Panthera tigris virgata
| Caspian tiger | |
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| Captive Caspian tiger, Berlin Zoo, 1899 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | P. tigris |
| Subspecies: | P. t. virgata |
| Trinomial name | |
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Panthera tigris virgata Illiger, 1815 |
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| Original distribution (in dark grey) | |
The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) was considered an extinct tiger subspecies, which inhabited the sparse forests and riverine corridors west and south of the Caspian Sea from Turkey through Central Asia to the Takla Makan desert of Xinjiang in China until the end of the twentieth century.
Until the early 21th century, it was considered a distinct subspecies. Results of genetic studies indicate that the Caspian tiger was a population of the Siberian tiger (P. t. altaica). As of 2017, only two tiger subspecies are considered valid, viz the mainland Asian tiger P. t. tigris and the Sundaland tiger P. t. sondaica.
The Caspian tiger was one of the biggest cats to have ever lived, and was described as being intermediate in size between Siberian and Bengal tigers. Depending on the region of origin, it was also called Hyrcanian tiger, Turanian tiger,Persian tiger, and Babre Mazandaran (Persian: ببرِ مازندران, Tiger of Mazandaran).
Photographs of skins of Caspian and Amur tigers indicate that the main background colour of the Caspian tiger's pelage varied and was generally brighter and more uniform than that of the Siberian tiger. The stripes were narrower, fuller and more closely set than those of tigers from Manchuria. The colour of its stripes were a mixture of brown or cinnamon shades. Pure black patterns were invariably found only on the head, neck, the middle of the back and at the tip of the tail. Angular patterns at the base of the tail were less developed than those of Far Eastern populations. The contrast between the summer and winter coats was sharp, though not to the same extent as in Far Eastern populations. The winter coat was paler, with less distinct patterns. The summer coat had a similar density and hair length to that of the Bengal tiger, though its stripes were usually narrower, longer and closer set. Apart from that, they had the thickest fur amongst tigers, given their occurrence in the more temperate parts of Eurasia.
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Wikipedia