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There are six living subspecies of tigers: Bengal, Amur, South China, Sumatran, Indochinese, and Malayan, according a study published today (October 25) in Current Biology. The distinctions could help efforts to conserve the world’s 4,000 remaining tigers, the authors say.
For years, researchers have debated the number of tiger subspecies. In 2004, Shu-Jin Luo, now at the University of Peking, and colleagues proposed that there were six, based on an analysis of several molecular markers. Yet in 2015, other researchers claimed there were only two subspecies, using molecular, ecological, and morphological data. In the present study, which relied on whole-genome sequencing, Luo and colleagues confirm their original finding.
The number of recognized subspecies has implications for conservation efforts, and acknowledging only two would harm tigers, Luo tells The New York Times. “If you think that all tigers are genetically homogeneous, you might say if you lose ...
