Study
Panthera tigris
Mazák, V.
Mammalian Species, 1981
A standardised species account compiling measurements, distribution, anatomy and published biology from museum material and the literature to that date.
- Studied in
- Panthera tigris
- Sample size
- museum specimens and published records compiled
Sets out the measured size range of the species, including the regional variation between the largest northern tigers and the smaller island populations, together with skull, dental and pelage characters.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
A reference description of Panthera tigris as understood in 1981.
How NatureHQ reads it
Cited for measurements rather than for interpretation. The size question — are tigers bigger than lions — is one where the popular answer floats free of any actual dataset, and a standardised species account is where the numbers live. It is also old enough that the taxonomy in it has been superseded, which is why it is used here only for the morphometrics.
- The subspecies arrangement it uses has been revised by later genetic work.
- Museum specimens are biased towards unusually large trophy animals, which inflates upper size records.
- Predates almost all of the field biology.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: University press journalsPublished in a university press journal.
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-11.