited ] riverine forests and hilly and lowland forests in the ].{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|pp=108–112}} In the ]-] region of Russia and China, it inhabits ] and ]s; ]s serve as ] corridors, providing food and water for both tigers and ]s.<ref name=Miquelle_al1999>Miquelle, D. G.; Smirnov, E. N.; Merrill, T. W.; Myslenkov, A. E.; Quigley, H.; Hornocker, M. G. & Schleyer, B. (1999). "Hierarchical spatial analysis of Amur tiger relationships to habitat and prey" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=71–99}}</ref> On the Indian subcontinent, it inhabits mainly ], ], ]s, ]s, ]s and the ]s of the ].<ref name=Wikramanayake_al1999>Wikramanayake, E. D.; Dinerstein, E.; Robinson, J. G.; Karanth, K. U.; Rabinowitz, A.; Olson, D.; Mathew, T.; Hedao, P.; Connor, M.; Hemley, G. & Bolze, D. (1999). "Where can tigers live in the future? A framework for identifying high-priority areas for the conservation of tigers in the wild" in {{harvnb|Seidensticker|Christie|Jackson|1999|pp=265–267}}</ref> In the ]s, it was documented in ] up to an elevation of {{cvt|4200|m}} in Bhutan, of {{cvt|3630|m}} in the ] and of {{cvt|3139|m}} in ], southeastern Tibet.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Jigme, K. |author2=Tharchen, L. |name-list-style=amp |year=2012 |title=Camera-trap records of tigers at high altitudes in Bhutan |journal=Cat News |issue=56 |pages=14–15}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Adhikarimayum, A. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Gopi, G. V. |year=2018 |title=First photographic record of tiger presence at higher elevations of the Mishmi Hills in the Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot, Arunachal Pradesh, India |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=10 |issue=13 |pages=12833–12836 |doi=10.11609/jott.4381.10.13.12833-12836 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Li, X. Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Hu, W. Q. |author3=Wang, H. J. |author4=Jiang, X. L. |year=2023 |title=Tiger reappearance in Medog highlights the conservation values of the region for this apex predator |journal=Zoological Research |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=747–749 |doi=10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.178 |doi-access=free |pmid=37464931|pmc=10415778}}</ref> In Thailand, it lives in ] and ] forests.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Simcharoen, S. |author2=Pattanavibool, A. |author3=Karanth, K. U. |author4=Nichols, J. D. |author5=Kumar, N. S. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=How many tigers ''Panthera tigris'' are there in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand? An estimate using photographic capture-recapture sampling |journal=Oryx |volume=41 |issue=4 |pages=447–453 |doi=10.1017/S0030605307414107|doi-access=free}}</ref> In Sumatra, it inhabits lowland ]s and rugged ]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Wibisono, H. T. |author2=Linkie, M. |author3=Guillera-Arroita, G. |author4=Smith, J. A. |author5=Sunarto |author6=Pusarini, W. |author7=Asriadi |author8=Baroto, P. |author9=Brickle, N. |author10=Dinata, Y. |author11=Gemita, E. |author12=Gunaryadi, D. |author13=Haidir, I. A. |author14=Herwansyah |year=2011 |title=Population status of a cryptic top predator: An island-wide assessment of Tigers in Sumatran rainforests |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=11 |page=e25931 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0025931 |pmid=22087218 |pmc=3206793 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...625931W |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
===Hybrids=== | |||
{{further|], ] and ]}} | |||
=== Population density === | |||
Hybridisation among the big cats, including the tiger, was first conceptualised in the 19th century, when zoos were particularly interested in the pursuit of finding oddities to display for financial gain.<ref name="hybridisation">{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/hybridisation.html|title=History of big cat hybridisation|accessdate=28 September 2007}}</ref> ]s have been known to ] with tigers (most often the ] and ] subspecies) to create ] called ]s and ]s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Guggisberg |first=C. A. W. |title=Wild Cats of the World |year=1975 |publisher=Taplinger Publishing |location=New York |isbn=0-8008-8324-1 }}</ref> Such hybrids were once commonly bred in zoos, but this is now discouraged due to the emphasis on conserving species and subspecies. Hybrids are still bred in private menageries and in zoos in ]. | |||
]ping during 2010–2015 in the deciduous and subtropical pine forest of ], northern India revealed a stable tiger ] of 12–17 individuals per {{cvt|100|km2}} in an area of {{cvt|521|km2}}.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bisht, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Banerjee, S. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Jhala, Y. |year=2019 |title=Demography of a high-density tiger population and its implications for tiger recovery |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume= 56 |issue=7 |pages=1725–1740 |doi=10.1111/1365-2664.13410 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019JApEc..56.1725B}}</ref> | |||
In northern Myanmar, the population density in a sampled area of roughly {{cvt|3250|km2}} in a mosaic of tropical broadleaf forest and grassland was estimated to be 0.21–0.44 tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} as of 2009.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lynam, A. J. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Rabinowitz, A. |author3=Myint, T. |author4=Maung, M. |author5=Latt, K. T. |author6=Po, S. H. T. |year=2009 |title=Estimating abundance with sparse data: tigers in northern Myanmar |journal=Population Ecology |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=115–121 |doi=10.1007/s10144-008-0093-5 |bibcode=2009PopEc..51..115L}}</ref> | |||
Population density in mixed deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of Thailand's ] was estimated at 2.01 tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}}; during the 1970s and 1980s, ] and poaching had occurred in the adjacent ] and ]s, where population density was much lower, estimated at only 0.359 tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} as of 2016.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Phumanee, W. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Steinmetz, R. |author3=Phoonjampa, R. |author4=Weingdow, S. |author5=Phokamanee, S. |author6=Bhumpakphan, N. |author7=Savini, T. |year=2021 |title=Tiger density, movements, and immigration outside of a tiger source site in Thailand |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=3 |issue=12 |page=e560 |doi=10.1111/csp2.560 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021ConSP...3E.560P}}</ref> | |||
Population density in ] and montane forests in northern Malaysia was estimated at 1.47–2.43 adult tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} in ], but 0.3–0.92 adult tigers per {{cvt|100|km2}} in the unprotected ] Temengor Forest Reserve.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rayan, D. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Linkie, M. |year=2015 |title=Conserving tigers in Malaysia: A science-driven approach for eliciting conservation policy change |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=184 |pages=18–26 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2014.12.024 |bibcode=2015BCons.184...18R}}</ref> | |||
==Behaviour and ecology== | |||
The liger is a cross between a male lion and a tigress.<ref name="liger">{{cite book| last=Markel |first=Scott| coauthors= Darryl León| year= 2003 |title=Sequence Analysis in a Nutshell: a guide to common tools and databases | publisher= O'Reily |location=Sebastopol, California |isbn=0-596-00494-X}}</ref> Because the lion sire passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the ] tiger is absent, ligers grow far larger than either parent. They share physical and behavioural qualities of both parent species (spots and stripes on a sandy background). ] ligers are sterile, but female ligers are often fertile. Males have about a 50% chance of having a mane, but, even if they do, their manes will be only around half the size of that of a pure lion. Ligers are typically between 10 to 12 feet in length, and can be between 800 and 1,000 pounds or more.<ref name=liger/> | |||
] | |||
Camera trap data show that tigers in ] avoided locations frequented by people and were more active at night than during day.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carter |first1=N. H. |last2=Shrestha |first2=B. K. |last3=Karki |first3=J. B. |last4=Pradhan |first4=N. M. B. |last5=Liu|first5=J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2012 |title=Coexistence between wildlife and humans at fine spatial scales |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=109 |issue=38 |pages=15360–15365 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1210490109 |doi-access=free |pmid=22949642 |pmc=3458348|bibcode=2012PNAS..10915360C}}</ref> | |||
In ], six ]ed tigers were most active from dawn to early morning and reached their zenith around 7:00 o'clock in the morning.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Naha, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Jhala, Y. V. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Roy, M. |author5=Sankar, K. |author6=Gopal, R. |year=2016 |title=Ranging, activity and habitat use by tigers in the mangrove forests of the Sundarban |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=11 |issue=4 |page=e0152119 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0152119 |doi-access=free |pmid=27049644 |pmc=4822765 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1152119N}}</ref> | |||
A three-year-long camera trap survey in ] revealed that tigers were most active from dusk until midnight.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Pokheral, C. P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Wegge, P. |year=2019 |title=Coexisting large carnivores: spatial relationships of tigers and leopards and their prey in a prey-rich area in lowland Nepal |journal=Écoscience |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1080/11956860.2018.1491512 |bibcode=2019Ecosc..26....1P |s2cid=92446020}}</ref> | |||
In northeastern China, tigers were ] and active at night with activity peaking at dawn and dusk; they were largely active at the same time as their prey.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Yang, H. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Han, S. |author3=Xie, B. |author4=Mou, P. |author5=Kou, X. |author6=Wang, T. |author7=Ge, J. |author8=Feng, L. |year=2019 |title=Do prey availability, human disturbance and habitat structure drive the daily activity patterns of Amur tigers (''Panthera tigris altaica'')? |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=307 |issue=2 |pages=131–140 |doi=10.1111/jzo.12622 |s2cid=92736301}}</ref> | |||
The tiger is a powerful swimmer and easily transverses rivers as wide as {{cvt|8|km}}; it immerses in water, particularly on hot days.<ref name=Miquelle/> In general, it is less capable of climbing trees than many other cats due to its size, but cubs under 16 months old may routinely do so.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=26, 64–66}} An adult was recorded climbing {{cvt|10|m}} up a smooth ].<ref name=Mazak1981/> | |||
The less common tigon is a cross between the lioness and the male tiger.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9001344/tigon|title= tigon - Encyclopædia Britannica Article|accessdate=12 September 2007}}</ref> <!-- (commented out - not really necessary - can reinsert when ref arises) Because the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene and the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene, tigons are often relatively small, only weighing up to 150 kilograms (350 lb),{{Fact|date=August 2007}} which is about 20% smaller than lions. Like ligers, they have physical and behavioural traits from both parental species and males are sterile.--> | |||
=== |
===Social spacing=== | ||
Adult tigers lead largely solitary lives within ]s or ], the size of which mainly depends on prey abundance, geographic area and sex of the individual. Males and females defend their home ranges from those of the same sex and the home range of a male encompasses that of multiple females.<ref name=Mazak1981/><ref name=Miquelle/> Two females in the ] had home ranges of {{cvt|10.6|and|14.1|km2}}.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barlow, A. C. D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Smith, J. L. D. |author3=Ahmad, I. U. |author4=Hossain, A. N. M. |author5=Rahman, M. |author6=Howlader, A. |year=2011 |title=Female tiger ''Panthera tigris'' home range size in the Bangladesh Sundarbans: the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the species' conservation |journal=Oryx |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=125–128 |doi=10.1017/S0030605310001456 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
====White tigers==== | |||
In ], the home ranges of five reintroduced females varied from {{cvt|53-67|km2}} in winter to {{cvt|55-60|km2}} in summer and to {{cvt|46-94|km2}} during the ]; three males had {{cvt|84-147|km2}} large home ranges in winter, {{cvt|82-98|km2}} in summer and {{cvt|81-118|km2}} during monsoon seasons.<ref name=Sarkar2016>{{cite journal |author1=Sarkar, M. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Ramesh, K. |author3=Johnson, J. A. |author4=Sen, S. |author5=Nigam, P.|author6=Gupta, S. K.|author7=Murthy, R. S. |author8=Saha, G. K. |year=2016 |title=Movement and home range characteristics of reintroduced tiger (''Panthera tigris'') population in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India |journal=European Journal of Wildlife Research |volume=62 |issue=5 |pages=537–547 |doi=10.1007/s10344-016-1026-9|bibcode=2016EJWR...62..537S |s2cid=254187854}}</ref> | |||
{{Main|White tiger}} | |||
In ], 14 females had home ranges {{cvt|248-520|km2}} and five resident males of {{cvt|847-1923|km2}} that overlapped with those of up to five females.<ref name=Goodrich_2010>{{cite journal |author1=Goodrich, J. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Miquelle, D. G. |author3=Smirnov, E. M. | author4=Kerley, L. L. |author5=Quigley, H. B. |author6=Hornocker, M. G. |year=2010 |title=Spatial structure of Amur (Siberian) tigers (''Panthera tigris altaica'') on Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik, Russia |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=91 |issue=3 |pages=737–748 |doi=10.1644/09-mamm-a-293.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref> When tigresses in the same reserve had cubs of up to four months of age, they reduced their home ranges to stay near their young and steadily enlarged them until their offspring were 13–18 months old.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Klevtcova, A. V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Miquelle, D. G. |author3=Seryodkin, I. V. |author4=Bragina, E. V. |author5=Soutyrina, S. V. |author6=Goodrich, J. M. |year=2021 |title=The influence of reproductive status on home range size and spatial dynamics of female Amur tigers |journal=Mammal Research |volume=66 |pages=83–94 |doi=10.1007/s13364-020-00547-2}}</ref> | |||
] in ]]] | |||
{{image frame | |||
].]] | |||
|caption=]s spraying urine (above) and rubbing against a tree to mark territory | |||
There is a well-known mutation that produces the ], technically known as ''chinchilla albinistic'',<ref name="nz">{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/white.html|title=White tigers|accessdate=25 September 2007}}</ref> an animal which is rare in the wild, but widely bred in zoos due to its popularity. Breeding of white tigers will often lead to ] (as the trait is ]). Many initiatives have taken place in white and orange tiger mating in an attempt to remedy the issue, often mixing subspecies in the process. Such inbreeding has led to white tigers having a greater likelihood of being born with physical defects, such as cleft palates and ] (curvature of the spine).<ref name="unusual1">{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/white.html |title=The white tiger today and the unusual white lion |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/white_tigers.htm |title=White Tigers |publisher=Bigcatrescue.org |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> Furthermore, white tigers are prone to having crossed eyes (a condition known as ]). Even apparently healthy white tigers generally do not live as long as their orange counterparts. Recordings of white tigers were first made in the early 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiantiger.org/white-tigers/white-tiger-facts.html|title=White Tiger Facts|accessdate=26 September 2007}}</ref> They can only occur when both parents carry the rare gene found in white tigers; this gene has been calculated to occur in only one in every 10,000 births. The white tiger is not a separate sub-species, but only a colour variation; since the only white tigers that have been observed in the wild have been Bengal tigers<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bigcathaven.org/cats/wild/white_tigers_genetics.htm |title=White Tigers |publisher=Bigcathaven.org |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> (and all white tigers in captivity are at least part Bengal), it is commonly thought that the recessive gene that causes the white colouring is probably carried only by Bengal tigers, although the reasons for this are not known.<ref name="unusual1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/snowtigers.htm |title=Snow Tigers |publisher=Bigcatrescue.org |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> Nor are they in any way more endangered than tigers are generally, this being a common misconception. Another misconception is that white tigers are ], despite the fact that pigment is evident in the white tiger's stripes. They are distinct not only because of their white hue; they also have blue eyes and pink noses. | |||
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The tiger is a long-ranging species and individuals disperse over distances of up to {{cvt|650|km|mi}} to reach tiger populations in other areas.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Joshi, A. |author2=Vaidyanathan, S. |author3=Mondol, S. |author4=Edgaonkar, A. |author5=Ramakrishnan, U. |year=2013 |title=Connectivity of Tiger (''Panthera tigris'') Populations in the Human-Influenced Forest Mosaic of Central India |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=11 |pages=e77980 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0077980 |pmid=24223132 |pmc=3819329 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...877980J |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Young tigresses establish their first home ranges close to their mothers' while males migrate further than their female counterparts.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=76}} Four ] females in Chitwan dispersed between {{cvt|0|and|43.2|km|mi}} and 10 males between {{cvt|9.5|and|65.7|km}}.<ref name=Smith1993>{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=J. L. D. |year=1993 |title=The role of dispersal in structuring the Chitwan tiger population |volume=124 |journal=Behaviour |issue=3 |pages=165–195 |doi=10.1163/156853993X00560}}</ref> A subadult male lives as a transient in another male's home range until he is older and strong enough to challenge the resident male.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=76}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=54–55}} Tigers mark their home ranges by ] on vegetation and rocks, clawing or ] trees and marking trails with ], ] secretions and ground scrapings.<ref name=Miquelle/><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Burger |first1=B. V. |last2=Viviers |first2=M. Z. |last3=Bekker |first3=J. P. I. |last4=Roux |first4=M. |last5=Fish |first5=N. |last6=Fourie |first6=W. B. |last7=Weibchen |first7=G. |year=2008 |title=Chemical characterization of territorial marking fluid of male Bengal tiger, ''Panthera tigris'' |journal=Journal of Chemical Ecology |volume=34 |issue=5 |pages=659–671 |doi=10.1007/s10886-008-9462-y |pmid=18437496 |bibcode=2008JCEco..34..659B |hdl-access=free |hdl=10019.1/11220 |s2cid=5558760 |name-list-style=amp |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=586948b8396932dd13d9e5a880e77cb7618a273f |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Smith|first1=J. L. D. |last2=McDougal|first2=C. |last3=Miquelle |first3=D. |year=1989 |title=Scent marking in free-ranging tigers, ''Panthera tigris'' |url=|journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=37|pages=1–10 |doi=10.1016/0003-3472(89)90001-8 |s2cid=53149100 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=105}} Scent markings also allow an individual to pick up information on another's identity. Unclaimed home ranges, particularly those that belonged to a deceased individual, can be taken over in days or weeks.<ref name=Miquelle/> | |||
Male tigers are generally less tolerant of other males within their home ranges than females are of other females. Disputes are usually solved by intimidation rather than fighting. Once ] has been established, a male may tolerate a subordinate within his range, as long as they do not come near him. The most serious disputes tend to occur between two males competing for a female in ].{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=85–86}} Though tigers mostly live alone, relationships between individuals can be complex. Tigers are particularly social at kills and a male tiger will sometimes share a carcass with the females and cubs within this home range and unlike male lions, will allow them to feed on the kill before he is finished with it. However, a female is more tense when encountering another female at a kill.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=244–251}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=89}} | |||
====Golden tabby tigers==== | |||
{{Main|Golden tabby}} | |||
].]] | |||
In addition, another recessive gene may create a very unusual "golden tabby" colour variation, sometimes known as "strawberry." Golden tabby tigers have light gold fur, pale legs and faint orange stripes. Their fur tends to be much thicker than normal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/tabby.html |title=Golden tabby Bengal tigers |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> There are extremely few golden tabby tigers in captivity, around 30 in all. Like white tigers, strawberry tigers are invariably at least part Bengal. Some golden tabby tigers, called ]s, carry the white tiger gene, and when two such tigers are mated, can produce some stripeless white offspring. Both white and golden tabby tigers tend to be larger than average Bengal tigers. | |||
===Communication=== | |||
====Other colour variations==== | |||
{{Multiple image |align= right |direction=vertical |total_width=150|image1=Panthera tigris altaica 28 - Buffalo Zoo (1).jpg|caption1=Siberian tiger baring teeth as a sign of aggression|image2=Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) vocalising.webm |caption2=Captive ] roaring|alt=Image of tiger barring teeth (top) and a video of one roaring at a zoo}} | |||
There are also unconfirmed reports of a "blue" or slate-coloured tiger, the ], and largely or totally ], and these are assumed, if real, to be intermittent mutations rather than distinct species.<ref name="nz" /> | |||
During friendly encounters and bonding, tigers ] each other's bodies.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=262–263}} Facial expressions include the "defence threat", which involves a wrinkled face, bared teeth, pulled-back ears and widened pupils.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=263}}<ref name=Mazak1981/> Both males and females show a ], a characteristic curled-lip grimace, when smelling urine markings. Males also use the flehmen to detect the markings made by tigresses in oestrus.<ref name=Mazak1981/> Tigers will move their ears around to display the white spots, particularly during aggressive encounters and between mothers and cubs.<ref name=WCW/> They also use their tails to signal their mood. To show cordiality, the tail sticks up and sways slowly, while an apprehensive tiger lowers its tail or wags it side-to-side. When calm, the tail hangs low.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=29}} | |||
Tigers are normally silent but can produce numerous vocalisations.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=256}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=99}} They ] to signal their presence to other individuals over long distances. This vocalisation is forced through an open mouth as it closes and can be heard {{cvt|3|km}} away. They roar multiple times in a row and others respond in kind. Tigers also roar during mating and a mother will roar to call her cubs to her. When tense, tigers moan, a sound similar to a roar but softer and made when the mouth is at least partially closed. Moaning can be heard {{cvt|400|m}} away.<ref name="Mazak1981" />{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=258–261}} Aggressive encounters involve ], ] and hissing.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=261}} An explosive "coughing roar" or "coughing snarl" is emitted through an open mouth and exposed teeth.<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=261}}<ref name=WCW>{{Cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. E. |year=2002 |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |name-list-style=amp |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-77999-7 |chapter=Tiger ''Panthera tigris'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |pages=343–372 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA320}}</ref> In friendlier situations, tigers ], a soft, low-frequency snorting sound similar to ] in smaller cats.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1023/A:1020620121416 |year=1999| last1=Peters |first1=G. |last2=Tonkin-Leyhausen |first2=B. A. |name-list-style=amp |title=Evolution of acoustic communication signals of mammals: Friendly close-range vocalizations in Felidae (Carnivora) |journal=Journal of Mammalian Evolution |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=129–159 |s2cid=25252052}}</ref> Tiger mothers communicate with their cubs by grunting, while cubs call back with ]s.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=257–258}} When startled, they "woof". They produce a deer-like "pok" sound for unknown reasons, but most often at kills.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=256–258}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=62}} | |||
