The following article is reprinted with permission from Zoos' Print, vol. 11 no. 9, September 1996.
(ISSN 0971-6378)



Colour Variations in Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

by B. C. Prusty, Field Director, and L. A. K. Singh, Research Officer, Similipal Tiger Reserve,
Baripada, Orissa, India.

Introduction

Of late, tiger's (Panthera tigris tigris) coat pattern is considered to be of high academic significance
because the pattern is phylogenetically closer to that of the clouded leopart (Neofelis nebulosa) and
not the leopard (Panthera pardus). Therefore, Ewer (1973: 88) mentione the stripes of tiger an
anomaly for the genus Panthera, and Leyhausen et al. (1990: G-10) using other additional structural
evidences, took a bold step in removing tiger from the genus Panthera and placing it as Neofelis
tigris.

Records and reports indicate the natural existence of a range from complete white to complete black
tigers through the intermediary shades, which are normally seen.

In this paper, we discuss the occurrence of colour variations in tigers using data collected from the
available literature and from Similipal Tiger Reserve, Orissa, India..

Tiger Without Stripes

A tiger's coat displays a combination of three colours—white, tawny, and black. "A wholly white
tiger, with the stripe pattern visible ony uder reflected light, like the pattern of a white tabby cat, was
exhibited in the Exeter Change Menagerie in the early part of the 19th century and described by
Hamilton-Smith" (Pocock, 1939: 202). Sagar and Singh (1989) reported a "tiger without stripes"
from Similipal Tiger Reserve, and cited similar information from another location in Similipal and one
from Chitrakonda of Korput in Orissa.

White Tigers

The "white tigers" which caught the attention of the media in the 1980s after their birth to normal
parents in Nandankanan Biological Park are actually white with visible stripes. The "white tigers"
were also recorded in the wild during the Mughal Period from 1556 to 1605 AD (Divyabhanusinh,
1986). In such "white tigers," the stripes are are dark brown or reddish-black and stand out against
the white ground color.

There were as many as 17 instances of white tigers recorded in India between 1907 and 1933 (Gee,
1954), and contrary to many contentions, such form did occur in more than one place in the wild—in
Orissa, Bilaspur, Sohagpur, and Rewa (Pocock, 1939).

(Colour Variations in Tiger, continued)

Normal Coloured Tigers

The normal "tawny base" of the coat of the species is also known to show variation in depth. Some
tigers are light orange-red while others are deep. Such variations are often attributed to geography,
forest habitat and perhaps the season as well. Nonetheless, this is the normal body colour of the
tiger.

Melanistic Tiger

The skin of a melanistic tiger was recovered from smugglers in October 1992 at Tis Hazari. The
skin measured eight and a half feet (259 cm) and was displayed at the National Museum of Natural
History, New Delhi, in February 1993 (Kumar, 1993). The source of the skin is not known.

Melanistic Tigers of Similipal

Similipal Tiger Reserve is situated in the district of Mayurbhanj, Orissa, India. It lies between 86°5'
and 86°37' east longitude and between 21°30' and 22°8' north latitude. Beginning in1975–1976 a
number of sightings of black tigers have occurred in Similipal Tiger Reserve.

Observation 1993: On 21 July 1993, around 10 a.m., a boy, in self-defense, killed a young
melanistic tigress with a bow and arrows. The incident occurred in the village of Podagad in the
Bhandan river valley west of Similipal Tiger Reserve. The main peculiarity in body colouration was
that the dorsal stripes were tawny and the ventral stripes white on a black background [or the
black stripes were wider than the orange dorsal and white ventral backgrounds, ed.]. The
animal was photographed (Figures 1–3) and videotaped.

Colour Variations in Tigers, continued)

Observations: 1996

On 1 March 1996, Forester Sri B. C. Nayak of Devasthali saw a fullgrown black tiger near
Baladaghar at 1700 hr (5 pm). The stripes were distinctly yellow.

Again, at about 0800 hr on 3 April 1996 a "black" tiger wa sighted by Srk B. C. Nayak near
Bachhurichara, a place between Patabil and Devasthali.

On 12 April 196 Sri Lugu Majhi, Forest Guard, sighted a full-grown black tiger with yeellow stripes
at 1545 hr (3:45 pm) between Patabil and Devasthali.

Black Tigers

Buckland (1889) mentioned the sighting of a dead black tiger in March 1846 near Tripparah, about
two miles from Chittagong (now in Bangladesh). Hauxwell (1913) had shot at (but not recovered) a
"black tiger" whose pugmarks were about 1'8" round (50 cm circumference).

Benjie (1983) mentioned the occurrence of black tigers in Dongning China; sightings were reported
in 1951, 1953 and 1957, and a capture in 1972.

Black Tigers of Similipal 

1.Sri K. C. Patl., Orissa Forest Service, then Range Officer in Upper Barha Kamuda Range,
while accompanying the accomplished Asst. Field Director Sri B. N. Nayak, IFS and two
overseas tourists had seen two full-grown black tigers on the road leading to Matughar
meadow at about 1100 hr in bright sunlight in winter, 1975-76. 
2.Sri Niranjan Mohanta (now late), Forest Guard at Devasthali in Upper Barha Kamuda Range
had seen a "family group of four tigeres consisting of two full-grown adults and two cubs. To
Niranjan, one of the cubs had appeared black when he saw the group at about 1700 hr on 16
August 1991. 

Although Niranjan told of his observation at the time, the possibility of a black tiger cub was totally
dismissed on the probability of a mistaken identity due to bad light conditions.