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Home , Caspian tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, Pantherinae

Caspian Fact Sheet

Common Name:

Scientific Name: tigris

Wild Status: Extinct

Habitat:

Country: Various countries in Central and the Middle East

Shelter: Trees

Life Span: Unknown

Size: 10ft long

Details

The story of the Caspian Tiger is a familiar one. Human expansion and drove the number of Caspian down to dangerous levels, with some paying generously for their furs. Individual sightings became special occasions. The last observed Caspian Tiger was seen in the 70s, with the species being declared extinct in 2003. Like with many , efforts were made to protect the species before its , which may have extended their lives for a few decades. A protected area called Trigovaya Balka was home to Caspian Tigers until 1958, when the last individual was seen.

Cool Facts

• Like all tigers, the Caspian Tiger was a carnivore who rarely, if ever, fed on plants • Their population seems to have been dispersed randomly, due to fragmentation by humans. • This species has been spotted in , , , , Russia, , and . • Most likely hunted boars and , sometimes approaching civilization to eat cattle and • Like many extinct species, a combination of hunting and loss of habitat doomed the Caspian Tiger • Like most big , their only predator was likely humans

Taxonomic Breakdown

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Suborder: Family: Subfamily: : Panthera Species: P. tigris : P. t. tigris

Conservation & Helping

Extinct, with some efforts to bring it back, much like the Quagga. Tigers in the Amur , also home to the Amur , have been found to be close enough genetically to the Caspian Tiger to occupy the same niche. Progress has been slow but plans are in motion to find the appropriate lands to introduce this species.

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