==Biology and behaviour== | |||
===Territorial behaviour=== | |||
Tigers are essentially solitary and territorial animals. The size of a tiger's home range mainly depends on prey abundance, and, in the case of male tigers, on access to females. A tigress may have a territory of 20 ]s while the territories of males are much larger, covering 60–100 km<sup>2</sup>. The ranges of males tend to overlap those of several females. | |||
=== Hunting and diet === | |||
] | |||
] in ]|alt=Tiger attacking a sambar deer from behind, pulling on its back]] | |||
The relationships between individuals can be quite complex, and it appears that there is no set "rule" that tigers follow with regards to territorial rights and infringing territories. For instance, although for the most part tigers avoid each other, both male and female tigers have been documented sharing kills. For instance, George Schaller observed a male tiger share a kill with two females and four cubs. Females are often reluctant to let males near their cubs, but Schaller saw that these females made no effort to protect or keep their cubs from the male, suggesting that the male might have been the father of the cubs. In contrast to male lions, male tigers will allow the females and cubs to feed on the kill first. Furthermore, tigers seem to behave relatively amicably when sharing kills, in contrast to lions, which tend to squabble and fight. Unrelated tigers have also been observed feeding on prey together. The following quotation is from Stephen Mills' book ''Tiger'', as he describes an event witnessed by Valmik Thapar and Fateh Singh Rathore in Ranthambhore:<ref>Mills, Stephen. (2004). Tiger. Pg. 89. BBC Books, London</ref> | |||
The tiger is a ] and an ] feeding mainly on large and medium-sized ungulates, with a preference for ], ], ], ] and ].<!--Please do not add any more species to this sentence.--><ref name=Hayward>{{cite journal |last1=Hayward |first1=M. W. |last2=Jędrzejewski |first2=W. |last3=Jędrzejewska |first3=B. |year=2012 |title=Prey preferences of the tiger ''Panthera tigris''|journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=286 |issue=3 |pages=221–231 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00871.x |name-list-style=amp}}</ref><ref name=Steinmetz_al2021>{{cite journal |author1=Steinmetz, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Seuaturien, N. |author3=Intanajitjuy, P. |author4=Inrueang, P. |author5=Prempree, K. |year=2021 |title=The effects of prey depletion on dietary niches of sympatric apex predators in Southeast Asia |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=19–32 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12461 |pmid=32627329}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Variar, A. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Anoop, N. R. |author3=Komire, S. |author4=Vinayan, P. A. |author5=Sujin, N. S. |author6=Raj, A. |author7=Prasadan, P. K. |year=2023 |title=Prey selection by the Indian tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') outside protected areas in Indias Western Ghats: implications for conservation |journal=Food Webs |volume=34 |page=e00268 |doi=10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00268|bibcode=2023FWebs..3400268V }}</ref> | |||
] and body weight of prey species are assumed to be the main criteria for the tiger's prey selection, both inside and outside protected areas.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Biswas, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kumar, S. |author3=Bandhopadhyay, M. |author4=Patel, S. K. |author5=Lyngdoh, S. |author6=Pandav, B. |author7=Mondol, S. |year=2023 |title=What drives prey selection? Assessment of Tiger (''Panthera tigris'') food habits across the Terai-Arc Landscape, India |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=104 |issue=6 |pages=1302–1316 |doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyad069}}</ref> | |||
It also preys opportunistically on smaller species like ]s, ] and other ground-based birds, ]s and fish.<ref name=Mazak1981/><ref name=Miquelle/> Occasional attacks on ]s and ]es have also been reported.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Karanth, K. U. |year=2003 |title=Tiger ecology and conservation in the Indian subcontinent |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=100 |issue=2 & 3 |pages=169–189 |url=http://repository.ias.ac.in/89489/1/50p.pdf}}</ref> | |||
More often, tigers take the more vulnerable calves.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Karanth, K. U. |author2=Nichols, J. D. |name-list-style=amp |year=1998 |title=Estimation of tiger densities in India using photographic captures and recaptures |journal=Ecology |volume=79 |issue=8 |pages=2852–2862 |doi=10.1890/0012-9658(1998)0792.0.CO;2 |jstor=176521 |url=http://erepo.usiu.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11732/758/Estimation%20of%20tiger%20densities%20in%20India%20using%20photographic%20captures%20and%20recaptures.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y |access-date=16 December 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127044620/http://erepo.usiu.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11732/758/Estimation%20of%20tiger%20densities%20in%20India%20using%20photographic%20captures%20and%20recaptures.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
They sometimes prey on livestock and dogs in close proximity to settlements.<ref name=Mazak1981/> Tigers occasionally consume vegetation, fruit and minerals for ] and supplements.<ref name=Perry>{{cite book |author=Perry, R. |title=The World of the Tiger |year=1965 |publisher=Cassell |place=London |pages=133–134 |asin=B0007DU2IU}}</ref> | |||
Tigers learn to hunt from their mothers, though the ability to hunt may be partially inborn.<ref name="Fàbregas">{{cite journal |last1=Fàbregas |first1=M. C. |last2=Fosgate|first2=G. T. |last3=Koehler |first3=G. M.|year=2015|title=Hunting performance of captive-born South China tigers (''Panthera tigris amoyensis'') on free-ranging prey and implications for their reintroduction |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=192 |pages=57–64 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2015.09.007 |bibcode=2015BCons.192...57F |hdl=2263/50208 |hdl-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Depending on the size of the prey, they typically kill weekly though mothers must kill more often.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> Families hunt together when cubs are old enough.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=63}} They search for prey using vision and hearing.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=284–285}} A tiger will also wait at a watering hole for prey to come by, particularly during hot summer days.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=288}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=120}} It is an ambush predator and when approaching potential prey, it crouches with the head lowered and hides in foliage. It switches between creeping forward and staying still. A tiger may even doze off and can stay in the same spot for as long as a day, waiting for prey and launch an attack when the prey is close enough,{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=119–120, 122}} usually within {{cvt|30|m}}.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> If the prey spots it before then, the cat does not pursue further.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=288}} A tiger can sprint {{cvt|56|km/h|mph}} and leap {{cvt|10|m}};{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=287}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=23}} it is not a long-distance runner and gives up a chase if prey outpaces it over a certain distance.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=288}} | |||
<blockquote> | |||
A dominant tigress they called Padmini killed a 250 kg (550-lb) male nilgai - a very large antelope. They found her at the kill just after dawn with her three 14-month-old cubs and they watched uninterrupted for the next ten hours. During this period the family was joined by two adult females and one adult male - all offspring from Padmini's previous litters and by two unrelated tigers, one female the other unidentified. By three o'clock there were no fewer than nine tigers round the kill. | |||
</blockquote> | |||
] in ]|alt=Two tigers attacking a boar]] | |||
When young female tigers first establish a territory, they tend to do so fairly close to their mother's area. The overlap between the female and her mother's territory tends to wane with increasing time. Males, however, wander further than their female counterparts, and set out at a younger age to mark out their own area. A young male will acquire territory either by seeking out a range devoid of other male tigers, or by living as a transient in another male's territory, until he is old and strong enough to challenge the resident male. The highest mortality rate (30-35% per year) amongst adult tigers occurs for young male tigers who have just left their natal area, seeking out territories of their own.<ref name="Mills, Stephen. pg. 86">Mills, Stephen. pg. 86</ref> | |||
The tiger attacks from behind or at the sides and tries to knock the target off balance. It latches onto prey with its forelimbs, twisting and turning during the struggle and tries to pull it to the ground. The tiger generally applies a ] until its victim dies of ].<ref name=Mazak1981/>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=121}}{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=295}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=24}} It has an average bite force at the canine tips of 1234.3 ].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Christiansen, P. |year=2007 |title=Canine morphology in the larger Felidae: implications for feeding ecology |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=573–592 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00819.x |doi-access=free}}</ref> Holding onto the throat puts the cat out of reach of horns, antlers, tusks and hooves.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=121}}{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=295–296}} Tigers are adaptable killers and may use other methods, including ripping the throat or breaking the neck. Large prey may be disabled by a bite to the back of the ], severing the tendon. Swipes from the large paws are capable of stunning or breaking the skull of a ].{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=126}} They kill small prey with a bite to the back of the neck or head.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|p=289}}<ref name=Sunquist2010/> Estimates of the ] for hunting tigers range from a low of 5% to a high of 50%. They are sometimes killed or injured by large or dangerous prey like gaur, buffalo and boar.<ref name=Sunquist2010/> | |||
Tigers typically move kills to a private, usually vegetated spot no further than {{cvt|183|m}}, though they have been recorded dragging them {{cvt|549|m}}. They are strong enough to drag the carcass of a fully grown buffalo for some distance. They rest for a while before eating and can consume as much as {{cvt|50|kg}} of meat in one session, but feed on a carcass for several days, leaving little for scavengers.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=297–300}} | |||
], India.]] | |||
Male tigers are generally more intolerant of other males within their territory than females are of other females. For the most part, however, territorial disputes are usually solved by displays of intimidation, rather than outright aggression. Several such incidents have been observed, in which the subordinate tiger yielded defeat by rolling onto its back, showing its belly in a submissive posture.<ref>Thapar, Valmik. (1989). Tiger:Portrait of a Predator. pg. 88. Smithmark Pub, New York</ref> Once dominance has been established, a male may actually tolerate a subordinate within his range, as long as they do not live in too close quarters.<ref name="Mills, Stephen. pg. 86"/> The most violent disputes tend to occur between two males when a female is in ], and may result in the death of one of the males, although this is actually a relatively rare occurrence.<ref name="Mills, Stephen. pg. 86"/><ref>Thapar, Valmik. pg. 88</ref> | |||
=== Competitors === | |||
To identify his territory, the male marks trees by ] of urine and anal gland secretions, as well as marking trails with ]. Males show a grimacing face, called the ], when identifying a female's reproductive condition by sniffing their urine markings. Like the other ''Panthera'' cats, tigers can ]. Tigers will roar for both aggressive and non-aggressive reasons. Other tiger vocal communications include moans, hisses, growls and ]. | |||
] attacking a tiger|alt=Painting of dhole pack attacking a tiger]] | |||
In much of their range, tigers share habitat with leopards and ]s. They typically dominate both of them, though with dholes it depends on their pack size. Interactions between the three predators involve chasing, ] and direct killing.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Srivathsa |first1=A. |last2=Ramachandran|first2=V. |last3=Saravanan |first3=P. |last4=Sureshbabu |first4=A. |last5=Ganguly|first5=D. |last6=Ramakrishnan |first6=U. |year=2023|title=Topcats and underdogs: intraguild interactions among three apex carnivores across Asia's forestscapes |journal=Biological Reviews|volume=98|issue=6|pages=2114–2135 |doi=10.1111/brv.12998 |pmid=37449566 |s2cid=259903849 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Large dhole packs may kill tigers.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=136}} Tigers, leopards and dholes coexist by hunting different sized prey.<ref name=Karanth>{{cite journal |last=Karanth |first=K. U. |author2=Sunquist, M. E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2000 |title=Behavioural correlates of predation by tiger (''Panthera tigris''), leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and dhole (''Cuon alpinus'') in Nagarahole, India | journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=250 |pages=255–265 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb01076.x |issue=2}}</ref> In ], the average weight for tiger kills was found to be {{cvt|91.5|kg}}, compared to {{cvt|37.6|kg}} for leopards and {{cvt|43.4|kg}} for dholes.<ref name=KaranthSunquist1995>{{cite journal |author1=Karanth, K. U. |author2=Sunquist, M. E. |name-list-style=amp |title=Prey selection by tiger, leopard and dhole in tropical forests |jstor=5647 |doi=10.2307/5647 |journal=Journal of Animal Ecology |volume=64 |issue=4 |year=1995 |pages=439–450|bibcode=1995JAnEc..64..439K}}</ref> In ], following a reduction in prey numbers, tigers continued to kill favoured prey while leopards and dholes increased their consumption of small prey.<ref name=Steinmetz_al2021/> | |||
Both leopards and dholes can live successfully in tiger habitat when there is abundant food and vegetation cover.<ref name=Karanth/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Odden, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Wegge, P. |author3=Fredriksen, T. |year=2010 |title=Do tigers displace leopards? If so, why? |journal=Ecological Research |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=875–881 |doi=10.1007/s11284-010-0723-1 |bibcode=2010EcoR...25..875O}}</ref> Otherwise, they appear to be less common where tigers are numerous. The recovery of the tiger population in ] during the 2000s led to a reduction in leopard population densities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harihar |first1=A. |last2=Pandav |first2=B. |last3=Goyal |first3=S. P. |year=2011 |title=Responses of leopard ''Panthera pardus'' to the recovery of a tiger ''Panthera tigris'' population |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=806–814 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.01981.x|doi-access=free |bibcode=2011JApEc..48..806H |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Similarly, at two sites in central India the size of dhole packs was negatively correlated with tiger densities.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Habib, B. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Nigam P. |author3=Ghaskadbi P. |author4=Bhandari A. |year=2021 |title=Dhole pack size variation: Assessing the effect of prey availability and apex predator |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=11 |issue=9 |pages=4774–4785 |doi=10.1002/ece3.7380 |pmid=33976847 |pmc=8093734 |bibcode=2021EcoEv..11.4774B}}</ref> Leopard and dhole distribution in Kui Buri correlated with both prey access and tiger scarcity.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Steinmetz|first1=R. |last2=Seuaturien |first2=N. |last3=Chutipong|first3=W. |name-list-style=amp |year=2013|title=Tigers, leopards, and dholes in a half-empty forest: Assessing species interactions in a guild of threatened carnivores |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=163|pages=68–78 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2012.12.016|bibcode=2013BCons.163...68S }}</ref> In ], tigers were found to inhabit the deeper parts of forests while the smaller predators were pushed closer to the fringes.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Thinley, P. |author2=Rajaratnam, R. |author3=Lassoie, J. P. |author4=Morreale, S. J. |author5=Curtis, P. D. |author6=Vernes, K. |author7=Leki Leki |author8=Phuntsho, S. |author9=Dorji, T. |author10=Dorji, P. |name-list-style=amp |year=2018 |title=The ecological benefit of tigers (''Panthera tigris'') to farmers in reducing crop and livestock losses in the eastern Himalayas: Implications for conservation of large apex predators |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=219 |pages=119–125 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.015|doi-access=free|bibcode=2018BCons.219..119T }}</ref> | |||
Tigers have been studied in the wild using a variety of techniques. The populations of tigers were estimated in the past using plaster casts of their ]s. This method was found faulty<ref>Karanth, K.U., Nichols, J.D., Seidensticker, J., Dinerstein, E., Smith, J.L.D., McDougal, C., Johnsingh, A.J.T., Chundawat, R.S. (2003) Science deficiency in conservation practice: the monitoring of tiger populations in India. Animal Conservation (61): 141-146 </ref> and attempts were made to use camera trapping instead. Newer techniques based on ] from their scat are also being evaluated. Radio collaring has also been a popular approach to tracking them for study in the wild. | |||
=== |
=== Reproduction and life cycle === | ||
{{Redirect|Tiger cub|other uses|Tiger Cub (disambiguation){{!}}Tiger Cub}} | |||
] (below). The large canines are used to make the killing bite, but they tear meat when feeding using the carnassial teeth.]] | |||
{{Featured article}} | |||
In the wild, tigers mostly feed on larger and medium sized ]s. ], ], ], ], ], ] and both ] and ] are the tiger's favoured prey in ]. Sometimes, they also prey on ]s, ], ] and ]s. In Siberia the main prey species are ], wild boar, ], ], ], and ]. In Sumatra Sambar, ], wild boar, and ] are preyed on. In the former Caspian tiger's range, prey included ], ]s, ], ], and wild horses. Like many predators, they are opportunistic and will eat much smaller prey, such as ]s, ]s, ]s, and ]. | |||
] | |||
The tiger generally ] all year round, particularly between November and April. A tigress is in oestrus for three to six days at a time, separated by three to nine week intervals.<ref name=Mazak1981/> A resident male mates with all the females within his home range, who signal their receptiveness by roaring and marking.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=42}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=145}} Younger, transient males are also attracted, leading to a fight in which the more dominant, resident male drives the usurper off.<ref name=Sankhala/>{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=42}} During courtship, the male is cautious with the female as he waits for her to show signs she is ready to mate. She signals to him by positioning herself in ] with her tail to the side. ] typically lasts no more than 20 seconds, with the male biting the female by the scruff of her neck. After it is finished, the male quickly pulls away as the female may turn and slap him.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=42}} Tiger pairs may stay together for up to four days and mate multiple times.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=148}} ] lasts around or over three months.<ref name=Mazak1981/> | |||
Adult ]s are too large to serve as common prey, but conflicts between tigers and elephants do sometimes take place. A case where a tiger killed an adult ] has been observed.<ref name="Haemig">{{cite web|url=http://www.ecology.info/tiger-leopard.htm|title=Sympatric Tiger and Leopard: How two big cats coexist in the same area}} Ecology.info</ref> Young elephant and rhino calves are occasionally taken. Tigers also sometimes prey on domestic animals such as dogs, cows, horses, and donkeys. These individuals are termed cattle-lifters or cattle-killers in contrast to typical game-killers.<ref name="Perry">{{cite book | author = Perry, Richard | title = The World of the Tiger | year = 1965 | page = 260 | id = ASIN: B0007DU2IU}}</ref> | |||
A tigress gives birth in a secluded location, be it in dense vegetation, in a cave or under a rocky shelter.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} ] consist of as many as seven cubs, but two or three are more typical.<ref name=Sankhala/>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} Newborn cubs weigh {{cvt|785|–|1610|g}} and are blind and ].{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} The mother licks and cleans her cubs, suckles them and viciously defends them from any potential threat.<ref name=Sankhala>{{cite journal |last1=Sankhala |first1=K. S. |year=1967 |title=Breeding behaviour of the tiger ''Panthera tigris'' in Rajasthan |journal=International Zoo Yearbook |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=133–147 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1967.tb00354.x}}</ref> Cubs open their eyes at the age of three to 14 days and their vision becomes clear after a few more weeks.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=45}} They can leave the denning site after two months and around the same time they start eating meat.<ref name=Sankhala/>{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=50–51}} The mother only leaves them alone to hunt and even then she does not travel far.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=50}} When she suspects an area is no longer safe, she moves her cubs to a new spot, transporting them one by one by grabbing them by the scruff of the neck with her mouth.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=51}} | |||
Old tigers, or those wounded and rendered incapable of catching their natural prey, have turned into man-eaters; this pattern has recurred frequently across India. An exceptional case is that of the ], where healthy tigers prey upon fishermen and villagers in search of forest produce, humans thereby forming a minor part of the tiger's diet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/maneating7.html |title=Man-eaters. The tiger and lion, attacks on humans |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> Tigers will occasionally eat vegetation for ], the fruit of the ] being favoured.<ref name="Perry" /> | |||
A tigress in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve maximised the time spent with her cubs by reducing her home range, killing larger prey and returning to her den more rapidly than without cubs; when the cubs started to eat meat, she took them to kill sites, thereby optimising their protection and access to food.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Petrunenko, Y. K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Seryodkin, I. V. |author3=Bragina, E. V. |author4=Soutyrina, S. S. |author5=Mukhacheva, A. S. |author6=Rybin, N. N. |author7=Miquelle, D. G.|year=2019 |title=How does a tigress balance the opposing constraints of raising cubs? |journal=Mammal Research |volume=65 |issue=2 |pages=245–253 |doi=10.1007/s13364-019-00466-x}}</ref> | |||
In the same reserve, one of 21 cubs died in over eight years of monitoring and mortality did not differ between male and female juveniles.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Robinson, H. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Goodrich, J. M. |author3=Miquelle, D. G. |author4=Miller, C. S. |author5=Seryodkin, I. V. |year=2015 |title=Mortality of Amur tigers: The more things change, the more they stay the same |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=344–353 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12147|pmid=26096683 }}</ref> | |||
Tiger monitoring over six years in ] indicated an average annual survival rate of around 85 percent for 74 male and female cubs; survival rate increased to 97 percent for both males and female juveniles of one to two years of age.<ref name=Sadhu2017>{{cite journal |author1=Sadhu, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Jayam, P. P. C. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Shekhawat, R. S. |author5=Sharma, S. |author6=Jhala, Y. V. |year=2017 |title=Demography of a small, isolated tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') population in a semi-arid region of western India |journal=BMC Zoology |volume=2 |page=16 |doi=10.1186/s40850-017-0025-y|doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Causes of cub mortality include predators, floods, fires, death of the mother and fatal injuries.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=51}}{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=51}}<ref name=Barlow2009>{{cite journal |author1=Barlow, A. C. D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=McDougal, C. |author3=Smith, J. L. D. |author4=Gurung, B. |author5=Bhatta, S. R. |author6=Kumal, S. |author7=Mahato, B. |author8=Taman, D. B. |year=2009 |title=Temporal variation in Tiger (''Panthera tigris'') populations and its implications for monitoring |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=472–478 |doi=10.1644/07-MAMM-A-415.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Sadhu2017/> | |||
