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An Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) lives in the Siberian plateau covered with snow, while the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) lives in marshes and grasslands of the Indian subcontinent. The Amur tiger is fatter than the Bengal tiger. It also has more fur than its Bengal cousin. Owing to its weight, the Amur tiger can’t run faster than the Bengal tiger. The Bengal tiger’s coat is more golden, while the Amur tiger’s coat on its belly is more white and its stripes are paler. Both belong to the Panthera group.
Amur Tiger – Siberian Tiger:
The Amur tiger, Panthera tigris altaica also known as the Siberian tiger, is one of the largest cats in the world. The most recent IUCN Red List assessment published in 2022, estimated the population at 265–486 in the Russian Far East with a further small number ranging across the border into China and possibly North Korea.
In the 1940s, it was on the brink of extinction with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. This was due to decades of almost continual political instability with the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union.
In 1947 after WW2, Russia became the first country to ban tiger hunting and offer tigers full protection. Hunting of the main prey species, boar and deer, became restricted by annual quota based on the results of population counts. Poaching of tigers became relatively rare, because there was no market for skins and other tiger products, although hunters on occasion killed their “competitor” when an opportunity presented itself.
Bengal Tiger:
The Bengal tiger is a population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies. It ranks among the largest of wild cats. It is distributed from India, southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan to Southwestern China. Its historical range extended to the Indus River valley until the early 19th century, and it is thought to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late Pleistocene about 12,000 to 16,500 years ago. It is threatened by poaching, habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.
As of 2022, the Bengal tiger population was estimated at 3,167–3,682 individuals in India, 316–355 individuals in Nepal, 131 individuals in Bhutan and around 114 individuals in Bangladesh.
