Where Do They Live?

The Siberian (or Amur) tiger lives mostly in eastern Russia,. A few are found in northeastern China and northern North Korea.

In this century, the Siberian tiger has survived four wars, two revolutions, and now its forests are being cut down. It is estimated that about 430 Siberian tigers still exist in the wild, up from a few dozen in the 1940s. About 490 captive Siberian tigers are managed in zoo conservation programs, primarily in Europe (including Russia) and the U.S.A.

Siberians are the largest tiger subspecies. The Siberian tiger's orange coloring is paler than all other tigers. Its stripes are brown rather than black, and are widely spaced compared to its southern cousins. It has a white chest and belly, and a thick white ruff of fur around its neck. In the winter, its coat grows long and shaggy.

Male Siberian tigers grow up to 3.3 meters (10' 9") long. Male Siberian tigers weigh up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds). Females Siberian tigers are smaller, about 2.6 meters (8 1/2 feet) from head to tail. Female Siberian tigers weigh about100 to 167 kilograms (200 to 370 pounds).

The South China tiger is found in central and eastern China. All other tigers are thought to have evolved from the South China tiger.

The South China tiger is the most endangered of all tiger subspecies. There are fewer than twenty South China tigers thought to still exist in the wild. No South China tiger has been seen in the wild in ten years. It is the rarest of the five living tiger subspecies, the most threatened, and the closest to extinction. Currently 48 South China tigers live in 19 zoos, all in China.

The South China tiger is one of the smallest tiger subspecies. Its short, broad stripes are spaced far apart compared to the Bengal and Siberian tigers.

Male South China tigers are about 2.5 meters (8 feet) from head to tail. Male South China tigers weigh about 150 kilograms (330 pounds). Female South China tigers are smaller, about 2.3 meters (7 1/2 feet) long. Female South China tigers weigh about110 kilograms (240 pounds).

Although popular in some zoos, ‘White Bengal Tigers’are extremely rare in the wild- the last sighting of a white tiger in its natural habitat was near Rewa in Central India back in 1951. This male tiger was captured by the Maharaja of Rewa and named Mohan - it is this animal that most of the white tigers in captivity today are related. The white tiger is not a true albino - it is simply has less dark coloured pigment in its coat - this is sometime known as a 'chinchilla' mutation. The white tiger is not pure white but has brown stripes and blue eyes. There is some concern about the keeping of white tigers in zoos. These cats, are by nature, extremely inbred and possibly not of pure bred Indian descent. Some suggest that they are taking up valuable cage space and breeding resources and this is to the detriment of other pure bred and more threatened sub species.