]|alt=Tigress with cub in snow]] | |||
] | |||
After around two months, the cubs are able to follow their mother. They still hide in vegetation when she goes hunting. Young bond through play fighting and practice stalking. A hierarchy develops in the litter, with the biggest cub, often a male, being the most dominant and the first to eat its fill at a kill.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=61, 66–67}} Around the age of six months, cubs are fully weaned and have more freedom to explore their environment. Between eight and ten months, they accompany their mother on hunts.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=63}} A cub can make a kill as early as 11 months and reach independence as a juvenile of 18 to 24 months of age; males become independent earlier than females.{{sfn|Schaller|1967|pp=270, 276}}<ref name=Sadhu2017/> Radio-collared tigers in Chitwan started leaving their natal areas at the age of 19 months.<ref name=Smith1993/> Young females are ] at three to four years, whereas males are at four to five years.<ref name=Mazak1981/> ] of the tiger is about 7–10 years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Generation length for mammals |author=Pacifici, M. |author2=Santini, L. |author3=Di Marco, M. |author4=Baisero, D. |author5=Francucci, L. |author6=Grottolo Marasini, G. |author7=Visconti, P. |author8=Rondinini, C. |journal=Nature Conservation |year=2013 |volume=5 |issue=5 |pages=87–94 |doi=10.3897/natureconservation.5.5734 |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
Tigers are thought to be nocturnal predators, hunting at night.<ref name="animaldiversity1">ADW:Panthera tigris: Information, http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Panthera_tigris.html</ref> However, in areas where humans are absent, they have been observed via remote controlled, hidden cameras hunting during the daylight hours<ref>''Tiger: Spy In The Jungle''. John Downer Productions. BBC (2008)</ref>. They generally hunt alone and ambush their prey as most other cats do, overpowering them from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock large prey off balance. Even with their great masses, tigers can reach speeds of about 49-65 ] (35-40 ]), although they can only do so in short bursts, since they have relatively little stamina; consequently, tigers must be relatively close to their prey before they break their cover. Tigers have great leaping ability; horizontal leaps of up to 10 metres have been reported, although leaps of around half this amount are more typical. However, only one in twenty hunts ends in a successful kill.<ref name="animaldiversity1"/> | |||
Wild Bengal tigers live 12–15 years.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Majumder, A. |year=2023 |title=Survival strategy – Temporal segregation of different age and sex classes of a Bengal tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'' Linnaeus) population in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh India |journal=Journal of Animal Diversity |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=43–54 |doi=10.61186/JAD.2023.5.3.5 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Data from the International Tiger ] 1938–2018 indicate that captive tigers lived up to 19 years.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Tidière, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Müller, P. |author3=Sliwa, A. |author4=Siberchicot, A. |author5=Douay, G. |year=2021 |title=Sex-specific actuarial and reproductive senescence in zoo-housed tiger (''Panthera tigris''): The importance of sub-species for conservation |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=320–329 |doi=10.1002/zoo.21610 |pmid=33861886 |url=https://findresearcher.sdu.dk/ws/files/182491417/zoo.21610.pdf}}</ref> | |||
The father does not play a role in raising the young, but he encounters and interacts with them. The resident male appears to visit the female–cub families within his home range. They socialise and even share kills.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=59, 89}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=55–56}} One male was recorded looking after cubs whose mother had died.<ref>{{cite news |author=Pandey, G. |date=2011 |title=India male tiger plays doting dad to orphaned cubs |work=BBC News |accessdate=14 February 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13598386 |archive-date=8 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408231242/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13598386 |url-status=live}}</ref> By defending his home range, the male protects the females and cubs from other males.{{sfn|Mills|2004|p=59}} When a new male takes over, dependent cubs are at risk of ] as the male attempts to sire his own young with the females.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=66}} A seven-year long study in Chitwan National Park revealed that 12 of 56 detected cubs and juveniles were killed by new males taking over home ranges.<ref name=Barlow2009/> | |||
When hunting large prey, tigers prefer to bite the throat and use their forelimbs to hold onto the prey, bringing it to the ground. The tiger remains latched onto the neck until its prey dies of ].<ref></ref> By this method, gaurs and water buffalos weighing over a ton have been killed by tigers weighing about a sixth as much.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sankhala|1997|p=17}}</ref> With small prey, the tiger bites the ], often breaking the ], piercing the ], or severing the ] or ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Sankhala|1997|p=23}}</ref> Though rarely observed, some tigers have been recorded to kill prey by swiping with their paws, which are powerful enough to smash the skulls of domestic cattle,<ref name="Perry" /> and break the backs of sloth bears.<ref name="DHOLE" /> | |||
=== Health and diseases === | |||
During the 1980s, a tiger named "Genghis" in ] was observed frequently hunting prey through deep lake water,<ref name="publishers1992">Thapar, Valmik. (1992). The Tiger's Destiny. Kyle Cathie Ltd: Publishers, London</ref> a pattern of behaviour that had not been previously witnessed in over 200 years of observations. Moreover, he appeared to be extraordinarily successful for a tiger, with as many as 20% of hunts ending in a kill. | |||
Tigers are recorded as hosts for various parasites including tapeworms like ''] erinacei'', '']'' in India and ]s like '']'' species in India and ''] preputialis'', ''] ursi'' and '']'' species in Siberia.<ref name=Mazak1981/> ] is known to occur in Siberian tigers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Seimon|first1=T. A. |last2=Miquelle |first2=D. G. |last3=Chang |first3=T. Y.|last4=Newton|first4=A. L. |last5=Korotkova |first5=I. |last6=Ivanchuk |first6=G. |last7=Lyubchenko |first7=E. |last8=Tupikov |first8=A. |last9=Slabe |first9=E. |last10=McAloose |first10=D. |year=2013 |title=Canine distemper virus: an emerging disease in wild endangered Amur tigers (''Panthera tigris altaica'') |journal=mBio |volume=4 |issue=4 |doi=10.1128/mbio.00410-13 |pmid=23943758 |pmc=3747579 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> A ] infection was the likely cause of death of a tigress in the Russian Far East that was also tested positive for ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Quigley, K. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Evermann, J. F. |author3=Leathers, C. W. |author4=Armstrong, D. L. |author5=Goodrich, J. |author6=Duncan, N. M. |author7=Miquelle, D. G. |year=2010 |title=Morbillivirus infection in a wild Siberian tiger in the Russian Far East |journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=1252–1256 |doi=10.7589/0090-3558-46.4.1252 |pmid=20966275}}</ref> | |||
Blood samples from 11 adult tigers in Nepal showed ] for ]-2, ], feline coronavirus, ] and '']''.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=McCauley, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Stout, V. |author3=Gairhe, K. P. |author4=Sadaula, A. |author5=Dubovi, E. |author6=Subedi, S. |author7=Kaufman, G. E. |year=2021 |title=Serologic survey of selected pathogens in free-ranging Bengal tigers (''Panthera tigris tigris'') in Nepal |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Diseases |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=393–398 |doi=10.7589/JWD-D-20-00046 |doi-access=free |pmid=33822151}}</ref> | |||
== |
== Threats == | ||
The tiger has been listed as ] on the ] since 1986 and the global tiger population is thought to have continuously declined from an estimated population of 5,000–8,262 tigers in the late 1990s to 3,726–5,578 individuals estimated as of 2022.<ref name=iucn/> During 2001–2020, landscapes where tigers live declined from {{cvt|1025488|km2}} to {{cvt|911901|km2}}.<ref name=Sanderson_al2023/> ], ] and ] for fur and body parts are the major threats that contributed to the decrease of tiger populations in all range countries.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
], India.]] | |||
Mating can occur all year round, but is generally more common between November and April.<ref name="university1999">Nowak, Ronald M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9</ref> A female is only receptive for a few days and ] is frequent during that time period. A pair will copulate frequently and noisily, like other cats. The gestation period is 16 weeks. The litter size usually consists of around 3–4 cubs of about {{convert|1|kg|lb}} each, which are born blind and helpless. The females rear them alone, sheltering them in dens such as thickets and rocky crevices. The father of the cubs generally takes no part in rearing them. Unrelated wandering male tigers may even kill cubs to make the female receptive, since the tigress may give birth to another litter within 5 months if the cubs of the previous litter are lost.<ref name="university1999"/> The mortality rate of tiger cubs is fairly high - approximately half do not survive to be more than two years old.<ref name="university1999"/> | |||
Protected areas in central India are highly fragmented due to linear infrastructure like roads, railway lines, ]s, ] channels and ] activities in their vicinity.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Schoen, J. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Neelakantan, A. |author3=Cushman, S. A. |author4=Dutta, T. |author5=Habib, B. |author6=Jhala, Y. V. |author7=Mondal, I. |author8=Ramakrishnan, U. |author9=Reddy, P. A. |author10=Saini, S. |author11=Sharma, S. |year=2022 |title=Synthesizing habitat connectivity analyses of a globally important human-dominated tiger-conservation landscape |journal=Conservation Biology |volume=36 |issue=4 |page=e13909 |doi=10.1111/cobi.13909 |doi-access=free|pmid=35288989 |pmc=9545158 |bibcode=2022ConBi..36E3909S}}</ref> | |||
There is generally a dominant cub in each litter, which tends to be male but may be of either sex.<ref name="publishers1992"/> This cub generally dominates its siblings during play and tends to be more active, leaving its mother earlier than usual. At 8 weeks, the cubs are ready to follow their mother out of the den, although they don't travel with her as she roams her territory until they are older. The cubs become independent around 18 months of age, but it is not until they are around 2–2½ years old that they leave their mother. Females reach sexual maturity at 3–4 years, whereas males reach sexual maturity at 4–5 years.<ref name="university1999"/> | |||
In the ] of southern Myanmar, ] coupled with mining activities and high hunting pressure threatens the tiger population.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Aung, S. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shwe, N. M. |author3=Frechette, J. |author4=Grindley, M. |author5=Connette, G. |year=2017 |title=Surveys in southern Myanmar indicate global importance for tigers and biodiversity |journal=Oryx |volume=51 |issue=1 |page=13 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316001393 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
In Thailand, nine of 15 protected areas hosting tigers are isolated and fragmented, offering a low probability for dispersal between them; four of these have not harboured tigers since about 2013.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Suttidate, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Steinmetz, R. |author3=Lynam, A. J. |author4=Sukmasuang, R. |author5=Ngoprasert, D. |author6=Chutipong, W. |author7=Bateman, B. L. |author8=Jenks, K. E. |author9=Baker-Whatton, M. |author10=Kitamura, S. |author11=Ziółkowska, E. |year=2021 |title=Habitat connectivity for endangered Indochinese tigers in Thailand |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=29 |page=e01718 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01718 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021GEcoC..2901718S}}</ref> | |||
In Peninsular Malaysia, {{cvt|8315.7|km2}} of tiger habitat was cleared during 1988–2012, most of it for industrial ]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shevade, V. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Potapov, P. V. |author3=Harris, N. L. |author4=Loboda, T. V. |year=2017 |title=Expansion of industrial plantations continues to threaten Malayan tiger habitat |journal=Remote Sensing |volume=9 |issue=7 |page=747 |doi=10.3390/rs9070747 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017RemS....9..747S |hdl=1903/31503 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Large-scale land acquisitions of about {{cvt|23000|km2}} for commercial ] and timber extraction in Cambodia contributed to the fragmentation of potential tiger habitat, especially in the Eastern Plains.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Debonne, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=van Vliet, J. |author3=Verburg, P. |title=Future governance options for large-scale land acquisition in Cambodia: impacts on tree cover and tiger landscapes |year= 2019 |journal=Environmental Science & Policy |volume=94 |issue= |pages=9–19 |doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.031 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019ESPol..94....9D |hdl=1871.1/1dced676-560b-46fb-a7c5-e0c888c5cff1 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> | |||
] coupled with habitat destruction, insufficient prey resources and poaching is a threat to the small and isolated tiger population in the ] along the China–Russia border.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Wang, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Smith, J. L. |author3=Accatino, F. |author4=Ge, J. |author5=Wang, T. |year=2023 |title=Addressing the impact of canine distemper spreading on an isolated tiger population in northeast Asia |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=18 |issue=6 |pages=994–1008 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12712|pmid=36881515}}</ref> | |||
In China, tigers became the target of large-scale 'anti-pest' campaigns in the early 1950s, where suitable habitats were fragmented following deforestation and resettlement of people to rural areas, who hunted tigers and prey species. Though tiger hunting was prohibited in 1977, the population continued to decline and is considered extinct in ] since 2001.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Dramatic decline of wild South China tigers ''Panthera tigris amoyensis'': field survey of priority tiger reserves |author1=Tilson, R. |author2=Defu, H. |author3=Muntifering, J. |author4=Nyhus, P. J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2004 |journal=Oryx |volume=38 |issue=1|pages=40–47 |doi=10.1017/S0030605304000079 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Nyhus, P. |year=2008 |title=''Panthera tigris'' ssp. ''amoyensis'' |page=e.T15965A5334628 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T15965A5334628.en}}</ref> | |||
] skin, 1915|alt=Tiger rug displayed on wall behind a man with a gun]] | |||
Tiger populations in India have been targeted by poachers since the 1990s and were extirpated in two tiger reserves in 2005 and 2009.<ref name=Jhala_al2021>{{cite journal |author1=Jhala, Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Gopal, R. |author3=Mathur, V. |author4=Ghosh, P. |author5=Negi, H. S. |author6=Narain, S. |author7=Yadav, S. P. |author8= Malik, A. |author9=Garawad, R. |author10=Qureshi, Q. |year=2021 |title=Recovery of tigers in India: Critical introspection and potential lessons |journal=People and Nature |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=281–293 |doi=10.1002/pan3.10177 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021PeoNa...3..281J}}</ref> | |||
Between March 2017 and January 2020, 630 activities of hunters using ], drift nets, hunting platforms and hunting dogs were discovered in a reserve forest of about {{cvt|1000|km2}} in southern Myanmar.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shwe, N. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Grainger, M. |author3=Ngoprasert, D. |author4=Aung, S. S. |author5=Grindley, M. |author6=Savini, T. |year=2023 |title=Anthropogenic pressure on large carnivores and their prey in the highly threatened forests of Tanintharyi, southern Myanmar |journal=Oryx |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=262–271 |doi=10.1017/S0030605321001654 |doi-access=free |hdl=11250/3040580 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> ] was considered the last important site for the tiger in Laos, but it has not been recorded there at least since 2013; this population likely fell victim to indiscriminate snaring.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rasphone, A. |author2=Kéry, M. |author3=Kamler, J. F. |name-list-style=amp |author4=Macdonald, D. W. |year=2019 |title=Documenting the demise of tiger and leopard, and the status of other carnivores and prey, in Lao PDR's most prized protected area: Nam Et-Phou Louey |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=20 |page=e00766 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00766 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2019GEcoC..2000766R}}</ref> ] units in Sumatra's ] landscape removed 362 tiger snare traps and seized 91 tiger skins during 2005–2016; annual poaching rates increased with rising skin prices.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Linkie, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Martyr, D. |author3=Harihar, A. |author4=Mardiah, S. |author5=Hodgetts, T. |author6=Risdianto, D. |author7=Subchaan, M. |author8=Macdonald, D. |year=2018 |title=Asia's economic growth and its impact on Indonesia's tigers |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=219 |pages=105–109 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.011|bibcode=2018BCons.219..105L}}</ref> | |||
Poaching is also the main threat to the tiger population in far eastern Russia, where ] roads facilitate access for poachers and people harvesting forest products that are important for prey species to survive in winter.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Slaght, J. C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Milakovsky, B. |author3=Maksimova, D. A. |author5=Seryodkin, I. |author4=Zaitsev, V. A. |author6=Panichev, A. |author7=Miquelle, D. |year=2017 |title=Anthropogenic influences on the distribution of a Vulnerable coniferous forest specialist: habitat selection by the Siberian musk deer ''Moschus moschiferus'' |journal=Oryx |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=174–180 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316001617 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Body parts of 207 tigers were detected during 21 surveys in 1991–2014 in two wildlife markets in Myanmar catering to customers in Thailand and China.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Nijman, V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shepherd, C. R. |year=2015 |title=Trade in tigers and other wild cats in Mong La and Tachilek, Myanmar – A tale of two border towns |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=182 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2014.10.031 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2015BCons.182....1N}}</ref> | |||
Over the course of her life, a female tiger will give birth to an approximately equal number of male and female cubs. Tigers breed well in captivity, and the captive population in the United States may rival the wild population of the world.<ref name="zoogoer">{{cite web|url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/1998/2/tigerfacts.cfm|title=Zoogoer - Tiger, ''Panthera tigris''|accessdate=5 October 2007}}</ref> | |||
During the years 2000–2022, at least 3,377 tigers were ] in 2,205 seizures in 28 countries; seizures encompassed 665 live and 654 dead individuals, 1,313 whole tiger skins, 16,214 body parts like bones, teeth, paws, claws, whiskers and {{cvt|1.1|t}} of meat; 759 seizures in India encompassed body parts of 893 tigers; and 403 seizures in Thailand involved mostly captive-bred tigers.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Wong, R. |author2=Krishnasamy, K. |name-list-style=amp |year=2022 |title=Skin and Bones: Tiger Trafficking Analysis from January 2000 – June 2022 |publisher=TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office |location=Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |url=https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/19714/skin_and_bones_tiger_trafficking_analysis_from_january_2000_to_june_2022_r7.pdf |access-date=1 March 2024 |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117215040/https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/19714/skin_and_bones_tiger_trafficking_analysis_from_january_2000_to_june_2022_r7.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Seizures in Nepal between January 2011 and December 2015 obtained 585 pieces of tiger body parts and two whole carcasses in 19 districts.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Paudel, P. K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Acharya, K. P. |author3=Baral, H. S. |author4=Heinen, J. T. |author5=Jnawali, S. R. |year=2020 |title=Trends, patterns, and networks of illicit wildlife trade in Nepal: A national synthesis |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=2 |issue=9 |page=e247 |doi=10.1111/csp2.247 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020ConSP...2E.247P}}</ref> Seizure data from India during 2001–2021 indicate that tiger skins were the most often traded body parts, followed by claws, bones and teeth; trafficking routes mainly passed through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Assam.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Nittu, G. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shameer, T. T. |author3=Nishanthini, N. K. |author4=Sanil, R. |year=2023 |title=The tide of tiger poaching in India is rising! An investigation of the intertwined facts with a focus on conservation |journal=GeoJournal |volume=88 |issue=1 |pages=753–766 |doi=10.1007/s10708-022-10633-4 |doi-access=free |pmid=35431409 |pmc=9005341|bibcode=2023GeoJo..88..753N }}</ref> | |||
A total of 292 illegal tiger parts were confiscated at US ports of entry from personal baggage, air cargo and mail between 2003 and 2012.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Khanwilkar, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Sosnowski, M. |year=2022 |author3=Guynup, S. |title=Patterns of illegal and legal tiger parts entering the United States over a decade (2003–2012) |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=4 |issue=3 |page=e622 |doi=10.1111/csp2.622 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022ConSP...4E.622K}}</ref> | |||
Demand for tiger parts for use in ] has also been cited as a major threat to tiger populations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Van Uhm |first1=D. P. |title=The Illegal Wildlife Trade: Inside the World of Poachers, Smugglers and Traders (Studies of Organized Crime) |date=2016 |publisher=Springer |location=New York|pages=224–226}}</ref> | |||
===Interspecific predatory relationships=== | |||
Interviews with local people in the Bangladeshi Sundarbans revealed that they kill tigers for local consumption and trade of skins, bones and meat, in ] for attacks by tigers and for excitement.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Saif, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Rahman, H. T. |author3=MacMillan, D. C. |year=2018 |title=Who is killing the tiger ''Panthera tigris'' and why? |journal=Oryx |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=46–54 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316000491 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
]'' as illustrated in ''Samuel Howett & Edward Orme, Hand Coloured, Aquatint Engravings'', Published London 1807.]] | |||
Tiger body parts like skins, bones, teeth and hair are consumed locally by wealthy Bangladeshis and are illegally trafficked from Bangladesh to 15 countries including India, China, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan and the United Kingdom via land borders, airports and seaports.<ref name=Uddin2023/> | |||
