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The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to over curves and exceptionally weighing up to in the wild. Its most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. The species is classified in the genus ''Panthera'' with the lion, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. Tigers are apex predators, primarily preying on ungulates such as deer and bovids. They are territorial and generally solitary but social animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements. This, coupled with the fact that they are indigenous to some of the more densely populated places on Earth, has caused significant conflicts with humans. Tigers once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia. Over the past 100 years, they have lost 93% of their historic range, and have been extirpated from southwest and central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Today, they range from the Siberian taiga to open grasslands and tropical mangrove swamps. The remaining six tiger subspecies have been classified as endangered by IUCN. The global population in the wild is estimated to number between 3,062 and 3,948 individuals, down from around 100,000 at the start of the 20th century, with most remaining populations occurring in small pockets isolated from each other, of which about 2,000 exist on the Indian subcontinent. Major reasons for population decline include habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching. The extent of area occupied by tigers is estimated at less than , a 41% decline from the area estimated in the mid-1990s. Tigers are among the most recognisable and popular of the world's charismatic megafauna. They have featured prominently in ancient mythology and folklore, and continue to be depicted in modern films and literature. They appear on many flags, coats of arms, and as mascots for sporting teams. The tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Malaysia and South Korea. ==Taxonomy and etymology== In 1758, Linnaeus described the tiger in his work ''Systema Naturae'' and gave it the scientific name ''Felis tigris''.〔Linnaeus, C. (1758) (''Felis tigris'' ) In: ''Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis''. Tomus I. Halae Magdeburgicae. Page 41.〕 In 1929, the British taxonomist Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated the species under the genus ''Panthera'' using the scientific name ''Panthera tigris''.〔Pocock, R.I. (1939) ("''Panthera tigris''" ). In ''The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma''. Mammalia: Volume 1. Taylor and Francis, Ltd., London. pp. 197–210.〕 The word ''Panthera'' is probably of Oriental origin and retraceable to the Ancient Greek word ''panther'', the Latin word ''panthera'', the Old French word ''pantere'', most likely meaning "the yellowish animal", or from ''pandarah'' meaning ''whitish-yellow''. The derivation from Greek ''pan-'' ("all") and ''ther'' ("beast") may be folk etymology. The specific epithet, ''tigris'', as well as the common name, tiger, come from the Middle English ''tigre'' and the Old English ''tigras'' (a plural word), both used for the animal. These derive from the Old French ''tigre'', itself a derivative of the Latin word ''tigris'' and the Greek word ''tigris''. The original source may have been the Persian ''tigra'' meaning pointed or sharp and the Avestan ''tigrhi'' meaning an arrow, perhaps referring to the speed with which a tiger launches itself at its prey. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「tiger」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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