International Tiger Forum Website

Ranges in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, and can be also encountered in small numbers in China and North Korea. According to the latest reports, the population of Amur tigers in the wildlife is between 480 and 520 animals.

The Amur tiger belongs to the biggest tiger subspecies. Its pelage is thick, long and furry, the background color less bright and rusty compared to other subspecies and it has also less stripes.

Ranges in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The Bengal tiger is the most numerous of the tiger subspecies — with population under 2,000 animals. Poaching and habitat destruction have also put Bengal tigers to the brink of extinction now.

The Bengal tigers ranging in the North India and Nepal are bigger, than those inhabiting the Southern parts of the Indian subcontinent, the average weight of males being 235 kg (518 lb).

Ranges in Cambodia, South China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Today there are approximately 1,200 animals. The largest population in Malaysia is now at risk due to habitat fragmentation and inbreeding. In Vietnam, three quarters of the tiger population have been killed to sell the tiger organs used in Chinese medicine.

The Indochinese tiger has a darker pelage, male animals weighing 150 to 190 kg (330 to 419 lb) and females — 110 to 140 kg (242.5 to 308.5 lb)

Found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The population is estimated at 400 to 500 animals. Genetic research has revealed the presence of unique genetic markers in its genotype, which indicates that this subspecies can generate a separate feline species in the future. Environment destruction is now the principal threat for the Sumatran tiger.

The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of all the tiger subspecies existing now, the average weight of males being 100 to 130 kg (220.5 to286.5 lb) and females — 70 to 90 kg (154 to 198 lb).

The South China tiger is the most critically endangered among all the living tiger subspecies, and probably can no longer be found in the wildlife. According to the reports, the last South China tiger in the wildlife was shot in 1994. Today, there are 59 South China tigers in captivity (all in China), yet all of them descend from 6 animals only.

The South China tiger is also one of the smallest tiger subspecies. They measure 2.2 to 2.6 m (7.2 to 8.5 ft) long. Male animals weigh between 127 and 177 kg (280 to 390 lb) and females — 100 to 118 kg (220.5 to 260 lb).