Tigers – Overview of the Different Types
The different types of tigers have captured the imagination of people the world over due to their beauty, agility, strength and mystique. Tigers can be found as far afield as Asia, Russia and India and there are six sub-species to be found. There used to be nine sub-species but three of these are now extinct. The Bali tiger was rendered extinct in the 1940’s, the Caspian tiger followed suit in the 1970’s and as recently as the 1980’s the Javan tiger joined its fellows on the extinct list.
The different types of tigers include the Siberian or Amur tiger, which is the largest of the sub-species and can be as large as a regular family car. It can be recognised by its pale orange coat and has the fewest stripes of all its cousins.
The Bengal or Indian species is one of the different types of tigers that is the mostly commonly found in India or Bengal, where it lives in habitats ranging from hot desert to cool and wet grasslands.
The Indochinese tiger is roughly 20% smaller than the Bengal and also sporting a darker coat. It can be found in Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Thailand.
The beautiful Malayan type was added to the list of true sub-species as recently as 2004 and can be found in Thailand and Malaysia. It is one of the smaller sub-species of tigers, on par with the Sumatran variety.
The South China tiger was hunted to near extinction in the early 1950’s when it was viewed as a pest by the government and today there are roughly 30 of these magnificent tigers to be found in the wild. Measures have now been taken to preserve the species, which sports a deep orange coat with clearly defined black stripes.
Sumatran tigers reside on the island of Sumatra and rank amongst the smaller sub-species of tigers though it is still large by normal standards.
A rare recessive gene sometimes produces what are known as white tigers that have white coats with black stripes and striking blue eyes. Of the different types of tigers, they are not albinos as one might think, but merely have a paler colouration than their orange and black cousins. Currently there are several hundred white tigers in captivity the world over, being of Bengal or Siberian sub-species.
Find out more about different tigers, such as bengal tigers or purchase a tiger gift pack.
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