ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[Rishi]

@Greatearth read @BorneanTiger's post again, you may have missed what he meant.

(06-23-2019, 09:26 AM)Greatearth Wrote: This is why I don't view tiger subspecies are 2, neither Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) and Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) are the same subspecies. It is on The Caspian Tiger #33...


...However, I am absolutely against and disagree with 2 subspecies since people will start mixing tigers if it happens. I personally view any biologists believe tiger subspecies are 2 are highly ignorant and nonsense like Kitchner guy. However, I can understand their point of view on 2 tiger subspecies if you study genomic. It is very difficult to defining subspecies on large animals unless they are living in islands. I hope those people are not go far as doing stupid thing like releasing one tiger into places where other tiger subspecies live.

Absolutely! Even if they're considered similar enough to be a single subspecies, Siberian & Caspian tigers lived far enough as well as segregated enough from each other to have significant genetic differences.
Like bengal tigers from different regions of India (for example, something like ranthambore's tigers compared to rest of central India's).

In India the Satkosia relocation was done with tigers from Madhya Pradesh, 500km away. That was because of higher historical genetic similarity between both Bengal tigers populations from the two areas, compared to other adjoining places (maybe because of natural connection by a thick forest tract along Mahanadi river basin).
Similar must be done for Amurs too... Tigers from Korean peninsula, Russian Far East, Manchuria, Central Asia could have had unique genetic differences. 

"Subspecies" are a man-made concept. Even if humans decide the similarities are/not enough for two populations to be classified as same subspecies, the natural variations within would still be there & needs to be preserved as well.
Only few years ago Malayan tigers were decided to be different enough to be declared a seperate subspecies from Indochinese ones, after genomic study. Those differences still continue to exist & you can't just release tigers from Myanmar or Manchuria in those places just because they're broadly similar!!

The mainland & island subspecies may have greater genetic similarity amongst themselves... but "similar" is not "same".
IMO it'll be a prudent compromise if they group all the tiger (& lion) subspecies into two clades, Mainland-Sundaland for tigers & Northern-Southern for lions. Reply