Where Do Tigers Live

Tigers are a large species of the cat family with 9 different subspecies. All tiger species can be identified by their stripy coats of fur and feline like features. They are the national animal of many Asian countries and are recognized as strong, mighty creatures. During recent years the number of tigers in the wild has decreased rapidly. Three of the recognized subspecies, the Bali Tiger, The Caspian Tiger and the Javan Tiger are now extinct due to over hunting and loss of habitat. The remaining six face the same threats and as such all tigers are now considered endangered species. So where do the six subspecies of Tigers live? Read this article to learn more.

Where Do Tigers Live?

The Bengal tiger is perhaps the most well known of the tiger subspecies the most populous of the tiger species in the wild. Bengal tigers inhabit the Asian countries of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. These tigers live in areas of subtropical and tropical rainforest, deciduous forest in Nepal as well as alluvial grasslands, scrub forests and mangroves near Ganges Delta. They prefer these habitats as the flora provides cover and there is abundant prey for the tigers to hunt.

The Indochinese Tiger (Corbetts Tiger) is smaller than the Bengal tiger and darker in color. As the name suggest this tiger inhabits many of the countries near China and China itself. Indochinese tigers can be found in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam. These tigers live in mainly mountainous and hilly areas of forest. Many of these tigers are hunted and killed to stock Chinese pharmacies.

The Malayan Tiger is only found in the southern part of the Malayan Peninsula. They are found in the forested areas near Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Johor. Particularly in areas were the forest intersected with rivers or other water ways. The Malayan Tiger is the smallest of all the mainland subspecies and the second smallest of all the tigers.

As its name suggests the Sumatran Tiger is only located on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. This tiger is critically endangered and is the smallest of all the living species of Tiger. These tigers inhabit thick, dense forest and hunt smaller prey. Some of these tigers live in lowland coastal forest, while other populations inhabit mountain forests.

The Siberian Tiger (Amur Tiger) is the biggest of all the tiger species and inhabits the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in far eastern Siberia. These tigers have less stripes than their counterparts and are lighter in color. Siberian Tigers can also be found in the Eastern Manchurian mountain system, which crosses into Russia from China at several places in southwest Primorye. These tigers live in a variety of forest types due to the different elevations present in this area. Some live in evergreen and pine forests whilst others live in conifer forests. These tigers also commonly encounter snow and cold weather in their habitat.

The South China Tiger (also known as the Amoy or Xiamen tiger) is listed as one of the 10 most critically endangered species in the world. It is thought that this tiger no longer exists in the wild with the last sighting in 2007 proved to be a fake. Currently 59 of this subspecies are in captivity in China. This tiger once inhabited the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi in southern China and lived in subtropical forests near rivers and other water ways.

A Tiger’s Habitat

All species of Tiger prefer habitat were they have plenty of camouflage from trees and shrubs, there is abundant prey for the tigers to hunt and there is a plentiful source of fresh water. However, the different species of tigers can all live in many different habitats. These include…

• Forests. These can be cold, snowy forests or forests on the tops of hills.
• On to tops of snowy mountains.
• In mangrove swamps.
• In grassy jungles.
• In hot swamps.

Tigers prefer to live near the water. They often cool themselves down in the day by swimming in pools of water. They sometimes swim carrying dead prey in their mouths!

Did you enjoy this post? Then check out our other article- What Do Tigers Eat.