Sumatran tigers
| Sumatran tiger | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | P. tigris |
| Subspecies: | P. t. sumatrae |
| Trinomial name | |
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Panthera tigris sumatrae Pocock, 1929 |
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| Distribution map | |
The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is a rare tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2008 as the population was estimated at 441 to 679 individuals, with no subpopulation larger than 50 individuals and a declining trend.
The Sumatran tiger is the only surviving member of the Sunda Islands group of tigers that included the now extinct Bali tiger and Javan tiger.Sequences from complete of 34 tigers support the hypothesis that Sumatran tigers are diagnostically distinct from mainland populations.
Pocock first described the Sumatran tiger on the basis of several skull, pelage, and striping features in which it is distinct from the Indian and Javan tigers. It is darker in fur colour and has thicker stripes than the Javan tiger. Stripes tend to disintegrate into spots near their ends, and lines of small, dark specks between regular stripes may be found on the back, flanks, and hind legs. The frequency of stripes is higher than in other subspecies.
Males have a prominent ruff, which is especially marked in the Sumatran tiger.
The Sumatran tiger is one of the smallest tiger subspecies. Males weigh 100 to 140 kg (220 to 310 lb) and measure 2.2 to 2.55 m (87 to 100 in) in length between the pegs with a greatest length of skull of 295 to 335 mm (11.6 to 13.2 in). Females weigh 75 to 110 kg (165 to 243 lb) and measure 215 to 230 cm (85 to 91 in) in length between the pegs with a greatest length of skull of 263 to 294 mm (10.4 to 11.6 in).
Charles Frederick Partington (1835) said that Sumtran and Javan tigers were strong enough to break legs of horses or buffaloes with their paws, though they were not as heavy as Bengal tigers.
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