Tigers may kill such formidable predators as ]s, ] and even ]s on occasion,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bangalinet.com/tiger1.htm |title=Tiger – |publisher=Bangalinet.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/tiger |title=Tiger – Oakland Zoo |publisher=Oaklandzoo.org |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>Sunquist, Fiona & Mel Sunquist. 1988. Tiger Moon. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.</ref> although predators typically avoid one another. When seized by a crocodile, a tiger will strike at the reptile's eyes with its paws.<ref name="Perry"/> Pythons have been known to kill tigers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jcvi.org/reptiles/species.php?genus=Broghammerus&species=reticulatus|title=Reptiles Database |publisher=jcvi.org |date= |accessdate=2010-06-28}}</ref> Leopards dodge competition from tigers by hunting in different times of the day and hunting different prey.<ref name="Haemig"/> With relatively abundant prey, tigers and leopards were seen to successfully coexist without competitive exclusion or inter-species dominance hierarchies that may be more common to the savanna.<ref>{{ cite journal | last =Karanth | first =K. Ullas | coauthors = Sunquist, Melvin E. | year =2000| title = Behavioural correlates of predation by tiger (''Panthera tigris''), leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and dhole (''Cuon alpinus'') in Nagarahole, India| journal = Journal of Zoology | volume =250 | pages =255–265 | url =http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=40765 | accessdate = 2008-06-05| doi = 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb01076.x | ref =harv}}</ref> Tigers have been known to suppress ] populations in areas where the two species coexist.<ref name="IUCN-Reuters">{{cite web | url = http://www.iucn.org/reuters/2000/eeurope.html | title = The IUCN-Reuters Media Awards 2000 | publisher = ] | accessdate = 2007-08-17}}</ref><ref name="savethetiger">{{cite web | url = http://www.savethetigerfund.org/Content/NavigationMenu2/Community/GeneralPublic/TigerSubspecies/AmurSiberianTigers/default.htm | title = Amur Tiger | publisher = Save The Tiger Fund | accessdate = 2007-08-17}}</ref> ] packs have been observed to attack and kill tigers in disputes over food, though not usually without heavy losses.<ref name="DHOLE">{{cite book | author = Mills, Stephen| title = Tiger | year = 2004 | page = 168 | isbn = 1552979490 | publisher = Firefly Books | location = Richmond Hill., Ont.}}</ref> Lone ]s expelled from their pack have been known to form ]s with tigers. These solitary jackals, known as ''kol-bahl'', will attach themselves to a particular tiger, trailing it at a safe distance in order to feed on the big cat's kills. A ''kol-bahl'' will even alert a tiger to a kill with a loud ''pheal''. Tigers have been known to tolerate these jackals: one report describes how a jackal confidently walked in and out between three tigers walking together a few feet away from each other.<ref name="perry">{{cite book | last = Perry | first = Richard | title = The World of the Tiger | year = 1965 | page = 260 | id = {{ASIN|B0007DU2IU}}}}</ref> ]s and ]s can be competitors and usually avoid confrontation; however, tigers will kill bear cubs and even some adults on occasion. Bears (]s and brown bears) make up 5-8% of the tiger's diet in the ].<ref name = "der-tiger"/> There are also records of brown bears killing tigers, either in self defense or in disputes over kills.<ref name="USSR">{{cite book | author = V.G. Heptner & A.A. Sludskii | title = Mammals of the Soviet Union, Volume II, Part 2 | year = 1992| pages = | isbn = 9004088768 | publisher = Brill | location = Leiden u.a.}}</ref> Some bears emerging from hibernation will try to steal tigers' kills, although the tiger will sometimes defend its kill. ]s are quite aggressive and will sometimes drive young tigers away from their kills, although it is more common for Bengal tigers to prey on sloth bears.<ref name="der-tiger">Vratislav Mazak: ''Der Tiger''. Nachdruck der 3. Auflage von 1983. Westarp Wissenschaften Hohenwarsleben, 2004 ISBN 3-89432-759-6</ref> | |||
Tiger bone glue is the prevailing tiger product purchased for medicinal purposes in ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Davis, E. O. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Willemsen, M. |author3=Dang, V. |author4=O'Connor, D. |author5=Glikman, J. A. |year=2020 |title=An updated analysis of the consumption of tiger products in urban Vietnam |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=22 |page=e00960 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e00960 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2020GEcoC..2200960D}}</ref> "Tiger farm" facilities in China and Southeast Asia breed tigers for their parts, but these appear to make the threat to wild populations worse by increasing the demand for tiger products.<ref name=Worldwildlife/> | |||
Local people killing tigers in retaliation for attacking and preying on livestock is a threat in several tiger range countries, as this consequence of ] also contributes to the decline of the population.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Singh, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Nigam, P. |author3=Qureshi, Q. |author4=Sankar, K. |author5=Krausman, P. R. |author6=Goyal, S. P. |author7=Nicholoson, K. L. |year=2015 |title=Characterizing human–tiger conflict in and around Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, western India |journal=European Journal of Wildlife Research |volume=61 |issue=2 |pages=255–261 |doi=10.1007/s10344-014-0895-z|bibcode=2015EJWR...61..255S }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Chowdhurym, A. N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Mondal, R. |author3=Brahma, A. |author4=Biswas, M. K. |year=2016 |title=Ecopsychosocial aspects of human–tiger conflict: An ethnographic study of tiger widows of Sundarban Delta, India |journal=Environmental Health Insights |volume=10 |pages=1–29 |doi=10.4137/EHI.S24 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Dhungana, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Savini, T. |author3=Karki, J. B. |author4=Dhakal, M. |author5=Lamichhane, B. R. |author6=Bumrungsri, S. |year=2018 |title=Living with tigers ''Panthera tigris'': Patterns, correlates, and contexts of human–tiger conflict in Chitwan National Park, Nepal |journal=Oryx |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=55–65 |doi=10.1017/S0030605316001587 |doi-access=free |hdl=1887/57668 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lubis, M. I. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Pusparini, W. |author3=Prabowo, S. A. |author4=Marthy, W. |author5=Tarmizi |author6=Andayani, N. |author7=Linkie, M. |year=2020 |title=Unraveling the complexity of human–tiger conflicts in the Leuser Ecosystem, Sumatra |journal=Animal Conservation |volume=23 |issue=6 |pages=741–749 |doi=10.1111/acv.12591|bibcode=2020AnCon..23..741L}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Neo, W. H. Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Lubis, M. I. |author3=Lee, J. S. H. |year=2023 |title=Settlements and plantations are sites of human–tiger interactions in Riau, Indonesia |journal=Oryx |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=476–480 |doi=10.1017/S0030605322000667 |doi-access=free |hdl=10356/165557 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> | |||
==Conservation efforts== | |||
{{Details|Tiger hunting}} | |||
] for fur and destruction of ] 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 about 2,000 in the wild.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/tiger.htm |title=Tiger |publisher=Big Cat Rescue |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> Some estimates suggest the population is even lower, with some at less than 2,500 mature breeding individuals, with no subpopulation containing more than 250 mature breeding individuals.<ref name="IUCN">{{IUCN2006|assessors=Cat Specialist Group|year=2002|id=15955|title=Panthera Tigris|downloaded=10 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered.</ref> | |||
== |
== Conservation == | ||
{{Main| |
{{Main|Tiger conservation}} | ||
{{further information|21st Century Tiger}} | |||
India is home to the world's largest population of tigers in the wild.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=DPP7O3nb3g0C&pg=PA153&dq=india+tiger+largest&client=firefox-a |title=Students' Britannica India - By Dale Hoiberg, Indu Ramchandani |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> According to the ], of the 3,500 tigers around the world, 1,400 are found in India and only 11 percent of original habitat remains, of which is becoming significantly fragmented and often degraded.<ref>{{cite web|author=Independent Online |url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=143&set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20080312141948377C153394 |title='World tiger population shrinking fast' |publisher=Iol.co.za |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> <ref> </ref> A major concerted conservation effort, known as ''Project Tiger'', has been underway since 1973, which was initially spearheaded by ]. The fundamental accomplishment has been the establishment of over 25 well-monitored tiger reserves in reclaimed land where human development is categorically forbidden. The program has been credited with tripling the number of wild Bengal tigers from roughly 1,200 in 1973 to over 3,500 in the 1990s. However, a tiger census carried out in 2007, whose report was published on February 12, 2008, stated that the wild tiger population in India declined by 60% to approximately 1,411.<ref>{{dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref> It is noted in the report that the decrease of tiger population can be attributed directly to poaching.<ref name = "Over half of tigers lost in 5 years: census">{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/13/stories/2008021357240100.htm |title=Front Page : Over half of tigers lost in 5 years: census |publisher=The Hindu |date=2008-02-13 |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable floatright" | |||
|+ Global wild tiger population | |||
!Country | |||
!Year | |||
!Estimate | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|India}} India || 2022 || align="right" |3,167–3,682<ref name=Qureshi2023/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Russia}} Russia || 2022 || align="right" |573–600<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Indonesia}} Indonesia || 2022 || align="right" |393<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal || 2022 || align="right" |316–355<ref>{{cite book |author1=DNPWC |author2=DFSC |name-list-style=amp |year=2022 |title=Status of Tigers and Prey in Nepal 2022 |location=Kathmandu, Nepal |publisher=Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Department of Forests and Soil Conservation. Ministry of Forests and Environment |url=https://dnpwc.gov.np/media/files/Status_of_Tigers_Ic2ylSC.pdf |access-date=6 August 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408104009/https://dnpwc.gov.np/media/files/Status_of_Tigers_Ic2ylSC.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Thailand}} Thailand || 2022 || align="right" |148–189<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Malaysia || 2022 || align="right" |<150<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Bhutan}} Bhutan || 2022 || align="right" |131<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023 |title=National Tiger Survey 2021–22 |publisher=Government of Bhutan |author=Department of Forests and Park Services |place=Thimphu}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Bangladesh}} Bangladesh || 2022|| align="right" |118–122<ref>{{cite web |author=Begum, S. |date=30 July 2024 |title=Tiger population in Sundarban rises by 8-10pc in 2024 |work=Daily Observer |url=https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=482816|accessdate=6 October 2024}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|China}} China || 2022 || align="right"|>60<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| {{flagicon|Myanmar}} Myanmar || 2022 || align="right" |28<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
|- | |||
| '''Total'''|| || align="right" |'''5,638–5,899''' | |||
|} | |||
Internationally, the tiger is protected under ], banning trade of live tigers and their body parts.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
In Russia, hunting the tiger has been banned since 1952.{{sfn|Sludskii|1992|p=202}} | |||
In Bhutan, it has been protected since 1969 and enlisted as totally protected since 1995.<ref name=Tandin_al2018>{{cite report |author1=Tandin, T. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Penjor, U. |author3=Tempa, T. |author4=Dhendup, P. |author5=Dorji, S.|author6=Wangdi, S. |author7=Moktan, V.|year=2018 |title=Tiger Action Plan for Bhutan (2018-2023): A landscape approach to tiger conservation |location=Thimphu, Bhutan |publisher=Nature Conservation Division, Department of Forests and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests |doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.14890.70089 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Since 1972, it has been afforded the highest protection level under India's ].<ref name=Aryal>{{cite book |last1=Aryal |first1=R. S. |year=2004 |title=CITES Implementation in Nepal and India. Law, Policy and Practice |location=Kathmandu |publisher=Bhrikuti Aademic Publications |isbn=99933-673-4-6}}</ref> | |||
In Nepal and Bangladesh, it has been protected since 1973.<ref name=Aryal/><ref name=Uddin2023>{{cite journal |author1=Uddin, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Enoch, S. |author3=Harihar, A. |author4=Pickles, R. S. |author5=Hughes, A. C. |year=2023 |title=Tigers at a crossroads: Shedding light on the role of Bangladesh in the illegal trade of this iconic big cat |journal=Conservation Science and Practice |volume=5 |issue=7 |page=e12952 |doi=10.1111/csp2.12952 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2023ConSP...5E2952U}}</ref> | |||
Since 1976, it has been totally protected under Malaysia's Protection of Wild Life Act,<ref>{{cite report |author=Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers |title=The Malayan Tiger Conservation Programme |year=2006 |publisher=Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia |place=Kuala Lumpur |url=https://conservewildcats.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/WildCats/ProjectReports/Malaysia/MYCATFinalreport2006-07.pdf |access-date=9 April 2024 |archive-date=9 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409203438/https://conservewildcats.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/WildCats/ProjectReports/Malaysia/MYCATFinalreport2006-07.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and the country's Wildlife Conservation Act enacted in 2010 increased punishments for wildlife-related crimes.<ref name=globaltiger>{{cite report |title=Global Tiger Recovery Program (2023–34) |publisher=Global Tiger Forum and the Global Tiger Initiative Council |url=https://globaltigerforum.org/global-tiger-recovery-program-2-0-2023-34/ |date=2023 |access-date=8 April 2024 |archive-date=8 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408150606/https://globaltigerforum.org/global-tiger-recovery-program-2-0-2023-34/ |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In Indonesia, it has been protected since 1990.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ministry of Forestry |title=Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for the Sumatran Tiger (''Panthera tigris sumatrae'') Indonesia 2007-2017 |publisher=Government of Indonesia |place=Jakarta |date=2007 |url=https://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/indonesia.pdf |access-date=12 April 2024 |archive-date=23 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923144656/https://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/indonesia.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In China, the trade in tiger body parts was banned in 1993.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Transnational environmentalism and entanglements of sovereignty: The Tiger Campaign across the Himalayas |first=E. T. |last=Yeh |journal=Political Geography |volume=31 |issue=7 |year=2012 |pages=408–418 | doi=10.1016/j.polgeo.2012.06.003}}</ref> | |||
The Thai Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act was enacted in 2019 to combat poaching and trading of body parts.<ref name=future>{{cite web |author=Kampongsun, S. |title=The future of ''Panthera tigris'' in Thailand and globally |date=2022 |publisher=IUCN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111015312/https://www.iucn.org/story/202208/future-panthera-tigris-thailand-and-globally|archive-date=11 November 2023|url=https://www.iucn.org/story/202208/future-panthera-tigris-thailand-and-globally |accessdate=8 April 2024}}</ref> | |||
In 1973, the ] and ] were founded in India to gain public support for tiger conservation.<ref name=Jhala_al2021/> Since then, 53 ] covering an area of {{cvt|75796|km2}} have been established in the country up to 2022.<ref name=Qureshi2023>{{cite book |author1=Qureshi, Q. |author2=Jhala, Y. V. |author3=Yadav, S. P. |author4=Mallick, A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2023 |title=Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India 2022 |publisher=National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India |location=New Delhi, Dehradun |url=https://wii.gov.in/images//images/documents/publications/statu_tiger_copredators-2022.pdf |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505145403/https://wii.gov.in/images//images/documents/publications/statu_tiger_copredators-2022.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Following the release of the report, the Indian government pledged $153 million to further fund the ] initiative, set-up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers, and fund the relocation of up to 200,000 villagers to minimise human-tiger interaction.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4272945.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=Tigers flown by helicopter to Sariska reserve to lift numbers in western India | first=Jeremy | last=Page | date=2008-07-05 | accessdate=2010-05-25}}</ref> Additionally, eight new ] are being set up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080213-AP-india-disap.html |title=India Reports Sharp Decline in Wild Tigers |publisher=News.nationalgeographic.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> Indian officials successfully started a project to reintroduce the tigers into the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Earth/Its-the-tale-of-a-tiger-two-tigresses-in-wilds-of-Sariska/rssarticleshow/4212845.cms |title=It's the tale of a tiger, two tigresses in wilds of Sariska |publisher=Economictimes.indiatimes.com |date=2009-03-02 |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> The ] is often cited as a major success by Indian officials against poaching.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/11/stories/2009031152382000.htm |title=Tigers galore in Ranthambhore National Park |publisher=Hindu.com |date=2009-03-11 |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> | |||
Myanmar's national tiger conservation strategy developed in 2003 comprises management tasks such as restoration of degraded habitats, increasing the extent of protected areas and wildlife corridors, protecting tiger prey species, thwarting tiger killing and illegal trade of its body parts and promoting public awareness through wildlife education programmes.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lynam, A. J. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Khaing, S. T. |author3=Zaw, K. M. |year=2006 |title=Developing a national tiger action plan for the Union of Myanmar |journal=Environmental Management |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=30–39 |doi=10.1007/s00267-004-0273-9 |pmid=16362487 |bibcode=2006EnMan..37...30L}}</ref> | |||
Bhutan's first Tiger Action Plan implemented during 2006–2015 revolved around habitat conservation, human–wildlife conflict management, education and awareness; the second Action Plan aimed at increasing the country's tiger population by 20% until 2023 compared to 2015.<ref name=Tandin_al2018/> | |||
In 2009, the Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan was initiated to stabilise the country's tiger population, maintain habitat and a sufficient prey base, improve law enforcement and foster cooperation between governmental agencies responsible for tiger conservation.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hossain, A. N. M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Lynam, A. J. |author3=Ngoprasert, D. |author4=Barlow, A. |author5=Barlow, C. G. |author6=Savini, T. |year=2018 |title=Identifying landscape factors affecting tiger decline in the Bangladesh Sundarbans |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=13 |page=e00382 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00382 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018GEcoC..1300382H}}</ref> | |||
The Thailand Tiger Action Plan ] in 2010 envisioned increasing the country's tiger populations by 50% in the ] and ] and reestablish populations in three potential landscapes until 2022.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Pisdamkham, C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Prayurasiddhi, T. |author3=Kanchanasaka, B. |author4=Maneesai, R. |author5=Simcharoen, S. |author6=Pattanavibool, A. |author7=Duangchantrasiri, S. |author8=Simcharoen, A. |author9=Pattanavibool, R. |author10=Maneerat, S. |author11=Prayoon, U. |author12=Cutter, P. G. |author13=Smith, J. L. D. |year=2010 |title=Thailand Tiger Action Plan 2010–2022 |location=Bangkok |publisher=Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303881962 |access-date=16 April 2024 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505145525/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303881962_Thailand_Tiger_Action_Plan_2010-2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The Indonesian National Tiger Recovery Program ratified in 2010 aimed at increasing the Sumatran tiger population by 2022.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Chandradewi, D. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Semiadi, G. |author3=Pinondang, I. |author4=Kheng, V. |author5=Bahaduri, L. D. |year=2019 |title=A decade on: The second collaborative Sumatra-wide Tiger survey |journal=Cat News |volume=69 |pages=41–42}}</ref> The third strategic and action plan for the conservation of the Sumatran tiger for the years 2020–2030 revolves around strengthening management of small tiger population units of less than 20 mature individuals and connectivity between 13 forest patches in ] and ] provinces.<ref>{{cite thesis |author=Wibisono, H. T. |year=2021 |title=An Island-wide Status of Sumatran Tiger (''Panthera tigris sumatrae'') and Principal Prey in Sumatra, Indonesia |type=Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology |publisher=University of Delaware |place=Delaware |url=https://udspace.udel.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/db24ae3d-1681-4d30-9773-4abb62cd861d/content}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
''Tigers Forever'' is a project collaboration between the ] and ] to serve as both a science-based action plan and business model to ensure that tigers live in the wild forever; initial field sites of ''Tigers Forever'' include the world’s largest tiger reserve, the 21,756 km2 Hukaung Valley in Myanmar, the Western Ghats in India, Thailand’s Huai Khai Khaeng-Thung Yai protected areas, and other sites in Laos PDR, Cambodia, the Russian Far East and China covering approximately 260,000 km2 of critical tiger habitat. <ref> </ref> <ref> </ref> | |||
Increases in anti-poaching patrol efforts in four Russian protected areas during 2011–2014 contributed to reducing poaching, stabilising the tiger population and improving protection of ungulate populations.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hötte, M. H. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kolodin, I. A. |author3=Bereznuk, S. L. |author4=Slaght, J. C. |author5=Kerley, L. L. |author6=Soutyrina, S. V. |author7=Salkina, G. P. |author8=Zaumyslova, O. Y. |author9=Stokes, E. J. |author10=Miquelle, D. G. |year=2016 |title=Indicators of success for smart law enforcement in protected areas: A case study for Russian Amur tiger (''Panthera tigris altaica'') reserves |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=2–15 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12168|pmid=26458501}}</ref> Poaching and trafficking were declared to be moderate and serious crimes in 2019.<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
Anti-poaching operations were also established in Nepal in 2010, with increased cooperation and intelligence sharing between agencies. These policies have led to many years of "zero poaching" and the country's tiger population has doubled in a decade.<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
Anti-poaching patrols in the {{cvt|1200|km2}} large core area of ] lead to a decrease of poaching frequency from 34 detected incidents in 2015–2016 to 20 incidents during 2018–2019; the arrest of seven poaching teams and removal of snares facilitated the survival of three resident female tigers and at least 11 cubs.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lam, W. Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Phung, C. C. |author3=Mat, Z. A. |author4=Jamaluddin, H. |author5=Sivayogam, C. P. |author6=Zainal Abidin, F. A. |author7=Sulaiman, A. |author8=Cheok, M. K. Y. |author9=Osama, N. A. W. |author10=Sabaan, S. |author11=Abu Hashim, A. K. |author12=Booton, M. D. |author13=Harihar, A. |author14=Clements, G. R. |author15=Pickles, R. S. A. |year=2023 |title=Using a crime prevention framework to evaluate tiger counter-poaching in a Southeast Asian rainforest |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |volume=4 |page=1213552 |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2023.1213552 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
Army and police officers are deployed for patrolling together with staff of protected areas in Malaysia.<ref name=globaltiger/> | |||
]s are important conservation measures as they facilitate tiger populations to connect between protected areas; tigers use at least nine corridors that were established in the ] and ] in both Nepal and India.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bhatt, T. R. |author2=Castley, J. G. |author3=Sims-Castley, R. |author4=Bara, H. S. |author5=Chauvenet, A. L. M.|year=2023 |title=Connecting tiger (''Panthera tigris'') populations in Nepal: Identification of corridors among tiger-bearing protected areas |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=13 |issue=5 |page=e10140 |doi=10.1002/ece3.10140 |doi-access=free |pmid=37261321 |pmc=10227491 |bibcode=2023EcoEv..1310140B |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
===Russia=== | |||
Corridors in forested areas with low human encroachment are highly suitable.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Harihar, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Pandav, B. |author3=Ghosh-Harihar, M. |author4=Goodrich, J. |year=2020 |title=Demographic and ecological correlates of a recovering tiger (''Panthera tigris'') population: Lessons learnt from 13-years of monitoring |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=252 |page=108848 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108848|bibcode=2020BCons.25208848H}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rahaman, M. H. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Masroor, M. |author3=Sajjad, H. |author4=Saha, T. K. |year=2024 |title=Assessment of habitat suitability and potential corridors for Bengal Tiger (''Panthera tigris tigris'') in Valmiki Tiger Reserve, India, using MaxEnt model and Least-Cost modeling approach |journal=Environmental Modeling & Assessment |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=405–422 |doi=10.1007/s10666-024-09966-w |bibcode=2024EMdAs..29..405R}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
