South China Tiger Facts

South China Tiger Profile

Tigers once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. It’s proposed that there are at least six subspecies, having diverged in the Pleistocene from a common ancestor found in China. And what’s left of this ancestor is now one of the most endangered animals on Earth. 

The South China tiger is likely one of the oldest lines of tigers left, and despite being one of our most loved animals, we’ve neglected this subspecies possibly to the point of extinction. 

South China Tiger Facts Overview

South China tigers are subspecies of one of the most endangered animals on the planet. These powerful and athletic cats are apex predators in their range, once numbering in the tens of thousands, but now reduced to the double digits and only found in captivity. 

But there is hope for the subspecies, and for tigers as a whole, that we may one day see them returned to their native lands to live free again. 

Interesting South China Tiger Facts

1. Are they a population or a subspecies?

Tiger taxonomy (as with most taxonomy) happens to be a little bit all over the place, but recent genetic research seems to be crystallising it a little better.

It was once believed that the South China tigers were a subspecies of the tiger, Panthera tigris, known as P.t. amoyensis. 

Then, a bunch of subspecies were collapsed when researchers decided they were just different populations of the mainland tiger, P. t. tigris. Since then, genetic analysis has reinforced the original classification, suggesting that these tigers are genetically distinct enough to be a subspecies.

While convoluted and a little exhausting, this sort of classification is important, particularly when it comes to animals as endangered as this tiger is, but also because it helps us understand who was here first. ¹

2. They might be the OG tiger

From morphological assessments, some think that the South China tiger might be one of the earliest branches of tiger from a period of radiation in the Pleistocene. Essentially, that means the original, ancestral population that produced all tiger subspecies and populations today, produced this one first. 

That would make them a tiny remainder, or “relict” population of the crown group of tigers: the most recent common ancestor of all living tigers. 

3. They’re apex predators

Regardless of their history and genetic makeup, behaviourally and ecologically, these are the top hunters in their ecosystems.

This makes the tigers absolutely critical in maintaining the genetic and physiological health of the herbivores they feed on, and therefore the plant communities, too. 

As with all cats, tigers are obligate carnivores, unable to survive long without meat. A healthy, large South China tiger can consume up to 40kg of meat in a single sitting, and in this instance, that meat comes from deer, pigs, and – to the detriment of the tiger – sometimes domestic livestock. 

4. They’re probably extinct in the wild

One thing about tigers is that they’re incredibly scary and dangerous animals. This isn’t so much of a problem when they live in the thick of an uninhabited jungle with plenty of wild boars to eat, but as human populations grow and expand outwards, they bring a two-pronged force of conflict with the tigers. 

Firstly, they cut down the jungle to create space for their houses and even more space for their livestock to live in. This encroaches on tiger space and reduces the food supply. Secondly, they bring with them a lot of livestock, which is even easier to catch than wild food. 

So, the natural consequence is that tigers have nothing to eat but the livestock that’s been essentially offered up to them on a platter, and the humans who worked hard to rear that livestock don’t take kindly to this. Plus, sometimes a tiger will also kill a person. 

All of this leads to the tiger being considered a monster and a pest and eradicated en masse.

And that’s exactly what’s happened to the South China tiger: reduction in prey, uncontrolled hunting, and deforestation have left the tiger (who, remember, was minding its own business until people showed up) with no hope in the wild. 

Today, this tiger subspecies survives only in captivity, mostly in Chinese Zoos. ²

5. The “World’s Favourite Animal” is about to disappear

In a poll of about 53,000 people, the tiger came out as the favourite over dogs and dolphins. Yet in the two decades that passed since then, it seems like little has been done to show it. 

Around 97% of the world’s tigers have been lost, in exactly the same way as the South China tiger. From a total population of over 100,000 tigers across Asia, there are now just over 3,000. Only 150 of them are captive South China tigers.

6. But there is hope

Chinese captive tigers have now been registered into a studbook, which is a critical component of the breeding programs in zoos. 

A studbook records important details of each animal, such as its sex, date of birth, and full ancestry. From this, an expert can pick out the appropriate mate for the animals without jeopardising their genetic health and organise the transfer of the appropriate animals. 

Breeding programs need to have genetic diversity to form a viable population. You may have 100 tigers, but if their genes are too similar, breeding them is still a death sentence further down the line.

With a healthy spread of genes, not only are you breeding more animals, but they will also be able to breed indefinitely and perpetuate the species. Before this assessment, it was thought that the Chinese captive populations were too small and genetically similar, but as more individuals were entered, things began to look up. 

This is amazing news, as it means that the animals aren’t doomed to go extinct, and there is a case for repopulation. The next step is getting governments and local people on board. ^{3 4}

South China Tiger Fact-File Summary

Scientific Classification

1. Yue-Chen Liu (2018), “Genome-Wide Evolutionary Analysis of Natural History and Adaptation in the World’s Tigers”, Current Biology.
2. Tigers: why we need a roaring success”, WWF.
3. David Ward (2004), “Humankind’s favourite animal is a tiger”, The Guardian.
4. Wenping Zhang (2019), “Sorting Out the Genetic Background of the Last Surviving South China Tigers”, Oxford Academi.