Query: The Bengal tiger is a member of the largest cat species.

Relevant passages:
Bengal tiger <=SEP=> The Bengal tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris ) is the most numerous tiger subspecies . By 2011 , the total population was estimated at fewer than 2,500 individuals with a decreasing trend . None of the Tiger Conservation Landscapes within the Bengal tiger 's range is considered large enough to support an effective population size of 250 adult individuals . Since 2010 , it is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List .   By 2010 , Bengal tiger populations in India were estimated at 1,706 -- 1,909 . As of 2016 , they had reputedly increased to an estimated 3,890 individuals .   Bengal tigers number around 440 in Bangladesh and 163 -- 253 in Nepal . Prior censuses placed the tiger population in Bhutan at around 65 -- 75 individuals . In 2015 , it was estimated that 103 Bengal tigers were living in the country .   Bengal is traditionally fixed as the typical locality for the binomen Panthera tigris , to which the British taxonomist Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated the Bengal tiger in 1929 under the trinomen Panthera tigris tigris . The Bengal , Caspian and Siberian tigers , and lion rank among the biggest cats .   It is the national animal of both India and Bangladesh .

Tiger <=SEP=> The tiger ( Panthera tigris ) is the largest cat species , most recognisable for their 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 eastern Eurasia , from the Black Sea in the west , to the Indian Ocean in the south , and from Kolyma to Sumatra in the east . Over the past 100 years , they have lost 93 % of their historic range , and have been extirpated from Western and Central Asia , from the islands of Java and Bali , and from large areas of Southeast , Southern 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 the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( 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 . A 2016 global census estimated the population of wild tigers at approximately 3,890 individuals . Major reasons for population decline include habitat destruction , habitat fragmentation and poaching . The extent of area occupied by tigers is estimated at less than 1184911 km2 , a 41 % decline from the area estimated in the mid-1990s . In 2016 , wildlife conservation group at WWF declared that world 's count of wild tigers has risen for the first time in a century .   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 , Malaysia and South Korea .