Sumatrans

The Sumatran Tiger is the most endagered subspecies of tiger still in existance, with only roughly 400 wild animals left in the wild and even less than that in captivity.

The Sumatran is the darkest in color and the smallest of all tigers, but have an intence *fierce* look in there eyes that no others have. While working at Tiger Rescue, the only way I could tell the Sumatrans apart from the Bengal and Siberian cubs was to check the eyes...the Sumatrans have a very instense look to them.The Sumatran's stripes are also a bit closer together than other subspecies, but it's difficult to notice unless you know other ways because depending if the cat is shedding or what season it is, it may look different in appearance.

Just as with all tigers, the Sumatran is threatened by poaching, loss of habitat, and lots of inbreeding due to the dwindling numbers. And Sumatra's largest carnvore is seldom ever spotted in it's own land so no exact number could ever be counted.

I personally think out of all the subspecies of tigers, the Sumatran is the one that can have the most and more intense mood swings. They also seem more set in their ways once their older. When we were moving the cats over to the new compund, the Sumatrans ran far back into the corner of the enclosure and hissed and growled that anything they heard. Meanwhile, the Siberians and Bengals took a few minutes to a couple hours to relax in their new homes...the Sumatrans remained the same for days.It was really nothing bad about the cats, it just made me have a bit more respect for them. After all, if I had been moved out of my 19 year home, I wouldn't go without a fight either.