Tigers are one of the most beautiful animals in the animal kingdom.
These beautiful animals, with their orange fur, and black stripes, stand out and make these big cats instantly recognizable. But, while tigers are, instantly recognizable, these beautiful big cats can be really hard to spot in the wild, as they blend in so well with their surroundings and natural habitat.
Tigers are found in several different countries across Asia - from India to Indonesia. India is home to most of the world's tigers in the wild and has the biggest population of tigers in the world today. In other countries where tigers are found, the tiger population tends to be very low in the wild.
The low populations of tigers and the different tiger subspecies result in many of the subspecies of the tiger being endangered or critically endangered today.
Tigers are an endangered species today.
It is estimated that there are only around 3,900 tigers in the wild today.
In this list, we will look at the world's top 5 species of endangered (including critically endangered) tiger species in the wild.
5 Amur Tiger
Amur tigers are a beautiful tiger species which are known by two names.
These big cats are known as both Amur tigers and siberian tigers. As their name suggest, these beautiful big cats live in some of the world's coldest climates. They are found in cold, snowy mountain areas of Russia and China.
Amur tigers once existed in other parts of Asia in the past, but are no longer found there. They once where found in Mongolia and Korea in the past, though they are no longer found there today. It is possible, however, that there are Amur Tigers living in North Korea, however, as the country is mostly cut off from the rest of the world, its not clear whether or not the do exist in North Korea today.
Amur tigers are the cat species which start of this list. They are endangered today.
It is estimated that the Amur tiger population today is around 500 cats.
4 Sumatran Tiger
Sumatra tigers are native to one of the islands of Indonesia.
These tigers are also known by the name the 'Sunda tiger', as the island of Sumatra is also known at the Sunda island. Sumatran tigers are the smallest of all the tiger subspecies today. They may be the smallest of the tiger subspecies, but, like all tigers, Sumatran tigers have a lot of personality.
Sumatran tigers live within the rainforests of Sumatra. The Sumatran tiger adds life to these beautiful rainforests. In the Sumtran rainforest, Sumtran tigers live alongside many other beautiful animals that are only found within the Sumatran rainforest - these other animals include the Sumatran rhino (which is a critically endangered species today), and, the Sumatran Orangutan (who are also critically endangered today). The Sumatran tiger themselves, is also critically endangered today.
Sumatran tigers are very rare today.
It is estimated that the Sumatran tiger population is less than 400 tigers today.
3 Indochinese Tiger
The Indochinese tiger is found in a different part of Asia, than the Sumatran tiger.
Indochinese tigers are found in just two countries now, in Asia. These two countries are Myanmar and Thailand. These beautiful tigers also were found in Laos, until very recently. It is believed that the last Indochinese tiger was killed in Laos in 2019.
In 2010, Indochinese tigers existed in three times as many countries in the wild compared to today. These six countries are - Loas, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Thailand. They are not a common species today in the wild and are incredibly rare today. The reducation of Indochinese tigers going from six countries in the wild in 2010, to two countries in the wild today, shows how fast the population of these beautiful cats have been disappearing.
The Indochinese tiger was once abundent across much of Asia at one time. But, sadly, this is no longer the case, as the population of this tiger is very low today. In 2010, the WWF estimated that the Indochinese tiger population had fallen by a massive 70% in just one decade! Indochinese tigers are critically endangered today.
It is estimated that there are just 221 Indochinese tigers in the wild today.
2 Malayan Tiger
Malayan Tigers are one of the rarest animals in the world today.
They are also one of the rarest big cat species, and, one of the rarest tiger species today. Malayan tigers, like many of the tiger subspecies, are critically endangered today, which, sadly means that these beautiful big cats are close to extinction.
They have a population which is slightly smaller than the Indochinese tiger.
The only place that Malayan tigers are found in the wild, is in Malaysia. These beautiful animals are so rare, that they are found nowhere else in the world. These big cats are similiar in their looks to the other tiger species, and, they are also a similiar size to the Sumatran tiger.
The Malayan tiger has seen a massive decline in their population over recent years. It has been estimated that the Malayan tiger population declined by a massive 50% between 2009 and 2018 in the wild.
Today, it is estimated that there is less than 200 of these tigers in the wild.
1 South China Tiger
South China Tigers are the rarest tiger species in the world today.
These cute tigers are so rare today, that they have been critically endangered since 1996. Which means, that these tigers have been staring extinction in the face for almost 30 years now. So far, South China Tigers have avoided extinction since then.
At the same time though, these big cats are still in danger of becoming extinct. They are one of the world's most rarest animals and cats. They are so rare that it is believed that they are now extinct in the wild, but, they have not been declared extinct in the wild. There is, however, a small population of these cats living in captivity in China. It is believed that there are around 100 South China Tigers living in zoos in China today, this could offer hope for these beautiful tigers, if they are able to be successfully reintoroduced into the wild in China.
For now though, South China tigers are the rarest tiger in the world today.
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