In West Sumatra, 12 wildlife corridors were identified as high priority for mitigating human–wildlife conflicts.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rahman |first1=H. |last2=Hidayat |first2=R. H. |last3=Nofrizal|first3=A. Y. |last4=Wilastra |first4=I. |last5=Nasution |first5=A. F. R. |year=2023 |title=Priority corridor zone for human-tiger conflict mitigation: A landscape connectivity approach in West Sumatra region, Indonesia |journal=Journal for Nature Conservation |volume=76 |page=126501 |doi=10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126501 |bibcode=2023JNatC..7626501R |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
The Siberian tiger was on the brink of extinction with only about 40 animals in the wild in the 1940s. Under the ], anti-poaching controls were strict and a network of protected zones (]s) were instituted, leading to a rise in the population to several hundred. Poaching again became a problem in the 1990s, when the ] collapsed, local hunters had access to a formerly sealed off lucrative Chinese market, and logging in the region increased. While an improvement in the local economy has led to greater resources being invested in conservation efforts, an increase of economic activity has led to an increased rate of development and deforestation. The major obstacle in preserving the species is the enormous territory individual tigers require (up to 450 km<sup>2</sup> needed by a single female and more for a single male).<ref> </ref> <ref name=WWF/> Current conservation efforts are led by local governments and ]'s in consort with international organisations, such as the ] and the ].<ref name=WWF>{{cite web | |||
In 2019, China and Russia signed a ] for transboundary cooperation between two protected areas, ] and ], that includes the creation of wildlife corridors and bilateral monitoring and patrolling along the Sino-Russian border.<ref>{{cite report |author=Paudyal, B. N. |year=2023 |title=Evaluation of the project on transboundary cooperation on the conservation of Amur tigers, Amur leopards and Snow leopards in North-East Asia |publisher=United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |place=Bangkok, Thailand |url=https://repository.unescap.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12870/6674/ESCAP-2023-RP-Transboundary-cooperation-conservation-Amur-tigers-Amur-leopards-Snow-leopards-ENEA.pdf |access-date=7 April 2024 |archive-date=7 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407175636/https://repository.unescap.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12870/6674/ESCAP-2023-RP-Transboundary-cooperation-conservation-Amur-tigers-Amur-leopards-Snow-leopards-ENEA.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| title = WWF: Amur (Siberian) tiger - species factsheet | |||
| url = http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/about_species/species_factsheets/tigers/amur_tiger/index.cfm | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-19}}</ref> The competitive exclusion of wolves by tigers has been used by Russian conservationists to convince hunters in the Far East to tolerate the big cats, as they limit ungulate populations less than wolves, and are effective in controlling the latter's numbers.<ref>''Wildlife Science: Linking Ecological Theory and Management Applications'', By Timothy E. Fulbright, David G. Hewitt, Contributor Timothy E. Fulbright, David G. Hewitt, Published by ], 2007, ISBN 0-8493-7487-1</ref> Currently, there are about 400-550 animals in the wild. | |||
Rescued and ] problem tigers and ]ed tiger cubs have been released into the wild and monitored in India, Sumatra and Russia.<ref name=Sarkar2016/><ref name=Priatna2012>{{cite journal |author1=Priatna, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Santosa, Y. |author3=Prasetyo, L. B. |author4=Kartono, A. P. |title=Home range and movements of male translocated problem tigers in Sumatra |year=2012 |journal=Asian Journal of Conservation Biology |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=20–30 |url=http://ajcb.in/journals/full_papers/4_AJCB-VOL1-ISSUE1-Priatna%20et%20al.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rozhnov, V. V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Naidenko, S. V. |author3=Hernandez–Blanco, J. A. |author4=Chistopolova, M. D. |author5=Sorokin, P. A. |author6=Yachmennikova, A. A. |author7=Blidchenko, E. Yu. |author8=Kalinin, A. Yu. |author9=Kastrikin, V. A. |year=2021 |title=Restoration of the Amur Tiger (''Panthera tigris altaica'') population in the Northwest of its distribution area |journal=Biological Bulletin |volume=48 |issue=8 |pages=1401–1423 |doi=10.1134/S1062359021080239|bibcode=2021BioBu..48.1401R}}</ref> | |||
===Tibet=== | |||
In Kazakhstan, ] and ] of prey species in ] have progressed and tiger reintroduction is planned for 2025.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gray, T. N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Rosenbaum, R. |author3=Jiang, G. |author4=Izquierdo, P. |author5=Yongchao, J .I. N. |author6=Kesaro, L. |author7=Lyet, A. |author8=Pasha, M. K. S. |author9=Patterson, D. J. |author10=Channa, P. |author11=Jinzhe, Q. I. |author12=Ripple, W. J. |author13=Roberts, J. L. |author14=Roy, S. |author15=Shwe, N. M. |author16=Wolf, C. |author17=Chapman, S. |year=2023 |title=Restoring Asia's roar: Opportunities for tiger recovery across the historic range |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |volume=4 |page=1124340 |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2023.1124340 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
In ], tiger and leopard pelts have traditionally been used in various ceremonies and costumes. In January 2006 the ] preached a ruling against using, selling, or buying wild animals, their products, or derivatives. It has yet to be seen whether this will result in a long-term slump in the demand for poached tiger and leopard skins.<ref>{{cite web |author=Simon Denyer |title=Dalai Lama offers Indian tigers a lifeline |publisher=iol.co.za |date=March 6, 2006 |url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=qw1141631101585B251 |accessdate=2007-07-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Justin Huggler |title=Fur flies over tiger plight |work=New Zealand Herald |publisher=Tibet.com |date=February 18, 2006 |url=http://www.tibet.com/NewsRoom/animalright2.htm |accessdate=2007-07-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dalai Lama campaigns for wildlife |publisher=BBC News |date=April 6, 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4415929.stm |accessdate=2007-07-20 }}</ref> | |||
Reintroduction of tigers is considered possible in eastern Cambodia, once management of protected areas is improved and forest loss stabilized.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gray, T. N. E. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Crouthers, R. |author3=Ramesh, K. |author4=Vattakaven, J. |author5=Borah, J. |author6=Pasha, M. K. S. |author7=Lim, T. |author8=Phan, C. |author9=Singh, R. |author10=Long, B. |author11=Chapman, S. |year=2017 |title=A framework for assessing readiness for Tiger ''Panthera tigris'' reintroduction: a case study from eastern Cambodia |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |volume=26 |issue=10 |pages=2383–2399 |doi=10.1007/s10531-017-1365-1|bibcode=2017BiCon..26.2383G}}</ref> South China tigers are kept and bred in Chinese zoos, with plans to reintroduce their offspring into remote protected areas.<ref name=Wang2023/><ref name=Fàbregas/> Coordinated ]s among ]s have led to enough genetic diversity in tigers to act as "insurance against extinction in the wild".<ref name=Lou2008>{{cite journal|last1=Luo|first1=S.-J.|last2=Johnson|first2=W. E. |last3=Martenson |first3=J. |last4=Antunes |first4=A. |last5=Martelli |first5=P. |last6=Uphyrkina, O. |last7=Traylor-Holzer |first7=K. |last8=Smith|first8=J. L. D. |last9=O'Brien|first9=S. J. |year=2008 |title=Subspecies genetic assignments of worldwide captive tigers increase conservation value of captive populations |journal=Current Biology |volume=18 |issue=8 |pages=592–596 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2008.03.053 |pmid=18424146 |name-list-style=amp |bibcode=2008CBio...18..592L}}</ref> | |||
== Relationship with humans == | |||
===Rewilding=== | |||
] | |||
]. Indian officials successfully reintroduced two Bengal tigers in the ] in July 2008.<ref>, Times of India, 4 July 2008.</ref>]] | |||
The first attempt at ] was by Indian conservationist ], who reared a zoo-born tigress named Tara, and released her in the wilds of ] in 1978. This was soon followed by a large number of people being eaten by a tigress who was later shot. Government officials claim that this tigress was Tara, an assertion hotly contested by Singh and conservationists. Later on, this rewilding gained further disrepute when it was found that the local ] had been sullied by Tara's introduction as she was partly Siberian tiger, a fact not known at the time of release, ostensibly due to poor record-keeping at ], where she had been raised.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19981119/32350524.html |title=Indian tiger isn't 100% “swadeshi (Made in India)”; by Pallava Bagla; Indian Express Newspaper; November 19, 1998 |publisher=Indianexpress.com |date=1998-11-19 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.india-today.com/itoday/17111997/wild.html |title=Tainted Royalty, Wildlife: Royal Bengal Tiger, a controversy arises over the purity of the Indian tiger after DNA samples show Siberian tiger genes. By Subhadra Menon. India Today, November 17, 1997 |publisher=India-today.com |date=1997-11-17 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/tara4.html |title=The Tale of Tara, 4: Tara's Heritage from Tiger Territory website |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |date=1999-11-22 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/bengal.html |title=Genetic pollution in wild Bengal tigers, Tiger Territory website |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/interviews/bilarjsingh.php |title=Interview with Billy Arjan Singh: Dudhwa's Tiger man, October 2000, Sanctuary Asia Magazine |publisher=Sanctuaryasia.com |date=1917-08-15 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/nov10/articles18.htm |title=Mitochondrial DNA sequence divergence among big cats and their hybrids by Pattabhiraman Shankaranarayanan* and Lalji Singh*, *Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, CCMB Campus, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India |publisher=Iisc.ernet.in |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cza.nic.in/research1.html |title=Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA), Government of India |publisher=CZA |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol278/issue5339/r-samples.dtl#278/5339/807b |title="Indians Look At Their Big Cats' Genes", Science, Random Samples, Volume 278, Number 5339, Issue of 31 October 1997, 278: 807 (DOI: 10.1126/science.278.5339.807b) (in Random Samples),The American Association for the Advancement of Science |publisher=Sciencemag.org |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fatheroflions.org/ArjanSingh.html |title=BOOKS By & About Billy Arjan Singh |publisher=Fatheroflions.org |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no32235.htm |title=Book - Tara: The Cocktail Tigress/Ram Lakhan Singh. Edited by Rahul Karmakar. Allahabad, Print World, 2000, xxxviii, 108 p., ills., $22. ISBN 81-7738-000-1. A book criticizing Billy Arjan Singh's release of hand reared hybrid Tigress Tara in the wild at Dudhwa National Park in India |publisher=Vedamsbooks.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> | |||
=== |
=== Hunting === | ||
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article --> | |||
{{Main| Save China's Tigers}} | |||
The organisation Save China's Tigers, working with the Wildlife Research Centre of the State Forestry Administration of China and the Chinese Tigers South Africa Trust, secured an agreement on the reintroduction of Chinese tigers into the wild. The agreement, which was signed in ] on 26 November 2002, calls for the establishment of a Chinese tiger ] model through the creation of a pilot reserve in China where indigenous wildlife, including the South China Tiger, will be reintroduced. Save China's Tigers aims to rewild the critically endangered ] by bringing a few captive-bred individuals to South Africa for rehabilitation training for them to regain their hunting instincts. At the same time, a pilot reserve in China is being set-up and the Tigers will be relocated and release back in China when the reserve in China is ready.<ref name="english.savechinastigers.org">{{cite web|url=http://english.savechinastigers.org/node/255 |title=FAQs | Save China's Tigers |publisher=English.savechinastigers.org |date=2004-07-25 |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> The offspring of the trained tigers will be released into the pilot reserves in China, while the original animals will stay in ] to continue breeding.<ref name="FAQs | Save China's Tigers">{{cite web|url=http://english.savechinastigers.org/node/255#14 |title=FAQs | Save China's Tigers |publisher=English.savechinastigers.org |date=2004-07-25 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> | |||
The reason South Africa was chosen is because it is able to provide expertise and resources, land and ] for the South China tigers. The ]s of the project has since been successfully rewilded and are fully capable of hunting and surviving on their own.<ref name="english.savechinastigers.org"/> This project is also very successful in the breeding of these rewilded South China Tigers and 5 cubs have been born in the project, these cubs of the 2nd generation would be able to learn their survival skills from their successfully rewilded mothers directly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAnmxhTd1OA |title=The Baby Tiger That's Beating Extinction | Youtube Channel-SkyNews |publisher=Youtube.com |date=2007-12-04 |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> | |||
It is hoped that in 2010, the Chinese year of the Tiger, the first batch of rewilded South China Tigers can be sent back to China from South Africa, and be released into the wild.<ref>{{cite web|author=James Pomfret |url=http://www.connect-services.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61B12R20100212 |title=Clock ticks for South China tigers in symbolic year | Reuters News |publisher=Connect-services.reuters.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-10}}</ref> | |||
==Relation with humans== | |||
===Tiger as prey=== | |||
{{Main|Tiger hunting}} | {{Main|Tiger hunting}} | ||
Tigers have been hunted by humans for millennia, as indicated by a painting on the ] in India that is dated to 5,000–6,000 years ago. They were hunted throughout their range in Asia, chased on horseback, elephant-back or even with sled dogs and killed with spears and later firearms. Such hunts were conducted both by native governments and empires like the ], as well as European colonists. Tigers were often hunted as ] and because of their perceived danger.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=187–200}} An estimated 80,000 tigers were killed between 1875 and 1925.<ref name="Tiger-hunting">{{cite book |year=2005 |title=The Treasures of Indian Wildlife |location=Mumbai |publisher=Bombay Natural History Society |pages=22–27 |chapter=The Manpoora Tiger (about a Tiger Hunt in Rajpootanah) |editor1=Kothari, A. S. |editor2=Chhapgar, B. S. |editor3=Chhapgar, B. F. |isbn=0195677285 }}</ref>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=193}} | |||
] | |||
The tiger has been one of the ] animals of ]. Tiger hunting took place on a large scale in the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries, being a recognised and admired sport by the ] in ] as well as the maharajas and aristocratic class of the erstwhile princely states of pre-independence India. Tiger hunting was done by some hunters on foot; others sat up on '']s'' with a goat or buffalo tied out as bait; yet others on elephant-back.<ref name="Tiger-hunting">vide ''Royal Tiger'' (nom-de-plume) in ''The Manpoora Tiger - about a Tiger Hunt in Rajpootanah''. (1836) ''Bengal Sporting Magazine, Vol IV. reproduced in ''The Treasures of Indian Wildlife''</ref> In some cases, villagers beating drums were organised to drive the animals into the killing zone. Elaborate instructions were available for the skinning of tigers and there were taxidermists who specialised in the preparation of tiger skins. | |||
=== |
===Attacks=== | ||
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article --> | |||
{{Main|Tiger attack}} | |||
{{main article|Tiger attack}} | |||
] zoo; the tiger had claimed 200 human victims.]] | |||
]s|alt=Tiger standing along the banks of a mangrove swamp]] | |||
Although humans are not regular prey for tigers, they have killed more people than any other cat, particularly in areas where population growth, logging, and farming have put pressure on tiger habitats. Most man-eating tigers are old and missing teeth, acquiring a taste for humans because of their inability to capture preferred prey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/maneating.html |title=Man-eaters. The tiger and lion, attacks on humans |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> Almost all tigers that are identified as man-eaters are quickly captured, shot, or poisoned. Unlike man-eating leopards, even established man-eating tigers will seldom enter human settlements, usually remaining at village outskirts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/maneating3.html |title=Man-eaters. The tiger and lion, attacks on humans |publisher=Lairweb.org.nz |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> Nevertheless, attacks in human villages do occur.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/increasing-tiger-attacks-trigger-panic-around-tadobaandhari-reserve/229533/ |title=Increasing tiger attacks trigger panic around Tadoba-Andhari reserve |publisher=Indianexpress.com |date=2007-10-18 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> Man-eaters have been a particular problem in India and Bangladesh, especially in ], ] and the ] mangrove swamps of ], where some healthy tigers have been known to hunt humans. Because of rapid habitat loss due to ], tiger attacks have increased in the Sundarbans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/38442| title=Climate change linked to Indian tiger attacks| accessdate=27 October 2008}}</ref> | |||
In most areas, tigers avoid humans, but attacks are a risk wherever people coexist with them.<ref name=conflict/><ref name=Goodrich2010>{{cite journal|last1=Goodrich|first1=J. M. |year=2010 |title=Human–tiger conflict: A review and call for comprehensive plans |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=300–312 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-4877.2010.00218.x |doi-access=free |pmid=21392348}}</ref> Dangerous encounters are more likely to occur in ] habitats between wild and agricultural areas.<ref name=conflict>Nyhus, P. J. & Tilson, R. (2010). "''Panthera tigris'' vs ''Homo sapiens'': Conflict, coexistence, or extinction?" in {{harvnb|Tilson|Nyhus|2010|pp=125–142}}</ref> Most attacks on humans are defensive, including protection of young; however, tigers do sometimes see people as prey.<ref name=Goodrich2010/> ] tigers tend to be old and disabled.<ref name=Miquelle/> Tigers driven from their home ranges are also at risk of turning to man-eating.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=108–110}} | |||
At the beginning of the 20th century, the ] was responsible for over 430 human deaths in Nepal and India before she was shot by ].{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=276}} This tigress suffered from broken teeth and was unable to kill normal prey. Modern authors speculate that sustaining on meagre human flesh forced the cat to kill more and more.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=73–74}} Tiger attacks were particularly high in Singapore during the mid-19th century, when plantations expanded into the tiger's habitat.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Powell |first=M. A. |year=2016 |title=People in peril, environments at risk: coolies, tigers, and colonial Singapore's ecology of poverty |journal=Environment and History |volume=22|issue=3|pages=455–482|doi=10.3197/096734016X14661540219393 |jstor=24810674|hdl=10356/88201 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> In the 1840s, the number of deaths in the area ranged from 200 to 300 annually.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=274}} ] caused 1,396 human deaths in the period 1935–2006 according to official records of the ].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barlow, A. C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Ahmad, I. |author3=Smith, J. L. |year=2013 |title=Profiling tigers (''Panthera tigris'') to formulate management responses to human-killing in the Bangladesh Sundarbans |journal=Wildlife Biology in Practice |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=30–39 |doi=10.2461/wbp.2013.9.6|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }}</ref> Victims of these attacks are local villagers who enter the tiger's domain to collect resources like wood and honey. Fishermen have been particularly common targets. Methods to counter tiger attacks have included face masks worn backwards, protective clothes, sticks and carefully stationed electric dummies.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=111–113}} | |||
A female tiger ] escaped from her enclosure in the San Francisco Zoo, killing one person and seriously injuring two more before being shot and killed by the police. The enclosure had walls that were lower than they were legally required to be, allowing the tiger to climb the wall and escape. | |||
===Captivity=== | |||
===Traditional Asian medicine=== | |||
{{Multiple image |align= right |direction=vertical|image1=Clean Toes are a Tiger's Friend (15588882074).jpg |caption1=Tiger at ] in 2014 |image2=Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Gunther Gebel-Williams 1969.jpg |caption2=Publicity photo of animal trainer ] with several of his trained tigers, {{circa}} 1969|alt=Tiger behind a fence (top) and black-and-white photo of man kneeing in front of six tigers lying down with circus audience in background}} | |||
Many people in China have a belief that various tiger parts have medicinal properties, including as pain killers and ]s.<ref>{{cite news|last=Harding |first=Andrew |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/5371500.stm |title=Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Beijing's penis emporium |publisher=BBC News |date=2006-09-23 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> There is no scientific evidence to support these beliefs. The use of tiger parts in pharmaceutical drugs in China is already banned, and the government has made some offenses in connection with tiger poaching punishable by death. Furthermore, all trade in tiger parts is illegal under the ] and a domestic trade ban has been in place in China since 1993. Still, there are a number of ]s in the country specialising in breeding the cats for profit. It is estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 captive-bred, semi-tame animals live in these farms today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000003865.asp |title=Chinese tiger farms must be investigated |publisher=WWF |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}{{dead link|date=January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/asia_pacific/where/bhutan/index.cfm?uNewsID=106740 |title=WWF: Breeding tigers for trade soundly rejected at cites |publisher=Panda.org |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}{{dead link|date=January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8487122.stm|title=Tigers and other farmyard animals |last=Jackson|first=Patrick|date=29 January 2010|work=BBC News|accessdate=29 January 2010}}</ref> | |||
Tigers have been kept in captivity since ancient times. In ], tigers were displayed in ]s; they were slaughtered in ] hunts and used to ].<ref>Manfredi, P. "The Tiger in the Ancient World" in {{harvnb|Thapar|2004|p=173}}</ref> The Mongol ruler ] is reported to have kept tigers in the 13th century. Starting in the ], tigers were being kept in European ]s.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=179–180}} Tigers and other exotic animals were mainly used for the entertainment of elites but from the 19th century onward, they were exhibited more to the public. Tigers were particularly big attractions and their captive population soared.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=126–130}} In 2020, there were over 8,000 captive tigers in Asia, over 5,000 in the US and no less than 850 in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|title=EU's 'unlikely' role in global tiger trade revealed in new WWF, TRAFFIC report|publisher=World Wildlife Fund for Nature|date=30 September 2020|url=https://tigers.panda.org/?916741/EU-tigers-trade-WWF-report|accessdate=6 June 2023}}</ref> There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild.<ref name=Lou2008/> Captive tigers may display ]s such as pacing or inactivity. Modern zoos are able to reduce such behaviours with exhibits designed so the animals can move between separate but connected enclosures.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=K. D.|last2=Snider|first2=R. J. |last3=Dembiec |first3=D. P.|last4=Siegford|first4=J. M.|last5=Ali|first5=A. B.|year=2023|title=Effects of a modern exhibit design on captive tiger welfare |journal=Zoo Biology|volume=42|issue=3|pages=371–382|doi=10.1002/zoo.21746|pmid=36478300 |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Enrichment items are also important for the cat's welfare and the stimulation of its natural behaviours.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Damasceno |first1=J. |last2=Genaro |first2=G. |last3=Quirke |first3=T. |last4=McCarthy |first4=S. |last5=McKeown |first5=S. |last6=O'Riordan |first6=R. |year=2017|title=The effects of intrinsic enrichment on captive felids |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=186–192 |doi=10.1002/zoo.21361|pmid=29165868 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> | |||
