South China tigers may be extinct

November 20, 2006

Scientists fear the South China Tiger, one of the world's most endangered species, may be extinct in the wild.

If that is true, the only remaining members of the species are the 68 now living in 18 Chinese zoos, Xinhua, the official government new agency, said. Those tigers are all descended from two males and four females captured in either the 1950s or 1970s and provide too little genetic diversity to preserve the species.

"If we can't find any wild south China tigers, they will certainly disappear because of the inbreeding," said Huang Zihong, a zoologist.

Scientists from the South China Institute of Endangered Species began a search for wild tigers in October, but so far have had little success.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

3.7 /5 (9 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

kkmagician
Aug 06, 2008

Rank: not rated yet
This is something people need to be aware of! These tigers are crticaly ENDANGERED! As far as I knew, they were extinct! Then I looked at this artical and was so relived. BUT also aware of the problems with these tigers. If we cared more than the average 20 people in the world, I bet all of the people in Indiana could do a search party for these tigers. Go to South China! COME ON! This is an actual problem to be aware of. I want to help these tigers, but I need more than 1 person to do it.
kkmagician
Aug 06, 2008

Rank: not rated yet
This is something people need to be aware of! These tigers are crticaly ENDANGERED! As far as I knew, they were extinct! Then I looked at this artical and was so relived. BUT also aware of the problems with these tigers. If we cared more than the average 20 people in the world, I bet all of the people in Indiana could do a search party for these tigers. Go to South China! COME ON! This is an actual problem to be aware of. I want to help these tigers, but I need more than 1 person to do it.

And thats the TRUTH. If you want to help with this crisis, please comment this page back, Thank you for the concern of these beautiful tigers. They TRULY are beautiful!
Rank 3.7 /5 (9 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Entire genome of extinct human decoded from fossil

(PhysOrg.com) -- In 2010, Svante Pääbo and his colleagues presented a draft version of the genome from a small fragment of a human finger bone discovered in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia. The ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (58) | comments 44 | with audio podcast

Why are there so few fish in the Earth's oceans?

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Stony Brook University researcher has found that, contrary to popular belief, there are not plenty of fish in the sea.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (17) | comments 25 | with audio podcast

Miami battling invasion of giant African snails

No one knows how they got there. But an invasion of African giant snails has southern Florida in a panic over potential crop damage, disease and general yuckiness surrounding the slimy gastropods.

Biology / Ecology

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 5

The power of estrogen -- male snakes attract other males

A new study has shown that boosting the estrogen levels of male garter snakes causes them to secrete the same pheromones that females use to attract suitors, and turned the males into just about the sexiest ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Deciding to go left or right: Researchers use device to determine that lower animals can navigate too

For decades, scientists have associated binary decision making — opting to go left or right — with higher-ranking animals, including humans. A team of Harvard researchers, however, is rewriting that ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 4 | with audio podcast


Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.