The 9 Types of Tiger Species From Around the World

Tiger: ferocious, beautiful, endangered. They are one of the most popular big cats in the world, but also some of the rarest. Today, there are fewer than 5,000 tigers living in the wild in just 5 percent of their historic range. The exact number of tiger species in the world has long been a point of contention among scientists.

Today, there are two official tigers: the Continental Tiger and the Sunda Island Tiger. Continental tigers are all tigers that live (or have lived) in mainland Asia, while Sunda tigers are tigers that live (or have lived) in the Indonesian archipelago.

Let’s discover all living and extinct tiger species in the world!

1. Bali tiger (extinct)

The last Bali tiger in the world died sometime in the 1950s. However, the subspecies was not officially declared extinct until 2008. These tigers live only on the Indonesian island of Bali. Males grow to 7.7 feet long and weigh up to 220 pounds. Females grow up to 7 feet long and weigh up to 175 pounds. These smaller tigers are dying from habitat loss and overhunting.

2. Sumatran Tiger

The Sumatran tiger is the only surviving member of the Sunda Island tiger species, living only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Male Sumatran tigers can reach lengths of 8 feet and weigh up to 265 pounds. Females grow up to 7 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds. These tigers prey on many types of deer, wild boars, porcupines and monkeys such as macaques. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered; their main threats are poaching and habitat loss from the palm oil industry.

3. Javan tiger (extinct)

This tiger species, endemic only to the Indonesian island of Java, became extinct in the 1970s. Male Javan tigers grow up to 8.2 feet long and weigh up to 315 pounds, while females are slightly smaller. Humans wiped out the Javan tiger through a combination of hunting and habitat destruction. The subspecies was officially declared extinct in 2008.

4. South China Tiger

The South China tiger is the smallest of all continental subspecies. Fewer than 100 of these tigers remain in southern China’s Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. Male South China tigers can reach lengths of 8.8 feet and weigh up to 330 pounds. Females grow to 7.10 feet long and weigh up to 240 pounds. Despite being an apex predator at the top of the food chain, the South China tiger is still on the brink of extinction.

5. Indochinese Tiger

This tiger only lives in Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. There are thought to be fewer than 500 Indochinese tigers left in the wild. Males grow to 9.4 feet long and weigh up to 430 pounds. Females grow to 8.4 feet long and weigh up to 285 pounds. The biggest threat to Indochinese tigers is illegal poaching because tiger body parts are in high demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine.

6. Malay Tiger

These critically endangered tigers live only in Peninsular Malaysia. There are thought to be fewer than 300 Malayan tigers left in the wild. Malayan tigers are slightly larger than Indochinese tigers, growing up to 9.5 feet long and weighing up to 260 pounds. Their greatest threat comes from habitat loss and fragmentation, largely due to the palm oil industry.

7. Bengals

This tiger is endemic to Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Male Bengal tigers can grow up to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 570 pounds. Females grow to 8.7 feet long and weigh up to 350 pounds. Thanks to conservation efforts over the past two decades, Bengal tiger populations have stabilized in many regions. However, they are still under threat. Their main threats come from poaching for the illegal wildlife trade and retaliatory killings from human-wildlife conflict.

8. Caspian tiger (extinct)

The tiger was once found in river valleys in Central Asia and the Middle East, but became extinct in the 1970s. Caspian tigers are dying from habitat loss — they specialize in many of the same environments that humans consider conducive to agriculture and habitation — and overhunting. Males grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 530 pounds, with females being slightly smaller. Caspian tigers hunt deer, goats and wild boars.

9. Siberian (Amur) tiger

Amur tigers used to live in eastern Russia and northeastern China. Today, they remain only in the Russian Far East. The males of this tiger are the largest big cats in the world; they can grow up to 11 feet long and weigh up to 600 pounds. Females grow up to 9 feet long and weigh up to 370 pounds. Like all tigers, the Siberian tiger is an obligate carnivore. This means they only need meat in their diet. Prey includes roe deer, moose, musk deer, hare, red deer, and even bears.

The main threat to the survival of the Siberian tiger is the demand for tiger body parts such as fur, bones, teeth and organs. This need is met through a combination of poaching and captive tiger breeding in inhumane tiger farms.

Ian Warkentin

I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.

Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.