National Museum of Ireland / Natural History Museum Tiger (1913) Felis Tigris / Panthera tigris (Linnaeus) In 1758, Linnaeus first described the species in his work Systema Naturae under the scientific name Felis tigris. In 1929, the British taxonomist Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated the species under the genus Panthera using the scientific name Panthera tigris. [source: wikipedia] There were eight subspecies or local varieties of tigers at the beginning of the 20th century. Now only three survive. There are less than 200 tigers left in Nepal where this example was shot as a trophy and presented to the Museum by King George V in 1913. As well as hunting for sport, tigers are under threat from loss of habitat and thrive only in nature reserves. They often live in areas where their forests are being cleared to provide fuel and for agricultural land to feed growing populations. there is also a large trade in poached tiget skins and in bones, which are used in Asian medicines. Controls are urgently needed on poaching and on the demand for tiger based medicines to save the tiger from extinction. [source: museum]