The South China tiger is found in central and eastern China. All other tigers are thought to
have evolved from the South China tiger.
The South China tiger is one of the smallest tiger subspecies.
Its short, broad stripes are spaced far apart compared to the Bengal and Siberian tigers.
The
South China tiger is the most endangered tiger subspecies. The male South China tiger is between 8 and
9 feet from nose to tail while the smaller female is between 7and 8 feet in length. The female South
China tiger weighs between 220 and 250 pounds while the heavier male tiger is between 290 and 380 pounds.
In the 1950s, it was reported that there were 4,000 South China tigers in the wild. The Chinese
government declared them pest and they were hunted to the brink of extinction.
There are fewer
than twenty South China tigers thought to still exist in the wild. No South China tiger has been seen
in the wild in ten years. It is the rarest of the five living
tiger subspecies, the most threatened,
and the closest to extinction. Currently 48 South China tigers live in 19 zoos, all in China. These
captive tigers are all descended from 6 wild caught South China tigers. If the situation of the South
China tiger does not improve very soon, then they will not survive much longer.
|