===As pets=== | |||
The ] estimates that up to 12,000 tigers are being kept as private pets in the ], significantly more than the world's entire wild population, 4,000 are believed to be in captivity in ] alone.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} | |||
Tigers have played prominent roles in ]es and other live performances. ] included many tiger tamers in the 20th century including ], who became a big draw and had a long career. She was well known for being able to control the tigers despite being a small woman; using "manly" tools like whips and guns. Another trainer was ], who used chairs, whips and guns to provoke tigers and other beasts into acting fierce and allowed him to appear courageous. He would perform with as many as 40 tigers and lions in one act. From the 1960s onward, trainers like ] would use gentler methods to control their animals. ] was dubbed "the Tiger Whisperer" as she trained the cats to obey her by whispering to them.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=202–204}} ] became famous for performing with white tigers in ]. The act ended in 2003 when a tiger attacked Roy during a performance.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=140–141}} In 2009, tigers were the most traded circus animals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Iossa |first1=G. |last2=Soulsbury |first2=C. D. |last3=Harris |first3=S. |date=2009 |title=Are wild animals suited to a travelling circus life? |journal=Animal Welfare |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=129–140 |doi=10.1017/S0962728600000270 |s2cid=32259865 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The use of tigers and other animals in shows eventually declined in many countries due to pressure from ] groups and greater desires from the public to see them in more natural settings. Several countries restrict or ban such acts.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=204–205}} | |||
Part of the reason for America's enormous tiger population relates to legislation. Only nineteen states have banned private ownership of tigers, fifteen require only a license, and sixteen states have no regulations at all.<ref>http://www.bornfreeusa.org/b4a2_exotic_animals_summary.php</ref> | |||
Tigers have become popular in the ] trade, particularly in the United States{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=214}} where only 6% of the captive tiger population in 2020 were being housed in zoos and other facilities approved by the ].<ref name=Worldwildlife/> Private collectors are thought to be ill-equipped to provide proper care for tigers, which compromises their welfare. They can also threaten public safety by allowing people to interact with them.<ref name=Worldwildlife>{{cite web |author=Henry, L. |date=2020 |title=5 Things Tiger King Doesn't Explain About Captive Tigers |website=World Wildlife Fund for Nature |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/5-things-tiger-king-doesn-t-explain-about-captive-tigers |accessdate=19 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220001943/https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/5-things-tiger-king-doesn-t-explain-about-captive-tigers |url-status=live}}</ref> The keeping of tigers and other big cats by private people was banned in the US in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |date=2023|title=June 18 Deadline for Compliance With Big Cat Public Safety Act|website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-04/big-cat-owners-must-register-june-18#:~:text=The%20Big%20Cat%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20makes%20it%20illegal%20to,with%20big%20cats%2C%20including%20cubs |accessdate=20 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220231426/https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-04/big-cat-owners-must-register-june-18#:~:text=The%20Big%20Cat%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20makes%20it%20illegal%20to,with%20big%20cats%2C%20including%20cubs |url-status=live}}</ref> Most countries in the European Union have banned breeding and keeping tigers outside of licensed zoos and rescue centres, but some still allow private holdings.<ref>{{cite report|title=Guidance Document on the export, re-export and intra-EU trade of captive-born and bred live tigers and their parts and derivatives|publisher=European Commission|date=18 April 2023|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52023XC0418(01)#:~:text=While%20most%20EU%20Member%20States,and%20travelling%20exhibitions%20(9)|accessdate=6 June 2024}}</ref> | |||
The success of breeding programmes at American zoos and circuses led to an overabundance of cubs in the 1980s and 1990s, which drove down prices for the animals. The ] estimate there are now 500 lions, tigers and other big cats in private ownership just in the ] area.{{<ref>Tamizhatamizha.com. (2009). Retrieved from http://tamizhatamizha.com/index.html </ref>=December 2009}} | |||
===Cultural significance=== | |||
In the 1983 film ], the protagonist, ], aspires to obtaining all the exterior trappings of the ], which in the character's opinion included keeping a pet tiger on his property. | |||
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article --> | |||
{{main|Cultural depictions of tigers}} | |||
{{further information|Tiger worship}} | |||
]|alt=Badge of black tiger with golden stripes]] | |||
The tiger is among the most famous of the ]. ] has called it "a rare combination of courage, ferocity and brilliant colour",<ref name=Sankhala/> while Candy d'Sa calls it "fierce and commanding on the outside, but noble and discerning on the inside". In a 2004 online poll involving more than 50,000 people from 73 countries, the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal with 21% of the vote, narrowly beating the dog.<ref>{{cite news |date=2004 |title=Endangered tiger earns its stripes as the world's most popular beast |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041206/ai_n12814678 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080120222416/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041206/ai_n12814678|url-status=dead |archive-date=20 January 2008|work=] |access-date=7 March 2009}}</ref> Similarly, a 2018 study found the tiger to be the most popular wild animal based on surveys, as well as appearances on websites of major zoos and posters of some animated movies.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Albert |first1=C. |name-list-style=amp|last2=Luque |first2=G. M.|last3=Courchamp|first3=F. |year=2018|title=The twenty most charismatic species |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=13|issue=7|page=e0199149|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0199149|doi-access=free |pmid=29985962 |pmc=6037359|bibcode=2018PLoSO..1399149A}}</ref> | |||
While the lion represented royalty and power in ], the tiger played such a role in various ]. In ], the tiger was seen as the "king of the forest" and symbolised the power of the ].<ref name=Symbolism>{{cite book |first=H. B. |last=Werness |year=2007 |title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art |publisher=Continuum |place=New York |pages=402–404|isbn=978-0826419132}}</ref> In ], the tiger is the third out of 12 symbols in the ] and controls the period between 15:00 and 17:00 o'clock in the afternoon. The ] is thought to bring "dramatic and extreme events". The ] is one of the ] of the ], representing the west along with the ] and the season of autumn. It is the counterpart to the ], which conversely symbolises the east, yang and springtime.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=39, 46}} The tiger is one of the animals displayed on the ] of the ]. The big cat was depicted on seals and coins during the ] of southern India, as it was the official emblem.<ref>Thapar, R. "In Times Past" in {{harvnb|Thapar|2004|pp=156, 164}}</ref> | |||
===Cultural depictions=== | |||
] riding a tiger. ] school, early 18th century|alt=Painting of an eight-armed goddess riding a tiger biting a buffalo demon]] | |||
].]] | |||
Tigers have had religious and folkloric significance. In ], the tiger, monkey and deer are the Three Senseless Creatures, with the tiger symbolising anger.<ref name=Cooper92>{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=J. C. |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals |pages=227 |year=1992 |publisher=Aquarian Press |location=London |isbn=978-1-85538-118-6}}</ref> In ], the tiger is the ] of ], the goddess of feminine power and peace, whom the gods created to fight demons. Similarly, in the ], the tiger was depicted being ridden by the god ]. In ], tigers are messengers of the ]s.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=60, 86–88, 96}} In both ] and ], tigers are seen as protectors against evil spirits and their image was used to decorate homes, tombs and articles of clothing.<ref name=Symbolism/>{{sfn|Green|2006|p=96}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=152}} In the folklore of Malaysia and Indonesia, "tiger ]s" heal the sick by invoking the big cat. People turning into tigers and the inverse has also been widespread; in particular ] are people who could change into tigers and back again. The ] of Indochina believed that tigers could ] into humans.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=152}} Among some ], it was believed that men would seduce women by transforming into tigers.<ref name=Symbolism/> | |||
The tiger replaces the lion as King of the Beasts in cultures of eastern Asia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.savechinastigers.org/node/316 |title=Tiger Culture | Save China's Tigers |publisher=English.savechinastigers.org |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> representing royalty, fearlessness and wrath.<ref name = "Cooper92">{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=JC |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals |pages=226–27 |year=1992 |publisher= Aquarian Press |location=London |isbn=1-85538-118-4}}</ref> Its forehead has a marking which resembles the Chinese character 王, which means "king"; consequently, many cartoon depictions of tigers in China and Korea are drawn with 王 on their forehead.{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} | |||
]'s 1794 poem "]" portrays the animal as the duality of beauty and ferocity. It is the sister poem to "]" in Blake's '']'' and he ponders how God could create such different creatures. The tiger is featured in the mediaeval Chinese novel '']'', where the cat battles and is slain by the bandit ], while the tiger ] in ]'s '']'' (1894) is the mortal enemy of the human protagonist ]. Friendly tame tigers have also existed in culture, notably ], the ] character and ], the ] cereal mascot.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=72–73, 78, 125–127, 147–148}} | |||
Of great importance in Chinese myth and culture, the ] is one of the 12 ] animals. Also in various ] and martial art, the tiger is depicted as an earth symbol and equal rival of the ]- the two representing matter and spirit respectively. In fact, the Southern Chinese martial art ] is based on the movements of the Tiger and the Crane. In ], a tiger was the personification of war and often represented the highest army ] (or present day ]),<ref name = "Cooper92"/> while the emperor and empress were represented by a ] and ], respectively. The ] ({{zh|c=白虎|p=Bái Hǔ}}) is one of the ] of the ]s. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West (西方白虎), and it represents the ] and the autumn season.<ref name = "Cooper92"/> | |||
== See also == | |||
In Buddhism, it is also one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolising anger, with the monkey representing greed and the deer lovesickness.<ref name = "Cooper92">{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=JC |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals |pages=161–62 |year=1992 |publisher= Aquarian Press |location=London |isbn=1-85538-118-4}}</ref> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
{{clear}} | |||
] | |||
The ] considered the Siberian tiger a near-deity and often referred to it as "Grandfather" or "Old man". The ] and ] called it "Amba". The ] considered the Siberian tiger as Hu Lin, the king.<ref name="Tigersnow">{{cite book | last = Matthiessen | first = Peter | coauthors = Hornocker, Maurice | year= 2001 | title = Tigers In The Snow | publisher = North Point Press | isbn = 0865475962 }}</ref> | |||
== References == | |||
The widely worshiped Hindu goddess ], an aspect of ]-], is a ten-armed warrior who rides the tigress (or lioness) Damon into battle. In southern India the god ] was associated with a tiger.<ref>{{cite web | last = Balambal | first = V | title = 19. Religion - Identity - Human Values - Indian Context | work = Bioethics in India: Proceedings of the International Bioethics Workshop in Madras: Biomanagement of Biogeoresources, 16–19 January 1997 | publisher = Eubios Ethics Institute |year=1997 | url = http://www.eubios.info/india/BII19.HTM | accessdate = 2007-10-08}}</ref> | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
===Bibliography=== | |||
The ] replaces the ] in ] folklore in Asia;<ref name="summers66"> | |||
* {{cite book|last1=Thapar |first1=V. |author-link=Valmik Thapar|year=2004|title=Tiger: The Ultimate Guide |publisher=CDS Books |place=New Delhi |isbn=1-59315-024-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/tigerultimategui0000thap/mode/2up}} | |||
{{cite book| last = Summers| first = Montague | authorlink = Montague Summers| title = The Werewolf | |||
* {{cite book|last=Green|first=S. |year=2006|title=Tiger|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-276-8 |place=London}} | |||
| publisher = ] |year=1966 | location = | page = 21 | url = | id =}}</ref> in India they were evil sorcerers while in Indonesia and Malaysia they were somewhat more benign.<ref name="javaweretigerstuff"> | |||
* {{cite book |editor-last=MacDonald |editor-first=D. |year=2001 |title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |edition=Second |publisher=Oxford University Press |place=Oxford |isbn=978-0-7607-1969-5}} | |||
{{cite book | |||
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Tilson|editor1-first=R. |editor2-last=Nyhus|editor2-first=P. J. |year=2010|title=Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics and Conservation of ''Panthera tigris'' |publisher=Academic Press |edition=Second |isbn=978-0-08-094751-8 |place=London}} | |||
| last = | |||
* {{cite book|last=Mills|first=S. |year=2004|title=Tiger|publisher=Firefly Books|isbn=1-55297-949-0 |place=Richmond Hill|url=https://archive.org/details/tiger0000mill/mode/2up}} | |||
| first = | |||
* {{cite book|last=Schaller|first=G. B.|authorlink=George Schaller|year=1967|title=The Deer and the Tiger: A Study of Wildlife in India |publisher=University of Chicago Press |place=Chicago |isbn=0-226-73631-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/deertigerstudyof0000scha/page/n419/mode/2up}} | |||
| authorlink = Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition | |||
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Seidensticker|editor1-first=J. |editor2-last=Christie|editor2-first=S. |editor3-last=Jackson|editor3-first=P. |editor3-link=Peter Jackson (conservationist) |year=1999 |title=Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human-Dominated Landscapes |publisher=Cambridge University Press |place=Cambridge |isbn=978-0521648356|url=https://archive.org/details/ridingtigertiger00unse}} | |||
| coauthors = | |||
* {{cite book |last1=Sludskii |first1=A. A. |chapter=Tiger ''Panthera tigris'' Linnaeus, 1758 |pages=95–202 |editor1=Heptner, V. G. |editor2=Sludskii, A. A. |year=1992 |title=Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola |trans-title=Mammals of the Soviet Union |volume=((II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) )) |edition=Second |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation |location=Washington DC|isbn=978-90-04-08876-4 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalsofsov221992gept#page/94/mode/2up}} | |||
| title = Encyclopædia Britannica | |||
| publisher = | |||
|date=1910–1911 | |||
| location = | |||
| pages = | |||
| url = | |||
| doi = | |||
| id =}} | |||
</ref> | |||
== External links == | |||
The tiger continues to be a subject in literature; both ], in '']'', and ], in '']'', depict the tiger as a menacing and fearful animal. In ''The Jungle Book'', the tiger, ], is the wicked mortal enemy of the protagonist, ]. However, other depictions are more benign: ], the tiger from ]'s ] stories, is cuddly and likable. In the ] winning ] "]", the protagonist, Pi Patel, sole human survivor of a ship wreck in the ], befriends another survivor: a large ]. The famous comic strip '']'' features Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. A tiger is also featured on the cover of the popular cereal ] (also marketed as "Frosties") bearing the name "]". | |||
* {{Commons and category inline|Panthera tigris|linktext=''Panthera tigris''}} | |||
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Panthera tigris|''Panthera tigris''}} | |||
* {{Wikiquote-inline|Tigers}} | |||
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Tigers}} | |||
* {{cite web|url=http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=124|publisher=] Cat Specialist Group|title=Tiger ''Panthera tigris''}} | |||
{{Carnivora|Fe.}} | |||
The Tiger is the national animal of ], ], ]<ref> ''Panthera tigris'', Tiger is the ] of ] ] website,</ref> (])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hcilondon.net/india-overview/land-people/national-symbols.html |title= National Symbols of India |accessdate= 2007-10-25|work= |publisher= High Commission of India, London }}</ref> ] (Malayan Tiger), ] and ] (Siberian Tiger). | |||
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q19939|from2=Q41083521}} | |||
===World's favourite animal=== | |||
In a poll conducted by ], the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal, narrowly beating the ]. More than 50,000 viewers from 73 countries voted in the poll. Tigers received 21% of the vote, dogs 20%, ]s 13%, ]s 10%, ]s 9%, ]s 8%, followed by ]s, ]s, ]s and ]s.<ref name="int.iol.co.za">{{cite web|author=Independent Online |url=http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?newslett=1&em=28164a99a20041206ah&click_id=29&art_id=qw1102325040750B216&set_id=1 |title=Tiger tops dog as world's favourite animal |publisher=Int.iol.co.za |date= |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4070000/newsid_4073100/4073151.stm |title=CBBC Newsround | Animals | Tiger 'is our favourite animal' |publisher=BBC News |date=2004-12-06 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041206/ai_n12814678 |title=Endangered tiger earns its stripes as the world's most popular beast | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com |publisher=Findarticles.com |date=2004-12-06 |accessdate=2009-03-07}}</ref> | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
Animal behaviourist Candy d'Sa, who worked with Animal Planet on the list, said: "We can relate to the tiger, as it is fierce and commanding on the outside, but noble and discerning on the inside".<ref name="int.iol.co.za" /> | |||
{{Portal bar|Cats|Mammals|Animals|Biology|Asia}} | |||
Callum Rankine, international species officer at the World Wildlife Federation conservation charity, said the result gave him hope. "If people are voting tigers as their favourite animal, it means they recognise their importance, and hopefully the need to ensure their survival," he said.<ref name="int.iol.co.za" /> | |||
] | |||
==See also== | |||
] | |||
] | |||
*], information about tigers and conservation projects | |||
] | |||
*], two famous tamers of tigers | |||
] | |||
*], a Buddhist temple in Thailand famous for its tame tigers | |||
] | |||
*] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
==Cited references== | |||
] | |||
{{Reflist|2}} | |||
] | |||
==References== | |||
*{{aut|Brakefield, T.}} (1993). <cite>Big cats kingdom of might</cite>, Voyageur press. | |||
*{{aut|Dr. Tony Hare}}. (2001) ''Animal Habitats'' P. 172 ISBN 0-8160-4594-1 | |||
*{{aut|Kothari, Ashok S.}} & {{aut|Chhapgar, Boman F.}} (eds). 2005. ''The Treasures of Indian Wildlife''. Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press, Mumbai. | |||
*{{aut|].}} (1981). (PDF). Mammalian Species, 152: 1-8. American Society of Mammalogists. | |||
*{{aut|Nowak, Ronald M.}} (1999) ''Walker's Mammals of the World''. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 | |||
*{{Cite document | |||
| surname = Sankhala | |||
| given = K. | |||
| year = 1997 | |||
| title = Der indische Tiger und sein Reich | |||
| publisher = Bechtermuenz Verlag | |||
| id = ISBN 3-86047-734-X | |||
| ref = harv | |||
| postscript = <!--None-->}} Abridged German translation of ''Return of the Tiger'', Lustre Press, 1993. | |||
*{{aut|Seidensticker, John}}. (1999) ''Riding the Tiger. Tiger Conservation in Human-dominated Landscapes '' Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64835-1 | |||
Tiger | |||
BANGKOK: Governments must act decisively to prevent the extinction of tigers in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region, where numbers have plunged more than 70 per cent in 12 years, the WWF said today. | |||
The wild tiger population across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam has dropped from an estimated 1,200 in 1998 — the last Year of the Tiger — to around 350 today, according to the conservation group. | |||
The report was released ahead of a landmark three-day conference on tiger conservation, which will be attended in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin from tomorrow by ministers from 13 Asian tiger range countries. | |||
It said the regional decline was reflected in the global wild tiger population, which is at an all-time low of 3,200, down from an estimated 20,000 in the 1980s and 100,000 a century ago. | |||
"Today, wild tiger populations are at a crisis point," the WWF said, ahead of the start of the Year of the Tiger on Feb 14, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. | |||
It cited growing demand for tiger body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine as a major factor endangering the region's Indochinese tiger population. | |||
Infrastructure developments were also blamed by the report for fragmenting tigers' habitats, such as | |||
roads cutting through forests. | |||
"Decisive action must be taken to ensure this iconic sub-species does not reach the point of no return," said Nick Cox, coordinator of the WWF Greater Mekong tiger programme. | |||
"There is a potential for tiger populations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to become locally extinct by the next Year of the Tiger, in 2022, if we don't step up actions to protect them." | |||
Although Indochinese tigers were once found in abundance across the Greater Mekong region, the WWF says there are now no more than 30 tigers per country in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. | |||
The remaining populations are mainly found in mountainous border areas between Thailand and Myanmar. But the WWF is calling on the ministers in Hua Hin to take action to double the numbers of wild tigers by 2022. | |||
"This region has huge potential to increase tiger numbers, but only if there are bold and coordinated efforts across the region and of an unprecedented scale that can protect existing tigers, tiger prey and their habitat," said Cox. | |||
==External links== | |||
{{Commons category|Panthera tigris}} | |||
{{Wikispecies|Panthera tigris}} | |||
*: Website with a lot of answers to the conservation issues faced by tigers | |||
*: information about tigers and conservation projects | |||
* for ''Panthera tigris'' | |||
*: Program of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | |||
*: information about tigers and the Crossbred Tiger Rewilding project | |||
*: Information about Earth's Endangered Tigers | |||
* | |||
*: Tiger images on postage stamps from many different countries. | |||
*: information about tigers and the South China Tiger rewilding project in Africa | |||
*: research and conservation of tigers in the largest remaining mangrove forest in the world | |||
*: The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species | |||
*; Mar. 01, 2010; By Andrew Marshall; ] (in partnership with ]) | |||
*: A video collection from the BBC highlighting the plight of the Tiger. Produced in celebration of the 2010 Year of the Tiger. | |||
* | |||
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Revision as of 14:28, 7 January 2025
Large striped cat native to Asia "Tigress" redirects here. For other uses, see Tiger (disambiguation) and Tigress (disambiguation).
Tiger Temporal range: Early Pleistocene – Present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ | |
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A Bengal tigress in Kanha Tiger Reserve, India | |
Conservation status | |
Endangered (IUCN 3.1) | |
CITES Appendix I (CITES) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
Genus: | Panthera |
Species: | P. tigris |
Binomial name | |
Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Subspecies | |
Tiger distribution as of 2022 | |
Synonyms | |
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a large cat and a member of the genus Panthera native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into nine recent subspecies, though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of the Sunda Islands.
Throughout the tiger's range, it inhabits mainly forests, from coniferous and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the Russian Far East and Northeast China to tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests on the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The tiger is an apex predator and preys mainly on ungulates, which it takes by ambush. It lives a mostly solitary life and occupies home ranges, defending these from individuals of the same sex. The range of a male tiger overlaps with that of multiple females with whom he mates. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs that stay with their mother for about two years. When becoming independent, they leave their mother's home range and establish their own.
