Birds - Fish - Mammals - Reptiles & Amphibians

Sumatran Tiger

The Sumatran Tiger is the smallest tiger of the family of mammals. With the continued destruction of their natural habitat, the Sumatran Tiger population of 500 will increasingly drop.

Description

Latin Name: Panthera tigris sumatran	Conservation Status: Endangered
Distribution: Sumatra, Indonesia	Average Weight: Male - 115kg, Female - 80kg

The Sumatran Tiger lives in dense, thick jungle. This has resulted in their small size. Like most tigers, their coloration is orange with black stripes, and a white / cream colored underside.

The Sumatran Tigers are known for being very good swimmers and they are well adapted to it because their feet actually have webbing between the toes. This allows them to chase their prey into the water where they can easily overtake it

Conservation

The entire wild population of Sumtran Tigers is limited to one island in Indonesia with no more than 400 individual Sumatran Tigers. This obviously puts them at great risk of extinction.

Much concern has been givin to the conservation of the Sumatran Tiger, even more so than other species of Tiger. Genetic anomalies have suggested that if this tiger survives extinction, there is a possibility it could develop into a seperate species. The total population of the Sumatran Tiger is estimated to be between 400 and 500 animals. Logging continues to destroy their natural habitat, even in national parks where they live.