Tigers are the biggest cats in the world. The Latin name for tiger is Panthera tigris. There are five different kinds of tigers:
Tigers are an endangered species; only about 4,870 to 7,300 tigers are left in the wild. Over the last 70 years three tiger species have became extinct; the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers. Unlike some big cats like lions, adult tigers like to live alone (except for mother tigers with cubs). The main reason is because in a forest a single tiger can sneak up and surprise its prey better than a group of tigers can.
Some interesting facts about Tigers are:
Siberian tigers live primarily in eastern Russia and a few are found in northwestern China and northern North Korea. It is estimated that 150-430 Siberian tigers still exist in the wild. The Latin name for a Siberian tiger is Panthera tigris altaica. Siberian tigers received legal protection from the Law of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection and Management of 1992. Many agencies and organizations are promoting efforts to assist Russia in stopping the poaching on tigers and their prey, the marketing of their skins and bones, and the loss of available habitat. There are about 490 Siberian Tigers being managed in zoo conservation programs. According to the 1994 International Tiger Studbook of the 490 Siberian tigers managed in zoos: 226 in Europe, 151 in North America, 93 in Japan, and about 20 more scattered among Asian zoos. The Siberian tiger is considered secure in captivity, with a large, genetically diverse and stable population.
Bengal tigers live in India, and some range through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar. The estimated population is approximately 3,250-4,700 tigers, with roughly 333 in captivity, mostly in zoos in India. The Latin name for a Bengal tiger is Panthera tigris tigris. The white tiger is basically a color variant of the Bengal tiger and are rarely found in the wild. In India in 1994 the Cat Specialist Group reported 2,750 to 3,750 Bengal Tigers. These tigers are distributed among 66 protected areas, of which more than 20 fall under the umbrella of Project Tiger, a program based on total protection of tigers and conservation of selected habitats as reserves managed primarily for tigers. Another 150-250 tigers live in three protected areas in Nepal, 50-240 tigers are in four protected areas in Bhutan, about 300-460 tigers live in three protected areas in Bangladesh, and an unknown number of tigers remain in Myanmar. The Indian zoos have bred tigers for the last two decades. They have bred so successfully that there are now too many. The 1994 International Tiger Studbook lists the current global captive population of Bengal tigers at 333 tigers; 289 have the typical orange coloration of most free-ranging tigers, the remaining 44 are the white color morph, a rarely observed form in the free-ranging population. The Indian zoos maintain all of the studbook-registered captive population.
The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In the island's five national parks, about 400-500 wild Sumatran tigers are believed to exist. Around the world there is said to be another 235 Sumatran tigers living in zoos. The Indonesian zoos manage 58 Sumatran tigers, there are 58 tigers managed by North American zoos, 108 in European zoos, 6 in Australasian zoos, and 2 in Japanese zoos. The Sumatran Tiger Studbook extends to the capabilities of Indonesian zoo staff to professionally manage their tiger programs in Indonesia, and at the same time serves as a model for other range country tiger management programs in Southeast Asia. The Latin name for a Sumatran tiger is Panthera tigris sumatrae.