Since the early 20th century, tiger populations have lost at least 93% of their historic range and are locally extinct in West and Central Asia, in large areas of China and on the islands of Java and Bali. Today, the tiger's range is severely fragmented. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as its range is thought to have declined by 53% to 68% since the late 1990s. Major threats to tigers are habitat destruction and fragmentation due to deforestation, poaching for fur and the illegal trade of body parts for medicinal purposes. Tigers are also victims of human–wildlife conflict as they attack and prey on livestock in areas where natural prey is scarce. The tiger is legally protected in all range countries. National conservation measures consist of action plans, anti-poaching patrols and schemes for monitoring tiger populations. In several range countries, wildlife corridors have been established and tiger reintroduction is planned.
The tiger is among the most popular of the world's charismatic megafauna. It has been kept in captivity since ancient times and has been trained to perform in circuses and other entertainment shows. The tiger featured prominently in the ancient mythology and folklore of cultures throughout its historic range and has continued to appear in culture worldwide.
Etymology
The Old English tigras derives from Old French tigre, from Latin tigris, which was a borrowing from tigris (Ancient Greek: τίγρις). Since ancient times, the word tigris has been suggested to originate from the Armenian or Persian word for 'arrow', which may also be the origin of the name for the river Tigris. However, today, the names are thought to be homonyms, and the connection between the tiger and the river is doubted.
Taxonomy
In 1758, Carl Linnaeus described the tiger in his work Systema Naturae and gave it the scientific name Felis tigris, as the genus Felis was being used for all cats at the time. His scientific description was based on descriptions by earlier naturalists such as Conrad Gessner and Ulisse Aldrovandi. In 1929, Reginald Innes Pocock placed the species in the genus Panthera using the scientific name Panthera tigris.
Subspecies
Nine recent tiger subspecies have been proposed between the early 19th and early 21st centuries, namely the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South China, Siberian, Caspian, Javan, Bali and Sumatran tigers. The validity of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999 as most putative subspecies were distinguished on the basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size of specimens in natural history museum collections that are not necessarily representative for the entire population. It was proposed to recognise only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely P. t. tigris in mainland Asia and the smaller P. t. sondaica in the Greater Sunda Islands.
This two-subspecies proposal was reaffirmed in 2015 through a comprehensive analysis of morphological, ecological and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) traits of all putative tiger subspecies. In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy in accordance with the 2015 two-subspecies proposal and recognised only P. t. tigris and P. t. sondaica. Results of a 2018 whole-genome sequencing study of 32 samples from the six living putative subspecies—the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South China, Siberian and Sumatran tiger—found them to be distinct and separate clades. These results were corroborated in 2021 and 2023. The Cat Specialist Group states that "Given the varied interpretations of data, the taxonomy of this species is currently under review by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group."
The following tables are based on the classification of the tiger as of 2005, and also reflect the classification recognised by the Cat Classification Task Force in 2017.
Population | Description | Image |
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Bengal tiger formerly P. t. tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) | This population inhabits the Indian subcontinent. The Bengal tiger has shorter fur than tigers further north, with a light tawny to orange-red colouration, and relatively long and narrow nostrils. | |
† Caspian tiger formerly P. t. virgata (Illiger, 1815) | This population occurred from Turkey to around the Caspian Sea. It had bright rusty-red fur with thin and closely spaced brownish stripes, and a broad occipital bone. Genetic analysis revealed that it was closely related to the Siberian tiger. It has been extinct since the 1970s. | |
Siberian tiger formerly P. t. altaica (Temminck, 1844) | This population lives in the Russian Far East, Northeast China and possibly North Korea. The Siberian tiger has long hair and dense fur. Its ground colour varies widely from ochre-yellow in winter to more reddish and vibrant after moulting. The skull is shorter and broader than the skulls of tigers further south. | |
South China tiger formerly P. t. amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905) | This tiger historically lived in south-central China. The skulls of the five type specimens had shorter carnassials and molars than tigers from India, a smaller cranium, orbits set closer together and larger postorbital processes; skins were yellowish with rhombus-like stripes. It has a unique mtDNA haplotype due to interbreeding with ancient tiger lineages. It is extinct in the wild as there has not been a confirmed sighting since the 1970s, and survives only in captivity. | |
Indochinese tiger formerly P. t. corbetti (Mazák, 1968) | This tiger population occurs on the Indochinese Peninsula. Indochinese tiger specimens have smaller craniums than Bengal tigers and appear to have darker fur with somewhat thin stripes. | |
Malayan tiger formerly P. t. jacksoni (Luo et al., 2004) | The Malayan tiger was proposed as a distinct subspecies on the basis of mtDNA and micro-satellite sequences that differ from the Indochinese tiger. It does not differ significantly in fur colour or skull size from Indochinese tigers. There is no clear geographical barrier between tiger populations in northern Malaysia and southern Thailand. |
Population | Description | Image |
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†Javan tiger formerly P. t. sondaica (Temminck, 1944) | This tiger was described based on an unspecified number of skins with short and smooth hair. Tigers from Java were small compared to tigers of the Asian mainland, had relatively elongated skulls compared to the Sumatran tiger and longer, thinner and more numerous stripes. The Javan tiger is thought to have gone extinct by the 1980s. | |
†Bali tiger formerly P. t. balica (Schwarz, 1912) | This tiger occurred on Bali and had brighter fur and a smaller skull than the Javan tiger. A typical feature of Bali tiger skulls is the narrow occipital bone, which is similar to the Javan tiger's skull. The tiger went extinct in the 1940s. | |
Sumatran tiger formerly P. t. sumatrae (Pocock, 1929) | The type specimen from Sumatra had dark fur. The Sumatran tiger has particularly long hair around the face, thick body stripes and a broader and smaller nasal bone than other island tigers. |
Evolution
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Phylogeny of the genus Panthera based on a 2016 nuclear DNA study |
The tiger shares the genus Panthera with the lion, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. Results of genetic analyses indicate that the tiger and snow leopard are sister species whose lineages split from each other between 2.70 and 3.70 million years ago. The tiger's whole genome sequencing shows repeated sequences that parallel those in other cat genomes.
The fossil species Panthera palaeosinensis of early Pleistocene northern China was described as a possible tiger ancestor when it was discovered in 1924, but modern cladistics places it as basal to modern Panthera. Panthera zdanskyi lived around the same time and place, and was suggested to be a sister species of the modern tiger when it was examined in 2014. However, as of 2023, at least two subsequent studies considered P. zdanskyi likely to be a synonym of P. palaeosinensis, noting that its proposed differences from that species fell within the range of individual variation. The earliest appearance of the modern tiger species in the fossil record are jaw fragments from Lantion in China that are dated to the early Pleistocene.
Middle- to late-Pleistocene tiger fossils have been found throughout China, Sumatra and Java. Prehistoric subspecies include Panthera tigris trinilensis and P. t. soloensis of Java and Sumatra and P. t. acutidens of China; late Pleistocene and early Holocene fossils of tigers have also been found in Borneo and Palawan, Philippines. Fossil specimens of tigers have also been reported from the Middle-Late Pleistocene of Japan. Results of a phylogeographic study indicate that all living tigers have a common ancestor that lived between 108,000 and 72,000 years ago. Genetic studies suggest that the tiger population contracted around 115,000 years ago due to glaciation. Modern tiger populations originated from a refugium in Indochina and spread across Asia after the Last Glacial Maximum. As they colonised northeastern China, the ancestors of the South China tiger intermixed with a relict tiger population.
Hybrids
Further information: Felid hybrids and Panthera hybridTigers can interbreed with other Panthera cats and have done so in captivity. The liger is the offspring of a female tiger and a male lion and the tigon the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion. The lion sire passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female tiger is absent, so that ligers grow far larger than either parent species. By contrast, the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene while the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene; hence, tigons are around the same size as their parents. Since they often develop life-threatening birth defects and can easily become obese, breeding these hybrids is regarded as unethical.
Characteristics
The tiger has a typical felid morphology, with a muscular body, shortened legs, strong forelimbs with wide front paws, a large head and a tail that is about half the length of the rest of its body. It has five digits, including a dewclaw, on the front feet and four on the back, all of which have retractile claws that are compact and curved, and can reach 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The ears are rounded and the eyes have a round pupil. The snout ends in a triangular, pink tip with small black dots, the number of which increase with age. The tiger's skull is robust, with a constricted front region, proportionally small, elliptical orbits, long nasal bones and a lengthened cranium with a large sagittal crest. It resembles a lion's skull, but differs from it in the concave or flattened underside of the lower jaw and in its longer nasals. The tiger has 30 fairly robust teeth and its somewhat curved canines are the longest in the cat family at 6.4–7.6 cm (2.5–3.0 in).
The tiger has a head-body length of 1.4–2.8 m (4 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in) with a 0.6–1.1 m (2 ft 0 in – 3 ft 7 in) tail and stands 0.8–1.1 m (2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 7 in) at the shoulder. The Siberian and Bengal tigers are the largest. Male Bengal tigers weigh 200–260 kg (440–570 lb), and females weigh 100–160 kg (220–350 lb); island tigers are the smallest, likely due to insular dwarfism. Male Sumatran tigers weigh 100–140 kg (220–310 lb), and females weigh 75–110 kg (165–243 lb). The tiger is popularly thought to be the largest living felid species; but since tigers of the different subspecies and populations vary greatly in size and weight, the tiger's average size may be less than the lion's, while the largest tigers are bigger than their lion counterparts.
Coat
The tiger's coat usually has short hairs, reaching up to 35 mm (1.4 in), though the hairs of the northern-living Siberian tiger can reach 105 mm (4.1 in). Belly hairs tend to be longer than back hairs. The density of their fur is usually thin, though the Siberian tiger develops a particularly thick winter coat. The tiger has lines of fur around the face and long whiskers, especially in males. It has an orange colouration that varies from yellowish to reddish. White fur covers the underside, from head to tail, along with the inner surface of the legs and parts of the face. On the back of the ears, it has a prominent white spot, which is surrounded by black. The tiger is marked with distinctive black or dark brown stripes, which are uniquely patterned in each individual. The stripes are mostly vertical, but those on the limbs and forehead are horizontal. They are more concentrated towards the backside and those on the trunk may reach under the belly. The tips of stripes are generally sharp and some may split up or split and fuse again. Tail stripes are thick bands and a black tip marks the end.
The tiger is one of only a few striped cat species. Stripes are advantageous for camouflage in vegetation with vertical patterns of light and shade, such as trees, reeds and tall grass. This is supported by a Fourier analysis study showing that the striping patterns line up with their environment. The orange colour may also aid in concealment, as the tiger's prey is colour blind and possibly perceives the tiger as green and blended in with the vegetation.
Colour variations
The three colour variants of Bengal tigers – nearly stripeless snow-white, white and golden – are now virtually non-existent in the wild due to the reduction of wild tiger populations but continue in captive populations. The white tiger has a white background colour with sepia-brown stripes. The golden tiger is pale golden with reddish-brown stripes. The snow-white tiger is a morph with extremely faint stripes and a pale sepia-brown ringed tail. White and golden morphs are the result of an autosomal recessive trait with a white locus and a wideband locus, respectively. The snow-white variation is caused by polygenes with both white and wideband loci. The breeding of white tigers is controversial, as they have no use for conservation. Only 0.001% of wild tigers have the genes for this colour morph and the overrepresentation of white tigers in captivity is the result of inbreeding. Hence, their continued breeding will risk both inbreeding depression and loss of genetic variability in captive tigers.
Pseudo-melanistic tigers with thick, merged stripes have been recorded in Simlipal National Park and three Indian zoos; a population genetic analysis of Indian tiger samples revealed that this phenotype is caused by a mutation of a transmembrane aminopeptidase gene. Around 37% of the Simlipal tiger population has this feature, which has been linked to genetic isolation.
Distribution and habitat
The tiger historically ranged from eastern Turkey, northern Iran and Afghanistan to Central Asia and from northern Pakistan through the Indian subcontinent and Indochina to southeastern Siberia, Sumatra, Java and Bali. As of 2022, it inhabits less than 7% of its historical distribution and has a scattered range in the Indian subcontinent, the Indochinese Peninsula, Sumatra, northeastern China and the Russian Far East. As of 2020, India had the largest extent of global tiger habitat with 300,508 km (116,027 sq mi), followed by Russia with 195,819 km (75,606 sq mi).
The tiger mainly lives in forest habitats and is highly adaptable. Records in Central Asia indicate that it primarily inhabited Tugay riverine forests and hilly and lowland forests in the Caucasus. In the Amur-Ussuri region of Russia and China, it inhabits Korean pine and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests; riparian forests serve as dispersal corridors, providing food and water for both tigers and ungulates. On the Indian subcontinent, it inhabits mainly tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tropical moist evergreen forests, tropical dry forests, alluvial plains and the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. In the Eastern Himalayas, it was documented in temperate forest up to an elevation of 4,200 m (13,800 ft) in Bhutan, of 3,630 m (11,910 ft) in the Mishmi Hills and of 3,139 m (10,299 ft) in Mêdog County, southeastern Tibet. In Thailand, it lives in deciduous and evergreen forests. In Sumatra, it inhabits lowland peat swamp forests and rugged montane forests.
Population density
Camera trapping during 2010–2015 in the deciduous and subtropical pine forest of Jim Corbett National Park, northern India revealed a stable tiger population density of 12–17 individuals per 100 km (39 sq mi) in an area of 521 km (201 sq mi). In northern Myanmar, the population density in a sampled area of roughly 3,250 km (1,250 sq mi) in a mosaic of tropical broadleaf forest and grassland was estimated to be 0.21–0.44 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) as of 2009. Population density in mixed deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of Thailand's Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary was estimated at 2.01 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi); during the 1970s and 1980s, logging and poaching had occurred in the adjacent Mae Wong and Khlong Lan National Parks, where population density was much lower, estimated at only 0.359 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) as of 2016. Population density in dipterocarp and montane forests in northern Malaysia was estimated at 1.47–2.43 adult tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) in Royal Belum State Park, but 0.3–0.92 adult tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) in the unprotected selectively logged Temengor Forest Reserve.
Behaviour and ecology
Camera trap data show that tigers in Chitwan National Park avoided locations frequented by people and were more active at night than during day. In Sundarbans National Park, six radio-collared tigers were most active from dawn to early morning and reached their zenith around 7:00 o'clock in the morning. A three-year-long camera trap survey in Shuklaphanta National Park revealed that tigers were most active from dusk until midnight. In northeastern China, tigers were crepuscular and active at night with activity peaking at dawn and dusk; they were largely active at the same time as their prey.
The tiger is a powerful swimmer and easily transverses rivers as wide as 8 km (5.0 mi); it immerses in water, particularly on hot days. In general, it is less capable of climbing trees than many other cats due to its size, but cubs under 16 months old may routinely do so. An adult was recorded climbing 10 m (33 ft) up a smooth pipal tree.
Social spacing
Adult tigers lead largely solitary lives within home ranges or territories, the size of which mainly depends on prey abundance, geographic area and sex of the individual. Males and females defend their home ranges from those of the same sex and the home range of a male encompasses that of multiple females. Two females in the Sundarbans had home ranges of 10.6 and 14.1 km (4.1 and 5.4 sq mi). In Panna Tiger Reserve, the home ranges of five reintroduced females varied from 53–67 km (20–26 sq mi) in winter to 55–60 km (21–23 sq mi) in summer and to 46–94 km (18–36 sq mi) during the monsoon; three males had 84–147 km (32–57 sq mi) large home ranges in winter, 82–98 km (32–38 sq mi) in summer and 81–118 km (31–46 sq mi) during monsoon seasons. In Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve, 14 females had home ranges 248–520 km (96–201 sq mi) and five resident males of 847–1,923 km (327–742 sq mi) that overlapped with those of up to five females. When tigresses in the same reserve had cubs of up to four months of age, they reduced their home ranges to stay near their young and steadily enlarged them until their offspring were 13–18 months old.
Bengal tigers spraying urine (above) and rubbing against a tree to mark territoryThe tiger is a long-ranging species and individuals disperse over distances of up to 650 km (400 mi) to reach tiger populations in other areas. Young tigresses establish their first home ranges close to their mothers' while males migrate further than their female counterparts. Four radio-collared females in Chitwan dispersed between 0 and 43.2 km (0.0 and 26.8 mi) and 10 males between 9.5 and 65.7 km (5.9 and 40.8 mi). A subadult male lives as a transient in another male's home range until he is older and strong enough to challenge the resident male. Tigers mark their home ranges by spraying urine on vegetation and rocks, clawing or scent rubbing trees and marking trails with faeces, anal gland secretions and ground scrapings. Scent markings also allow an individual to pick up information on another's identity. Unclaimed home ranges, particularly those that belonged to a deceased individual, can be taken over in days or weeks.
Male tigers are generally less tolerant of other males within their home ranges than females are of other females. Disputes are usually solved by intimidation rather than fighting. Once dominance has been established, a male may tolerate a subordinate within his range, as long as they do not come near him. The most serious disputes tend to occur between two males competing for a female in oestrus. Though tigers mostly live alone, relationships between individuals can be complex. Tigers are particularly social at kills and a male tiger will sometimes share a carcass with the females and cubs within this home range and unlike male lions, will allow them to feed on the kill before he is finished with it. However, a female is more tense when encountering another female at a kill.
Communication
Siberian tiger baring teeth as a sign of aggressionCaptive Sumatran tiger roaringDuring friendly encounters and bonding, tigers rub against each other's bodies. Facial expressions include the "defence threat", which involves a wrinkled face, bared teeth, pulled-back ears and widened pupils. Both males and females show a flehmen response, a characteristic curled-lip grimace, when smelling urine markings. Males also use the flehmen to detect the markings made by tigresses in oestrus. Tigers will move their ears around to display the white spots, particularly during aggressive encounters and between mothers and cubs. They also use their tails to signal their mood. To show cordiality, the tail sticks up and sways slowly, while an apprehensive tiger lowers its tail or wags it side-to-side. When calm, the tail hangs low.
Tigers are normally silent but can produce numerous vocalisations. They roar to signal their presence to other individuals over long distances. This vocalisation is forced through an open mouth as it closes and can be heard 3 km (1.9 mi) away. They roar multiple times in a row and others respond in kind. Tigers also roar during mating and a mother will roar to call her cubs to her. When tense, tigers moan, a sound similar to a roar but softer and made when the mouth is at least partially closed. Moaning can be heard 400 m (1,300 ft) away. Aggressive encounters involve growling, snarling and hissing. An explosive "coughing roar" or "coughing snarl" is emitted through an open mouth and exposed teeth. In friendlier situations, tigers prusten, a soft, low-frequency snorting sound similar to purring in smaller cats. Tiger mothers communicate with their cubs by grunting, while cubs call back with miaows. When startled, they "woof". They produce a deer-like "pok" sound for unknown reasons, but most often at kills.
Hunting and diet
The tiger is a carnivore and an apex predator feeding mainly on large and medium-sized ungulates, with a preference for sambar deer, Manchurian wapiti, barasingha, gaur and wild boar. Abundance and body weight of prey species are assumed to be the main criteria for the tiger's prey selection, both inside and outside protected areas. It also preys opportunistically on smaller species like monkeys, peafowl and other ground-based birds, porcupines and fish. Occasional attacks on Asian elephants and Indian rhinoceroses have also been reported. More often, tigers take the more vulnerable calves. They sometimes prey on livestock and dogs in close proximity to settlements. Tigers occasionally consume vegetation, fruit and minerals for dietary fibre and supplements.
Tigers learn to hunt from their mothers, though the ability to hunt may be partially inborn. Depending on the size of the prey, they typically kill weekly though mothers must kill more often. Families hunt together when cubs are old enough. They search for prey using vision and hearing. A tiger will also wait at a watering hole for prey to come by, particularly during hot summer days. It is an ambush predator and when approaching potential prey, it crouches with the head lowered and hides in foliage. It switches between creeping forward and staying still. A tiger may even doze off and can stay in the same spot for as long as a day, waiting for prey and launch an attack when the prey is close enough, usually within 30 m (98 ft). If the prey spots it before then, the cat does not pursue further. A tiger can sprint 56 km/h (35 mph) and leap 10 m (33 ft); it is not a long-distance runner and gives up a chase if prey outpaces it over a certain distance.
The tiger attacks from behind or at the sides and tries to knock the target off balance. It latches onto prey with its forelimbs, twisting and turning during the struggle and tries to pull it to the ground. The tiger generally applies a bite to the throat until its victim dies of strangulation. It has an average bite force at the canine tips of 1234.3 newtons. Holding onto the throat puts the cat out of reach of horns, antlers, tusks and hooves. Tigers are adaptable killers and may use other methods, including ripping the throat or breaking the neck. Large prey may be disabled by a bite to the back of the hock, severing the tendon. Swipes from the large paws are capable of stunning or breaking the skull of a water buffalo. They kill small prey with a bite to the back of the neck or head. Estimates of the success rate for hunting tigers range from a low of 5% to a high of 50%. They are sometimes killed or injured by large or dangerous prey like gaur, buffalo and boar.
Tigers typically move kills to a private, usually vegetated spot no further than 183 m (600 ft), though they have been recorded dragging them 549 m (1,801 ft). They are strong enough to drag the carcass of a fully grown buffalo for some distance. They rest for a while before eating and can consume as much as 50 kg (110 lb) of meat in one session, but feed on a carcass for several days, leaving little for scavengers.
Competitors
In much of their range, tigers share habitat with leopards and dholes. They typically dominate both of them, though with dholes it depends on their pack size. Interactions between the three predators involve chasing, stealing kills and direct killing. Large dhole packs may kill tigers. Tigers, leopards and dholes coexist by hunting different sized prey. In Nagarhole National Park, the average weight for tiger kills was found to be 91.5 kg (202 lb), compared to 37.6 kg (83 lb) for leopards and 43.4 kg (96 lb) for dholes. In Kui Buri National Park, following a reduction in prey numbers, tigers continued to kill favoured prey while leopards and dholes increased their consumption of small prey.
