TIGER SUB-SPECIES

Oct. 26, 2018

A recent study published by a team of researchers in the journal Current Biology has confirmed that tigers fall into six genetically distinct groups.

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Till now, scientists had been uncertain whether there are six, five or only two subspecies of tigers.
Now, a team of researchers has confirmed that tigers fall into six genetically distinct groups. The six subspecies are: (1) Bengal tiger, (2) Amur tiger, (3) South China tiger, (4) Sumatran tiger, (5) Indochinese tiger, and (6) Malayan tiger.
Three other tiger subspecies have already been lost to extinction. These are: (1) Caspian tiger, (2) Javan tiger, and (3) Bali tigers.
The findings are based on an analysis of the complete genomes of 32 representative tiger specimens.
Habitat loss and poaching continue to threaten the survival of tigers, of which just 4,000 specimens remain in the wild.