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VIDEO

VIDEO

Tiger Terror

Tiger Terror

A Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) makes a rare attack in Russia.

Grades

6 - 12

Subjects

Biology, Geography, Human Geography

Program
Big Cats Initiative

Siberian (Amur) tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) are the largest of the big cats and are known for their strength and power. Most wild Siberian tigers live in the woodlands of eastern Russia. Some are also found in northeastern China and Korea. Only about 50 wild Siberian (Amur) tigers remain in Russia and China today. Along with the other four tiger subspecies, Siberian tigers are one of the most endangered carnivores on Earth.

Humans are associated with up to 80 percent of all Siberian tiger deaths. As human populations increase and habitat is destroyed throughout the Siberian tiger's range, competition between humans and tigers increases. Humans outcompete tigers for food and space. Siberian tiger populations are also threatened by illegal poaching and retaliatory killings that result from human-tiger conflicts in the wild.

Fast Fact

Humans have caused up to 80 percent of all Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) deaths.

Fast Fact

During the 20th century, three tiger subspecies, the Balinese tiger, the Javan tiger, and the Caspian tiger, became extinct. The six remaining tiger subspecies include the Amur (Siberian) tiger, Bengal (Indian) tiger, Indochinese tiger, Malayan tiger, South China tiger, and Sumatran tiger.

Fast Fact

In the 1940s, no more than 40 Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) remained in the wild.

Fast Fact

Conservation efforts have helped the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) population to recover and remain stable over the last decade.

Media Credits

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Writer
Angela M. Cowan, Education Specialist and Curriculum Designer
Editor
Julie Brown, National Geographic Society
Expert Reviewer
Dr. Luke Dollar, Conservation Scientist
National Geographic Program
Big Cats Initiative
Producer
Alison Michel
other
Last Updated

April 29, 2024

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