Tigers, living in the forests, are known for their rapid speed, strong bodies, and hunting skills. They are the top of the food chain on land. The closest we are to them might be in the zoos, with lions and other wild animals. However, some of the types are already in danger or are extinct. Caspian tiger, is one of them.

Overview of tigers and common types of tigers

Here are some common types of tigers that exist or have existed:

+ Javan Tiger (extinct), Caspian Tiger (extinct), Bali Tiger (extinct)

From appearance, they look alike but with subtle differences, especially on their size and stripes. However, they are the same species, and their binomial name is all Panthera tigris. Panthera genus stands for the five “cats”: Snow Leopard, Tiger, Jaguar, Leopard and Lion. But note: domestic cats are not in the genus of Panthera, but rather is Felis. Domestic cats and tigers are in the same family – Felidae.

According to World WildLife, there are 5,574 wild tigers, and the wild tigers live mostly in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia and China. In terms of their habitats, they live in rainforests, grasslands, savannas and even mangrove swamps, according to World WildLife.

In the picture it is clear that most types of tigers are endangered or critically endangered. Other types are extinct, and Caspian Tigers is one of them.

Overview of Caspian Tiger

Caspian tigers live in the sparse forests and riverine corridors of central Asia. They went extinct in the 1970s. Their subspecies name is Virgata. They are one of the largest tigers according to Endangered Tigers, and they have narrow stripes that were close together and yellow stripes on its white belly fur. Their body length is usually longer than 3m.

They are believed to have traveled along with the migratory herds of its favorite prey animals which included wild boar and deer species.

The geographical location, central Asia, consists of deserts, and normally has cold weather. However, thanks to Evolution, the Caspian Tigers evolved to adapt to dry environment and cold weather. According to Project Endangered Tigers, they have thicker fur than those that inhabit tropical areas.

Despite for all that, the habitats should still be sources of water in their habitats in order for them to survive. One example could be Panthera tigris lecoqi, a branch of Caspian Tigers, and they widely inhabited Xinjiang, Northwestern China. Specifically, they inhabited Tarim Basin, drained by Tarim River. There used to be vast poplar forests, reedbeds and wetlands, as well as wild boars and antelopes. Those were valuable food and habitat resources for Caspian Tigers.

Why did Caspian Tiger go extinct?

In the example above, research shows that when scientist Sven Hedin investigated Xinjiang in 1899, he had recorded the track of a tiger; in 1934, however, no tigers were to be seen, and the folks were also not aware of the reasons. According to Hedin, in the river basin, there was a “huge group of large ants“, and they were capable of attacking the tiger cubs, which made the tiger go extinct.

However, according to 新疆虎，塔里木盆地的顶级捕食者，它是怎么消失的？,it was more commonly believed that because of the diversion of the Tarim River, the water in the downstream of the river has substantially decreased, causing the vegetation to decline, as well as the herbivores. As a result, the numbers of Caspian tigers in Xinjiang declined rapidly. As the river dried out completely later, there came the extinction of the tigers at that area.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the impact of loss of habitat and food sources on the survival of the tigers. According to Project Endangered Species, in addition, the endless hunting of the tigers at that period was also dominant. Humans moved into their territory, taking away food resources. Furthermore, due to pollution, killing and agricultural affairs, their population declined as well. They were officially declared to be extinct in 2003.

Possibility of Re-establishment of Caspian Tigers

Nevertheless, new research supports the fact of restoring Caspian Tigers, as Amur Tigers and extinct Caspian Tigers share very similar genetics, and they could be a source of reintroduction of the Caspian Tigers. However, those still need to be furtherly discussed and studies, but has already raised hope of seeing the valuable Caspian Tigers again.

Overall, though both natural and human actions factors led to the extinction of Caspian Tigers, it is still possible that we could see Caspian Tigers running on the vast land or basins. Tigers, lions, leopards, etc. coexist with humans, and this means that the protection of the habitats of those wild animals equal the protection of our own homeland.

Thank you for reading! Let’s discuss how we can save the tigers and other wild animals in the comment section below!