SUBSPECIES

Since determining a species is complicated, it’s unsurprising that the next category down - the subspecies - is equally so. Yet identifying subspecies is just as important for conservation. Take tigers ( Panthera tigris). The WWF website states that there are two recognised subspecies of tiger – the continental ( Panthera tigris tigris) and the Sunda ( Panthera tigris sondaica) – but other organisations recognise a number of other subspecies. In 2004, Malayan tigers were recognised as a new subspecies by one team of scientists. The distinction was made based on genetic analysis and the new subspecies was dubbed Panthera tigris jacksoni after naturalist Peter Jackson. Later research found no clear morphological differences between tigers from Peninsular Malaysia and those elsewhere in Indochina. Nevertheless, the IUCN and other conservation groups have provisionally accepted the Malayan tiger as a subspecies, triggering significant conservation efforts. With just 80–120 mature individuals found only on the Malay Peninsula and along the southern tip of Thailand, the Malayan tiger is critically endangered. Its plight has caught the attention of the Malaysian government and local conservation agencies, as well as conservation partners around the world. One example is the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, which has partnered with the global conservation organisation Panthera on a ten-year, million-dollar preservation plan.