Panthera tigris

The tiger (plural: tigers) (Scientific name: Panthera tigris) is a large carnivorous animal of the family Felidae, and is the largest living member of the family Felidae and members of the genus Panthera. It is most famous for its dark vertical stripes on its orange fur and white underside. The Indian subcontinent is home to more than 80% of the world's wild tigers. The tigers inhabit forests or grasslands, where their striped fur helps them to camouflage greatly and thus hunt prey that is usually more agile and faster than them. Tigers love to be in the water constantly on hot days, but unlike jaguars (a type of leopard-like feline) they are not strong swimmers but rather love to bathe as they are seen in ponds, rivers and swamps. Tigers primarily hunt ungulates and medium or large herbivores such as elk, wild boar, gaur (a type of wild ox), and water buffalo, and may occasionally hunt smaller game. Humans are the main danger to tigers. Illegal hunting of tigers often takes place in order to obtain their fur, bones and almost every organ of their body for use in traditional Chinese medicine to produce drugs purported to be analgesic and stimulant. Other major reasons for population decline are environmental destruction, habitat fragmentation, and hunting. illegal. Tigers are also victims of human-wildlife conflict, particularly in range countries with high human population density. Tiger numbers have declined dramatically in the wild. As of 2015, the global wild tiger population was estimated at between 3,062 and 3,948 mature individuals, and most of the population lives in small isolated pockets. India currently holds the largest population of tigers. All subspecies of the tiger have been placed on the endangered species list.