What is a Tiger?
The Tiger (aka Panthera Tigris) is the largest member of the felidae family and is one of the four big cats in the Panthera genus.
Tigers as a whole are an endangered species, with the majority of the world’s tigers now living in captivity.
Several subspecies are extinct and others critically endangered and their historical range has declined by 90 percent compared to a century ago.
The tiger used to roam throughout Asia, as far north as Siberia in Russia, as far West as Turkey, and as far South as Sumatra.
Unfortunately, three out of the nine subspecies of tigers have become extinct.
All surviving tiger subspecies are highly endangered while the China Tiger, aka the South China Tiger – which is the most ancient tiger on the planet, is on the verge of extinction.
Nine Tigers
The Chinese Tiger
The South China Tiger (aka Panthera tigris amoyensis), is also known as the Chinese, Amoy, or Xiamen tiger. It is the most endangered tiger in the world and only about 100 survive in captivity. The Chinese Tiger originated in China two million years ago and is commonly believed to be the ancestral tiger from which all other subspecies of tiger are descended.
The South China Tiger is believed to have a more archaic skull, whose ratio of the length and width is relatively larger than other tiger subspecies. Its body is slim with a slender waist. It is distinguishable from other tiger subspecies by its narrower face, longer nose, more intense orange color, short fur, longer legs, and shorter & broader stripes which are spaced far apart compared with those of Bengal and Siberian tigers. Based on the researches of felidae zoologist V. Mazak, the South China Tiger hs the least number of stripes of all subspecies.
A male Chinese tiger measures from 230 to 265 cm (91 to 104 inches) straight-line, and weighs 130 to 175 kg (290 to 390 lbs). Females are smaller and measure 220 to 240 cm (87 to 94 inches) and weigh 110 to 115 kg (240 to 250 lbs). Greatest length of skull in males is 318 to 343 mm (12.5 to 13.5 inches), and in females 273 to 301 mm (10.7 to 11.9 inches).
In the 1950’s the South China tiger as well as leopards and wolves were eliminated as pests, which posed danger to the livestock of farmers and villagers. Consequently the wild population of the South China Tiger fell from more than 4,000 to less than 200 by 1982. The Chinese government then banned hunting in 1977, but many organizations declared it extinct in the wild by the 1990s.
Other Tiger Subspecies
Some experts classified the tiger into nine subspecies while others believe a tiger is a tiger is a tiger. What distinguishes one from another is purely national boundaries. Traditionally, these were the tiger subspecies:
- Amur Tiger (aka Panthera tigris altaica), is also known as Siberian, Manchurian or North China tiger, depending on the language and the country. It is normally found in far eastern Siberia, north-east of China. Only a few hundred of them survive in the wild.
- Bengal Tiger (aka Panthera tigris tigris) is also named the Indian tiger and is usually found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. About 1700 of these big cats remain.
- Caspian Tiger or Persian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) was also called Xingjiang tiger. Its ranged covered Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Caucasus, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekist anuntil it apparently became extinct in the 1970s. Most recently however scientists found that the Caspian tiger is genetically identical to the Siberian tiger.
- Indochinese Tiger (aka Panthera tigris corbetti) is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Malayan Tiger (aka Panthera tigris jacksoni) is a newly classified subspecies of tiger and only ound in the Malay Peninsula.
- Javan Tiger (aka Panthera tigris sondaica) used to exist in the Indonesian island of Java but believed to be extinct since the 1980s.
- Sumatran Tiger (aka Panthera tigris sumatrae) still exists in the island of Sumatra but only a few hundred are left.
- Bali Tiger or Balinese Tiger (aka Panthera tigris balica), was the smallest of all tiger sub-species. It was declared extinct in 1937.
Tiger culture
King of the Hundred Beasts
The tiger has always featured heavily in Chinese culture and tradition. It has long been revered as a symbol of strength and power, and a subject of awe and fear.
The tiger is the third sign of the Chinese Zodiac, and is thought of as Ruler of the beasts on Earth. A person born in the year of the Tiger is courageous, optimistic, tolerant and generous. They can expect a long life, and were born to command, not to obey.
The Chinese have interpreted the marking on the tiger’s forehead as the pictogram Wang, also a common family name, meaning “king”. Or rather, because of the tiger’s power as king of the forest and the marking on its head, the marking was adopted into the Chinese language meaning “king”. The Tiger is a yang animal, and is associated with the powerful male principle of courage, bravery, dignity and austerity. The Tiger is also known as the King of the Mountain, and it is said that it has the power to drive away evil. In times of war a Tiger’s head would be painted onto soldiers’ shields to terrify the enemy.
In Chinese folklore, tigers are believed to be such powerful creatures that they are endowed with the ability to ward off the three main household disasters — fire, thieves and evil spirits. A painting of a Tiger is often hung on a wall inside a building facing the entrance to ensure that demons would be too afraid to enter. Even in modern China, children wear tiger-headed caps and shoes embroidered with tiger heads to ward off evil spirits and sleep on tiger-shaped pillows to make them robust. During the year of the tiger, children have the character Wang painted on their foreheads in wine and mercury to promote vigour and health.
In ancient China, the tiger was the principal animal god and was known as the Guardian Spirit of Agriculture, believed to drive away the Drought Demon.
It was believed that after 500 years a Tiger would turn white, and could then live for 1,000 years. When a tiger died its spirit would enter the earth and become Amber. The original term for Amber was ‘Soul of the Tiger’.
The tiger symbolizes dignity and prestige: The sign in the courts of ancient China”Huipi Sujing” – meaning “Silence and Respect”; “Tiger Tally” – a tiger-shaped tally issued to generals as imperial authorization for troop movement, and the tiger skin covered seats of heads of bandits in ancient China all convey this aspect.
Chinese Years of the Tiger:
1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034