Color
You're right!
This is a Sumatran tiger. Notice how the Sumatran
tiger has less white coloring on its chest and belly than other subspecies. In
the Indonesian rain forest, white would show up clearly amidst all the green foliage.
Also, the Sumatran tiger's stripes are dark and closely-spaced. Even its shoulders
and forelegs are striped. This pattern helps it blend well into thick vegetation.
A tiger needs to be well camouflaged if it is to hunt successfully.
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Compare the Sumatran tiger's markings with those of other tiger subspecies. Bengal and Indonesian tigers live in forests and grasslands, where the vegetation is not as dark and thick as that found in the Indonesian rain forest. As a result, their markings are somewhat thinner and lighter. They also have more white fur on their bellies and chests.
Siberian tigers, which live in open forests and taiga (subarctic evergreen forest), have the palest markings of all tiger subspecies. Because their habitat is often snow-covered, they have very white chests and bellies.
Back to Subspecies Differences
