Common Name/s: Tiger.  There are five species of tiger alive today, the Royal Bengal tiger, the Indo-Chinese tiger, the Siberian tiger, the South China tiger and the Sumatran tiger.  Three species of tiger are now extinct, the Caspian tiger, the Javan tiger, and the Bali tiger.

Scientific Name/s: Panthera tigris.   Panthera tigris tigris (Royal Bengal tiger), Panthera tigris corbetti (Indo-Chinese tiger), Panthera tigris altaica (Siberian tiger), Panthera tigris amoyensis (South China tiger), Panthera tigris sumatrae (Sumatran tiger), Panthera tigris virgata (Caspian tiger), Panthera tigris sondaica (Javan tiger), Panthera tigris balica (Bali tiger).

Range and Habitat: Currently tigers survive only in scattered populations from Bangladesh west to Myanmar, and in Sumatra, China, and the Russian Far East. The largest national population is found in India.

Status: Critically Endangered

Tigers are being hunted into extinction for their skin, bone and penis. Tiger bone is used in traditional Asian medicine to treat ailments such as rheumatism, joint and back pain, paralysis and leprosy. In Asia, the bones of a single poached tiger can fetch up to US$30,000. Tiger penis is believed to treat impotency and demands high prices as an 'exotic' food, a bowl of tiger penis soup costing up to US$320 in Taiwan. The tiger's skin is also highly coveted on the luxury market for rugs and other decoration.