Siberian Tiger

Panthera tigris altaica

The Siberian Tiger is a severely endangered cat, and and one of the most understood. Somewhat shockingly, they share ninety five percent of their DNA with modern house cats. With only about five hundred left in the wild, these cats are listed as critically endangered. Siberian Tigers are poached for their fur, body parts, and cubs. The fur is made into coats and rugs,the body parts are sold on the black market for medicinal purposes, and the cubs are sold illegally in the exotic pet trade to unsuspecting owners, roadside hunting farms, and circuses. Siberian Tigers, much like other animals on this list, are misunderstood as bloodthirsty mankillers, something that Disney is not helping with. But technically that’s Rudyard Kipling’s fault for making Shere Khan a villain so we’re going to give Disney a pass on that because of Rajah, both of which are confirmed Bengal Tigers. There have been confirmed reports of Siberian Tigers attacking and killing humans, however it is usually in self defense, or to protect their cubs, as tigers rarely attack unless provoked. Siberian Tigers are ten feet long, two feet tall, and can weigh up to 500 pounds, with one captive specimen named Jaipur weighed a whopping 1,025 pounds. They have a bite force of 950 pounds per square inch, and normally go for the throat to make a fatal wound. Siberian Tigers will go extinct without our help, but it is never too late to break the stereotypes and spread awareness in an attempt to preserve the  species..