Tiger

Description:

Considered endangered by the IUCN. Tiger range appears to have declined by over 50% over the last three generations (21–27 years) (Dinerstein et al. 2007, Walston et al. 2010b). Comparing present Tiger population estimates (approximately 3,000) to those in the 1990s (5,000–7,000), despite the imprecision of the earlier estimate, also suggests a decline of at least 50% over this time period. The declining trend is likely to persist in the near future. The causes of population reduction may not be reversible in some areas.

Habitat:

Tigers are found mainly in the forests of tropical Asia, although they historically occurred more widely in drier and colder climes. One subspecies, the Amur Tiger P.t. altaica, persists in the Russian Far East. Photos of Tigers up to 4,500 m have been obtained in Bhutan (Wang 2008). Availability of a sufficient prey base of large ungulates is the Tiger's major habitat requirement: "wild pigs and deer of various species are the two prey types that make up the bulk of the Tiger's diet, and in general Tigers require a good population of these species in order to survive and reproduce" (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).

Notes:

This paw belongs to one of the female tigers at the Oakland Zoo in the East San Francisco Bay Area, CA.