The South China Tiger - Species Profile
Scientific Name : Panthera tigris amoyensis
Common Name : South China Tiger
NATURAL HABITAT
The South China tiger is indigenous to only one country, China. The tiger's natural habitat is in the southern forests of China, where there is an abundance of food and water for the animal and its possible offspring. Even the sanctuaries and reserves made to conserve the population of this species are situated only in Southern China, where the climate and conditions are perfect for these tigers to thrive; as this is where they all came from. The South China tiger was once quite widespread amongst the lands of China, however it is now only found in isolated spots in Southern China, most of them being in reserves.The South China tiger, like all other tigers, is a terrestrial mammal that lives, sleeps, and breeds on land. However, unlike other species of the Felidae family, like to be in water.
POPULATION
The South China tiger is, currently, critically endangered. This means that the species is nearly extinct in the wild and only has a decent amount left alive in captivity. For the South China tiger, this is definitely the case. Approximately only 20 of these animals are current living in the wild, and only 59 are in captivity for breeding attempts. The population trend as of late is constantly declining. However, the largest decline was from 1959-1982 where the population of these marvelous creatures rapidly declined from over 4,000 to just under 200. This was due to the tiger being marked as a pest due to killing livestock and attacking farmers. Since this massive decrease, the population has been constantly decreasing, although it is not at an alarming rate. What is alarming, however, is that the population is still declining even thought it is so low. Since 1982, where the population was approximately 200 in the wild, until now, 2011, where the population is approximately 20, the decrease is obvious. In the past 10 years alone, tigers have faces a 45% decrease in population. Today, tigers are occupying just 7% of their historical range.
Below is the small area that is inhabited by South China tigers. This is the only place that you can find them, in the wild, today.
Common Name : South China Tiger
NATURAL HABITAT
The South China tiger is indigenous to only one country, China. The tiger's natural habitat is in the southern forests of China, where there is an abundance of food and water for the animal and its possible offspring. Even the sanctuaries and reserves made to conserve the population of this species are situated only in Southern China, where the climate and conditions are perfect for these tigers to thrive; as this is where they all came from. The South China tiger was once quite widespread amongst the lands of China, however it is now only found in isolated spots in Southern China, most of them being in reserves.The South China tiger, like all other tigers, is a terrestrial mammal that lives, sleeps, and breeds on land. However, unlike other species of the Felidae family, like to be in water.
POPULATION
The South China tiger is, currently, critically endangered. This means that the species is nearly extinct in the wild and only has a decent amount left alive in captivity. For the South China tiger, this is definitely the case. Approximately only 20 of these animals are current living in the wild, and only 59 are in captivity for breeding attempts. The population trend as of late is constantly declining. However, the largest decline was from 1959-1982 where the population of these marvelous creatures rapidly declined from over 4,000 to just under 200. This was due to the tiger being marked as a pest due to killing livestock and attacking farmers. Since this massive decrease, the population has been constantly decreasing, although it is not at an alarming rate. What is alarming, however, is that the population is still declining even thought it is so low. Since 1982, where the population was approximately 200 in the wild, until now, 2011, where the population is approximately 20, the decrease is obvious. In the past 10 years alone, tigers have faces a 45% decrease in population. Today, tigers are occupying just 7% of their historical range.
Below is the small area that is inhabited by South China tigers. This is the only place that you can find them, in the wild, today.