Caspian Tiger Fact Sheet Common Name: Caspian Tiger Scientific Name: Panthera tigris tigris Wild Status: Extinct Habitat: Wetlands Country: Various countries in Central Asia 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 hunting drove the number of Caspian Tigers 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 animals, efforts were made to protect the species before its extinction, 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 Turkey, Iraq, Iran, China, Russia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. • Most likely hunted boars and deer, sometimes approaching civilization to eat cattle and dogs • Like many extinct species, a combination of hunting and loss of habitat doomed the Caspian Tiger • Like most big cats, their only predator was likely humans Taxonomic Breakdown Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Feliformia Family: Felidae Subfamily: Pantherinae Genus: Panthera Species: P. tigris Subspecies: P. t. tigris Conservation & Helping Extinct, with some efforts to bring it back, much like the Quagga. Tigers in the Amur river, also home to the Amur Leopard, 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. Download all our fact sheets, take our quizzes, and more, all in the Critter Squad Kids’ Zone! https://www.crittersquad.com/kids-zone/.