The Bengal tiger or the Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is the most common subspecies of tiger and is found primarily in India and Bangladesh. It lives in varied habitats: grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests, and mangroves. Males in the wild usually weigh 450 to 500 lb, while the average female will weigh about 310 lb. However, the northern Indian and the Nepalese Bengal tigers are somewhat bulkier than those found in the south of the Indian Subcontinent, with males averaging around 520 lb. (Tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, November 6, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiger&oldid=323884550)
The Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), also called Corbett's tiger, is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. These tigers are smaller and darker than Bengal tigers: Males weigh from 330–420 lb while females are smaller at 240–310 lb. Their preferred habitat is forests in mountainous or hilly regions. (Tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, November 6, 2009, from (Tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, November 6, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiger&oldid=323884550)
The Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni), exclusively found in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula, was not considered a subspecies in its own right until 2004. The new classification came about after a study by Luo et al. from the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity Study, part of the National Cancer Institute of the United States. Recent counts showed there are 600–800 tigers in the wild, making it the third largest tiger population, behind the Bengal tiger and the Indochinese tiger. The Malayan tiger is the smallest of the mainland tiger subspecies, and the second smallest living subspecies, with males averaging about 260lb and females about 220lb in weight. The Malayan tiger is a national icon in Malaysia, appearing on its coat of arms and in logos of Malaysian institutions, such as Maybank. (Tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, November 6, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiger&oldid=323884550)
The Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and is critically endangered. It is the smallest of all living tiger subspecies, with adult males weighing between 100–140 kg (220–310 lb) and females 75–110 kg (170–240 lb). Their small size is an adaptation to the thick, dense forests of the island of Sumatra where they reside, as well as the smaller-sized prey. (Tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, November 6, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiger&oldid=323884550)
The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Amur, Manchurian, Altaic, Korean or North China tiger, is confined to the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in far eastern Siberia, where it is now protected. Considered the largest subspecies, with a head and body length of 70–80 in (the tail of a tiger is 20–43 in long) and an average weight of around 500 lb for males, the Amur tiger is also noted for its thick coat, distinguished by a paler golden hue and fewer stripes. The heaviest wild Siberian tiger on record weighed in at 846 lb, but according to Mazak these giants are not confirmed via reliable references. Even so, a six-month old Siberian tiger can be as big as a fully grown leopard. The last two censuses (1996 and 2005) found 450–500 Amur tigers within their single, and more or less continuous, range making it one of the largest undivided tiger populations in the world. (Tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, November 6, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiger&oldid=323884550)
The South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis), also known as the Amoy or Xiamen tiger, is the most critically endangered subspecies of tiger and is listed as one of the 10 most endangered animals in the world. One of the smaller tiger subspecies, the length of the South China tiger ranges from 87–100 in for both males and females. Males weigh between 280 and 390 lb while females weigh between 220 and 260 lb. (Tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, November 6, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiger&oldid=323884550)
A white tiger is a tiger with a recessive gene that creates the pale coloration. Another genetic characteristic makes the stripes of the tiger very pale; white tigers of this type are called snow-white or "pure white". This occurs when a tiger inherits two copies of the recessive gene for the paler coloration, which is rare. They have a pink nose, pink paw pads, grey-mottled skin, ice-blue eyes, and white to cream-coloured fur with black, ash grey, or chocolate-coloured stripes. White tigers are not albinos and do not constitute a separate subspecies of their own. (White tiger. (2009, November 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:19, November 6, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_tiger&oldid=323821422)