Tigers are imposing animals that without a doubt, despite being able to generate some fear, are still attractive due to their beauty and colorful print. These belong to the Felidae family, the Phantera genus and the Panthera tigris species, of which two subspecies of the six or nine previously recognized have been recognized since 2017: Panthera tigris tigris and Panthera tigris sondaica. In each one, the various extinct and living subspecies that were considered in the recent past have been grouped.
Tigers are apex predators, they have an exclusively carnivorous diet and together with lions they are the largest felines that exist. In this article on our site, we want you to discover the habitat of these animals, so we invite you to continue reading so you can find out where tigers live
What is the habitat of tigers?
Tigers are animals originating specifically from Asia, which formerly had a wide distribution range, extending from western Turkey to Russia on the east coast. However, in the last century, these felids have only occupied 6% of their original habitat.
Despite current low populations, tigers are native and inhabit in:
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- China (Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Jilin, Tibet)
- India
- Indonesia
- Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Malaysia (mainland)
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Russian Federation
- Thailand
According to population studies, they are possibly extinct in:
- Cambodia
- China (Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Hunan)
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- Vietnam
Tigers have become completely extinct in some regions as a result of human pressure. These locations are:
- Afghanistan
- China (Chongqing, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Anhui, Xinjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hubei, Henan, Guangxi, Liaoning, Guizhou, Sichuan, Shandong, Hebei)
- Indonesia (Jawa, Bali)
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Pakistan
- Singapore
- Tajikistan
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
Are there tigers in Africa?
Regarding the question, are there tigers in Africa?, the answer is yes But as we already know, not because these animals have originally developed in this region, but since 2002 the Laohu Valley Reserve (the latter is a term that means tiger in Chinese) was created in South Africa, the purpose of which is to develop a program for the captive breeding of tigers, which would later be reintroduced into habitats in southern and southwestern China, one of the regions from which they originate.
This program has been questioned because it is not easy to reintroduce large felines to their natural ecosystems, but also because of the genetic limitations that occur due to the crossing between a small group of specimens.
Where does the Bengal tiger live?
The subspecies Panthera tigris tigris is commonly known as the Bengal tiger and the subspecies P. t. altaica, P.t. corbetti, P.t. jacksoni, P.t. amoyensis and also other extinct ones.
The Bengal tiger mainly inhabits India, but can also be found in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma and Tibet. Historically they were located in ecosystems with drier and colder climates, however, they currently develop in tropical forest In order to protect the species, the largest populations are They are found in some National Parks of India, such as Sundarbans and Ranthambore.
These beautiful animals are in danger of extinction mainly due to poaching with the excuse that they are dangerous to humans, but the background is the commercialization mainly of their skin, as well as their bones.
On the other hand, they are the largest subspecies The body color is intense orange with black stripes and the presence of of white spots in regions of the head, chest and belly. However, there are some color variations due to two types of mutations: one can cause white individuals, while the other produces a brown color.
Where does the Sumatran tiger live?
The other subspecies of tiger is Panthera tigris sondaica, which can be commonly named variously, such as Sumatran tiger, Java tiger, or Sunda tiger. In addition to the Sumatran tiger, other extinct tiger species have been grouped together, such as those from Java and Bali.
This tiger inhabits the island of Sumatra , located in Indonesia. It can be present in ecosystems such as forests and lowlands, but also in mountainous areas This type of habitat makes it easier for them to camouflage themselves when ambushing their prey.
Although some populations of the Sumatran tiger are not in any protected area, others are found in National Parks as part of conservation programs. such as Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Gunung Leuser National Park and Kerinci Seblat National Park.
The Sumatran tiger is in critical danger of extinction due to the destruction of its habitat and mass hunting. Compared to the Bengal tiger it is smaller , although records indicate that extinct subspecies from Java and Bali were even smaller in size. Its coloration is also orange, but the black stripes are usually thinner and more abundant, and it also has white in some areas of the body and a kind of beard or short mane, which grows mainly in males.
Tiger Conservation Status
There are serious concerns for the future of tigers, since despite some protection efforts by various organizations, they remain strongly impacted by the despicable action of hunting them and also the massive modifications to the habitat, mainly for the development of certain types of agriculture. Although there have been some accidents with tigers that have attacked people, they are not the responsibility of the animal, nor is the option to consider killing them. It is absolutely our duty to establish actions to avoid these encounters that lead to unfortunate outcomes for people and, of course, also for these animals.
It is important to bear in mind that tigers live in certain areas and if more measures are not established that are really effective, very likely in the future the tigers will end up disappearing, and as in all cases of extinction caused by people, it ends up being a painful act and an invaluable loss of animal diversity.