Both leopards and dholes can live successfully in tiger habitat when there is abundant food and vegetation cover. Otherwise, they appear to be less common where tigers are numerous. The recovery of the tiger population in Rajaji National Park during the 2000s led to a reduction in leopard population densities. Similarly, at two sites in central India the size of dhole packs was negatively correlated with tiger densities. Leopard and dhole distribution in Kui Buri correlated with both prey access and tiger scarcity. In Jigme Dorji National Park, tigers were found to inhabit the deeper parts of forests while the smaller predators were pushed closer to the fringes.
Reproduction and life cycle
"Tiger cub" redirects here. For other uses, see Tiger Cub.
The tiger generally mates all year round, particularly between November and April. A tigress is in oestrus for three to six days at a time, separated by three to nine week intervals. A resident male mates with all the females within his home range, who signal their receptiveness by roaring and marking. Younger, transient males are also attracted, leading to a fight in which the more dominant, resident male drives the usurper off. During courtship, the male is cautious with the female as he waits for her to show signs she is ready to mate. She signals to him by positioning herself in lordosis with her tail to the side. Copulation typically lasts no more than 20 seconds, with the male biting the female by the scruff of her neck. After it is finished, the male quickly pulls away as the female may turn and slap him. Tiger pairs may stay together for up to four days and mate multiple times. Gestation lasts around or over three months.
A tigress gives birth in a secluded location, be it in dense vegetation, in a cave or under a rocky shelter. Litters consist of as many as seven cubs, but two or three are more typical. Newborn cubs weigh 785–1,610 g (27.7–56.8 oz) and are blind and altricial. The mother licks and cleans her cubs, suckles them and viciously defends them from any potential threat. Cubs open their eyes at the age of three to 14 days and their vision becomes clear after a few more weeks. They can leave the denning site after two months and around the same time they start eating meat. The mother only leaves them alone to hunt and even then she does not travel far. When she suspects an area is no longer safe, she moves her cubs to a new spot, transporting them one by one by grabbing them by the scruff of the neck with her mouth. A tigress in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve maximised the time spent with her cubs by reducing her home range, killing larger prey and returning to her den more rapidly than without cubs; when the cubs started to eat meat, she took them to kill sites, thereby optimising their protection and access to food. In the same reserve, one of 21 cubs died in over eight years of monitoring and mortality did not differ between male and female juveniles. Tiger monitoring over six years in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve indicated an average annual survival rate of around 85 percent for 74 male and female cubs; survival rate increased to 97 percent for both males and female juveniles of one to two years of age. Causes of cub mortality include predators, floods, fires, death of the mother and fatal injuries.
After around two months, the cubs are able to follow their mother. They still hide in vegetation when she goes hunting. Young bond through play fighting and practice stalking. A hierarchy develops in the litter, with the biggest cub, often a male, being the most dominant and the first to eat its fill at a kill. Around the age of six months, cubs are fully weaned and have more freedom to explore their environment. Between eight and ten months, they accompany their mother on hunts. A cub can make a kill as early as 11 months and reach independence as a juvenile of 18 to 24 months of age; males become independent earlier than females. Radio-collared tigers in Chitwan started leaving their natal areas at the age of 19 months. Young females are sexually mature at three to four years, whereas males are at four to five years. Generation length of the tiger is about 7–10 years. Wild Bengal tigers live 12–15 years. Data from the International Tiger Studbook 1938–2018 indicate that captive tigers lived up to 19 years.
The father does not play a role in raising the young, but he encounters and interacts with them. The resident male appears to visit the female–cub families within his home range. They socialise and even share kills. One male was recorded looking after cubs whose mother had died. By defending his home range, the male protects the females and cubs from other males. When a new male takes over, dependent cubs are at risk of infanticide as the male attempts to sire his own young with the females. A seven-year long study in Chitwan National Park revealed that 12 of 56 detected cubs and juveniles were killed by new males taking over home ranges.
Health and diseases
Tigers are recorded as hosts for various parasites including tapeworms like Diphyllobothrium erinacei, Taenia pisiformis in India and nematodes like Toxocara species in India and Physaloptera preputialis, Dirofilaria ursi and Uiteinarta species in Siberia. Canine distemper is known to occur in Siberian tigers. A morbillivirus infection was the likely cause of death of a tigress in the Russian Far East that was also tested positive for feline panleukopenia and feline coronavirus. Blood samples from 11 adult tigers in Nepal showed antibodies for canine parvovirus-2, feline herpesvirus, feline coronavirus, leptospirosis and Toxoplasma gondii.
Threats
The tiger has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986 and the global tiger population is thought to have continuously declined from an estimated population of 5,000–8,262 tigers in the late 1990s to 3,726–5,578 individuals estimated as of 2022. During 2001–2020, landscapes where tigers live declined from 1,025,488 km (395,943 sq mi) to 911,901 km (352,087 sq mi). Habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching for fur and body parts are the major threats that contributed to the decrease of tiger populations in all range countries.
Protected areas in central India are highly fragmented due to linear infrastructure like roads, railway lines, transmission lines, irrigation channels and mining activities in their vicinity. In the Tanintharyi Region of southern Myanmar, deforestation coupled with mining activities and high hunting pressure threatens the tiger population. In Thailand, nine of 15 protected areas hosting tigers are isolated and fragmented, offering a low probability for dispersal between them; four of these have not harboured tigers since about 2013. In Peninsular Malaysia, 8,315.7 km (3,210.7 sq mi) of tiger habitat was cleared during 1988–2012, most of it for industrial plantations. Large-scale land acquisitions of about 23,000 km (8,900 sq mi) for commercial agriculture and timber extraction in Cambodia contributed to the fragmentation of potential tiger habitat, especially in the Eastern Plains. Inbreeding depression coupled with habitat destruction, insufficient prey resources and poaching is a threat to the small and isolated tiger population in the Changbai Mountains along the China–Russia border. In China, tigers became the target of large-scale 'anti-pest' campaigns in the early 1950s, where suitable habitats were fragmented following deforestation and resettlement of people to rural areas, who hunted tigers and prey species. Though tiger hunting was prohibited in 1977, the population continued to decline and is considered extinct in South China since 2001.
Tiger populations in India have been targeted by poachers since the 1990s and were extirpated in two tiger reserves in 2005 and 2009. Between March 2017 and January 2020, 630 activities of hunters using snares, drift nets, hunting platforms and hunting dogs were discovered in a reserve forest of about 1,000 km (390 sq mi) in southern Myanmar. Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park was considered the last important site for the tiger in Laos, but it has not been recorded there at least since 2013; this population likely fell victim to indiscriminate snaring. Anti-poaching units in Sumatra's Kerinci Seblat landscape removed 362 tiger snare traps and seized 91 tiger skins during 2005–2016; annual poaching rates increased with rising skin prices. Poaching is also the main threat to the tiger population in far eastern Russia, where logging roads facilitate access for poachers and people harvesting forest products that are important for prey species to survive in winter.
Body parts of 207 tigers were detected during 21 surveys in 1991–2014 in two wildlife markets in Myanmar catering to customers in Thailand and China. During the years 2000–2022, at least 3,377 tigers were confiscated in 2,205 seizures in 28 countries; seizures encompassed 665 live and 654 dead individuals, 1,313 whole tiger skins, 16,214 body parts like bones, teeth, paws, claws, whiskers and 1.1 t (1.1 long tons; 1.2 short tons) of meat; 759 seizures in India encompassed body parts of 893 tigers; and 403 seizures in Thailand involved mostly captive-bred tigers. Seizures in Nepal between January 2011 and December 2015 obtained 585 pieces of tiger body parts and two whole carcasses in 19 districts. Seizure data from India during 2001–2021 indicate that tiger skins were the most often traded body parts, followed by claws, bones and teeth; trafficking routes mainly passed through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Assam. A total of 292 illegal tiger parts were confiscated at US ports of entry from personal baggage, air cargo and mail between 2003 and 2012.
Demand for tiger parts for use in traditional Chinese medicine has also been cited as a major threat to tiger populations. Interviews with local people in the Bangladeshi Sundarbans revealed that they kill tigers for local consumption and trade of skins, bones and meat, in retaliation for attacks by tigers and for excitement. Tiger body parts like skins, bones, teeth and hair are consumed locally by wealthy Bangladeshis and are illegally trafficked from Bangladesh to 15 countries including India, China, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan and the United Kingdom via land borders, airports and seaports. Tiger bone glue is the prevailing tiger product purchased for medicinal purposes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. "Tiger farm" facilities in China and Southeast Asia breed tigers for their parts, but these appear to make the threat to wild populations worse by increasing the demand for tiger products.
Local people killing tigers in retaliation for attacking and preying on livestock is a threat in several tiger range countries, as this consequence of human–wildlife conflict also contributes to the decline of the population.
Conservation
Main article: Tiger conservation Further information: 21st Century TigerInternationally, the tiger is protected under CITES Appendix I, banning trade of live tigers and their body parts. In Russia, hunting the tiger has been banned since 1952. In Bhutan, it has been protected since 1969 and enlisted as totally protected since 1995. Since 1972, it has been afforded the highest protection level under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. In Nepal and Bangladesh, it has been protected since 1973. Since 1976, it has been totally protected under Malaysia's Protection of Wild Life Act, and the country's Wildlife Conservation Act enacted in 2010 increased punishments for wildlife-related crimes. In Indonesia, it has been protected since 1990. In China, the trade in tiger body parts was banned in 1993. The Thai Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act was enacted in 2019 to combat poaching and trading of body parts.
In 1973, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Tiger were founded in India to gain public support for tiger conservation. Since then, 53 tiger reserves covering an area of 75,796 km (29,265 sq mi) have been established in the country up to 2022. Myanmar's national tiger conservation strategy developed in 2003 comprises management tasks such as restoration of degraded habitats, increasing the extent of protected areas and wildlife corridors, protecting tiger prey species, thwarting tiger killing and illegal trade of its body parts and promoting public awareness through wildlife education programmes. Bhutan's first Tiger Action Plan implemented during 2006–2015 revolved around habitat conservation, human–wildlife conflict management, education and awareness; the second Action Plan aimed at increasing the country's tiger population by 20% until 2023 compared to 2015. In 2009, the Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan was initiated to stabilise the country's tiger population, maintain habitat and a sufficient prey base, improve law enforcement and foster cooperation between governmental agencies responsible for tiger conservation. The Thailand Tiger Action Plan ratified in 2010 envisioned increasing the country's tiger populations by 50% in the Western Forest Complex and Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex and reestablish populations in three potential landscapes until 2022. The Indonesian National Tiger Recovery Program ratified in 2010 aimed at increasing the Sumatran tiger population by 2022. The third strategic and action plan for the conservation of the Sumatran tiger for the years 2020–2030 revolves around strengthening management of small tiger population units of less than 20 mature individuals and connectivity between 13 forest patches in North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces.
Increases in anti-poaching patrol efforts in four Russian protected areas during 2011–2014 contributed to reducing poaching, stabilising the tiger population and improving protection of ungulate populations. Poaching and trafficking were declared to be moderate and serious crimes in 2019. Anti-poaching operations were also established in Nepal in 2010, with increased cooperation and intelligence sharing between agencies. These policies have led to many years of "zero poaching" and the country's tiger population has doubled in a decade. Anti-poaching patrols in the 1,200 km (460 sq mi) large core area of Taman Negara lead to a decrease of poaching frequency from 34 detected incidents in 2015–2016 to 20 incidents during 2018–2019; the arrest of seven poaching teams and removal of snares facilitated the survival of three resident female tigers and at least 11 cubs. Army and police officers are deployed for patrolling together with staff of protected areas in Malaysia.
Wildlife corridors are important conservation measures as they facilitate tiger populations to connect between protected areas; tigers use at least nine corridors that were established in the Terai Arc Landscape and Sivalik Hills in both Nepal and India. Corridors in forested areas with low human encroachment are highly suitable. In West Sumatra, 12 wildlife corridors were identified as high priority for mitigating human–wildlife conflicts. In 2019, China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding for transboundary cooperation between two protected areas, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park and Land of the Leopard National Park, that includes the creation of wildlife corridors and bilateral monitoring and patrolling along the Sino-Russian border.
Rescued and rehabilitated problem tigers and orphaned tiger cubs have been released into the wild and monitored in India, Sumatra and Russia. In Kazakhstan, habitat restoration and reintroduction of prey species in Ile-Balkash Nature Reserve have progressed and tiger reintroduction is planned for 2025. Reintroduction of tigers is considered possible in eastern Cambodia, once management of protected areas is improved and forest loss stabilized. South China tigers are kept and bred in Chinese zoos, with plans to reintroduce their offspring into remote protected areas. Coordinated breeding programs among zoos have led to enough genetic diversity in tigers to act as "insurance against extinction in the wild".
Relationship with humans
Hunting
Main article: Tiger huntingTigers have been hunted by humans for millennia, as indicated by a painting on the Bhimbetka rock shelters in India that is dated to 5,000–6,000 years ago. They were hunted throughout their range in Asia, chased on horseback, elephant-back or even with sled dogs and killed with spears and later firearms. Such hunts were conducted both by native governments and empires like the Mughal Empire, as well as European colonists. Tigers were often hunted as trophies and because of their perceived danger. An estimated 80,000 tigers were killed between 1875 and 1925.
Attacks
Main article: Tiger attackIn most areas, tigers avoid humans, but attacks are a risk wherever people coexist with them. Dangerous encounters are more likely to occur in edge habitats between wild and agricultural areas. Most attacks on humans are defensive, including protection of young; however, tigers do sometimes see people as prey. Man-eating tigers tend to be old and disabled. Tigers driven from their home ranges are also at risk of turning to man-eating.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Champawat Tiger was responsible for over 430 human deaths in Nepal and India before she was shot by Jim Corbett. This tigress suffered from broken teeth and was unable to kill normal prey. Modern authors speculate that sustaining on meagre human flesh forced the cat to kill more and more. Tiger attacks were particularly high in Singapore during the mid-19th century, when plantations expanded into the tiger's habitat. In the 1840s, the number of deaths in the area ranged from 200 to 300 annually. Tiger attacks in the Sundarbans caused 1,396 human deaths in the period 1935–2006 according to official records of the Bangladesh Forest Department. Victims of these attacks are local villagers who enter the tiger's domain to collect resources like wood and honey. Fishermen have been particularly common targets. Methods to counter tiger attacks have included face masks worn backwards, protective clothes, sticks and carefully stationed electric dummies.
Captivity
Tiger at Big Cat Rescue in 2014Publicity photo of animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams with several of his trained tigers, c. 1969Tigers have been kept in captivity since ancient times. In ancient Rome, tigers were displayed in amphitheatres; they were slaughtered in venatio hunts and used to kill criminals. The Mongol ruler Kublai Khan is reported to have kept tigers in the 13th century. Starting in the Middle Ages, tigers were being kept in European menageries. Tigers and other exotic animals were mainly used for the entertainment of elites but from the 19th century onward, they were exhibited more to the public. Tigers were particularly big attractions and their captive population soared. In 2020, there were over 8,000 captive tigers in Asia, over 5,000 in the US and no less than 850 in Europe. There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild. Captive tigers may display stereotypical behaviours such as pacing or inactivity. Modern zoos are able to reduce such behaviours with exhibits designed so the animals can move between separate but connected enclosures. Enrichment items are also important for the cat's welfare and the stimulation of its natural behaviours.
Tigers have played prominent roles in circuses and other live performances. Ringling Bros included many tiger tamers in the 20th century including Mabel Stark, who became a big draw and had a long career. She was well known for being able to control the tigers despite being a small woman; using "manly" tools like whips and guns. Another trainer was Clyde Beatty, who used chairs, whips and guns to provoke tigers and other beasts into acting fierce and allowed him to appear courageous. He would perform with as many as 40 tigers and lions in one act. From the 1960s onward, trainers like Gunther Gebel-Williams would use gentler methods to control their animals. Sara Houcke was dubbed "the Tiger Whisperer" as she trained the cats to obey her by whispering to them. Siegfried & Roy became famous for performing with white tigers in Las Vegas. The act ended in 2003 when a tiger attacked Roy during a performance. In 2009, tigers were the most traded circus animals. The use of tigers and other animals in shows eventually declined in many countries due to pressure from animal rights groups and greater desires from the public to see them in more natural settings. Several countries restrict or ban such acts.
Tigers have become popular in the exotic pet trade, particularly in the United States where only 6% of the captive tiger population in 2020 were being housed in zoos and other facilities approved by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Private collectors are thought to be ill-equipped to provide proper care for tigers, which compromises their welfare. They can also threaten public safety by allowing people to interact with them. The keeping of tigers and other big cats by private people was banned in the US in 2022. Most countries in the European Union have banned breeding and keeping tigers outside of licensed zoos and rescue centres, but some still allow private holdings.
Cultural significance
Main article: Cultural depictions of tigers Further information: Tiger worshipThe tiger is among the most famous of the charismatic megafauna. Kailash Sankhala has called it "a rare combination of courage, ferocity and brilliant colour", while Candy d'Sa calls it "fierce and commanding on the outside, but noble and discerning on the inside". In a 2004 online poll involving more than 50,000 people from 73 countries, the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal with 21% of the vote, narrowly beating the dog. Similarly, a 2018 study found the tiger to be the most popular wild animal based on surveys, as well as appearances on websites of major zoos and posters of some animated movies.
While the lion represented royalty and power in Western culture, the tiger played such a role in various Asian cultures. In ancient China, the tiger was seen as the "king of the forest" and symbolised the power of the emperor. In Chinese astrology, the tiger is the third out of 12 symbols in the Chinese zodiac and controls the period between 15:00 and 17:00 o'clock in the afternoon. The Year of the Tiger is thought to bring "dramatic and extreme events". The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, representing the west along with the yin and the season of autumn. It is the counterpart to the Azure Dragon, which conversely symbolises the east, yang and springtime. The tiger is one of the animals displayed on the Pashupati seal of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The big cat was depicted on seals and coins during the Chola dynasty of southern India, as it was the official emblem.
Tigers have had religious and folkloric significance. In Buddhism, the tiger, monkey and deer are the Three Senseless Creatures, with the tiger symbolising anger. In Hinduism, the tiger is the vehicle of Durga, the goddess of feminine power and peace, whom the gods created to fight demons. Similarly, in the Greco-Roman world, the tiger was depicted being ridden by the god Dionysus. In Korean mythology, tigers are messengers of the Mountain Gods. In both Chinese and Korean culture, tigers are seen as protectors against evil spirits and their image was used to decorate homes, tombs and articles of clothing. In the folklore of Malaysia and Indonesia, "tiger shamans" heal the sick by invoking the big cat. People turning into tigers and the inverse has also been widespread; in particular weretigers are people who could change into tigers and back again. The Mnong people of Indochina believed that tigers could shapeshift into humans. Among some indigenous peoples of Siberia, it was believed that men would seduce women by transforming into tigers.
William Blake's 1794 poem "The Tyger" portrays the animal as the duality of beauty and ferocity. It is the sister poem to "The Lamb" in Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience and he ponders how God could create such different creatures. The tiger is featured in the mediaeval Chinese novel Water Margin, where the cat battles and is slain by the bandit Wu Song, while the tiger Shere Khan in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1894) is the mortal enemy of the human protagonist Mowgli. Friendly tame tigers have also existed in culture, notably Tigger, the Winnie-the-Pooh character and Tony the Tiger, the Kellogg's cereal mascot.
See also
References
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- "June 18 Deadline for Compliance With Big Cat Public Safety Act". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 2023. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- Guidance Document on the export, re-export and intra-EU trade of captive-born and bred live tigers and their parts and derivatives (Report). European Commission. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
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Bibliography
- Thapar, V. (2004). Tiger: The Ultimate Guide. New Delhi: CDS Books. ISBN 1-59315-024-5.
- Green, S. (2006). Tiger. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-276-8.
- MacDonald, D., ed. (2001). The Encyclopedia of Mammals (Second ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-7607-1969-5.
- Tilson, R.; Nyhus, P. J., eds. (2010). Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics and Conservation of Panthera tigris (Second ed.). London: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-08-094751-8.
- Mills, S. (2004). Tiger. Richmond Hill: Firefly Books. ISBN 1-55297-949-0.
- Schaller, G. B. (1967). The Deer and the Tiger: A Study of Wildlife in India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-73631-8.
- Seidensticker, J.; Christie, S.; Jackson, P., eds. (1999). Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human-Dominated Landscapes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521648356.
- Sludskii, A. A. (1992). "Tiger Panthera tigris Linnaeus, 1758". In Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (eds.). Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union]. Vol. II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) (Second ed.). Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 95–202. ISBN 978-90-04-08876-4.
External links
- Media related to Panthera tigris (category) at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Panthera tigris at Wikispecies
- Quotations related to Tigers at Wikiquote
- Tigers travel guide from Wikivoyage
- "Tiger Panthera tigris". IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group.
Taxon identifiers | |
---|---|
Panthera tigris |
|
Felis tigris |
- IUCN Red List endangered species
- Apex predators
- Big cats
- Conservation-reliant species
- EDGE species
- Extant Pleistocene first appearances
- Fauna of South Asia
- Fauna of Southeast Asia
- Felids of Asia
- Mammals described in 1758
- Mammals of East Asia
- National symbols of India
- National symbols of Malaysia
- National symbols of Singapore
- Panthera
- Species that are or were threatened by agricultural development
- Species that are or were threatened by deliberate extirpation efforts
- Species that are or were threatened by human consumption for medicinal or magical purposes
- Species that are or were threatened by logging
- Species that are or were threatened by urbanization
- Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus