The scientific name oftiger ------Panthera tigris.
White tigers can and do occur in the wild, but are rare for two reasons. First, leucism is caused by recessive genes, meaning that two individuals carrying the gene must mate, and both must pass on the gene to the offspring in order for that offspring to be leucistic (if only one parent passes on the leucistic gene, the offspring will be normally coloured, since the gene for normal colour is dominant over the leucistic gene). Second, being white is something of a disadvantage for a tiger. It lacks the natural camouflage of normally coloured individuals, and most of those born will be killed by predators whilst young and vulnerable, since they stand out. Those that do survive to adulthood will have a hard time hunting for the same reason - it will be easier for their prey to see them coming.
The scientific name ofwhitetiger ------
Panthera tigris tigris.White tigers can and do occur in the wild, but are rare for two reasons. First, leucism is caused by recessive genes, meaning that two individuals carrying the gene must mate, and both must pass on the gene to the offspring in order for that offspring to be leucistic (if only one parent passes on the leucistic gene, the offspring will be normally coloured, since the gene for normal colour is dominant over the leucistic gene). Second, being white is something of a disadvantage for a tiger. It lacks the natural camouflage of normally coloured individuals, and most of those born will be killed by predators whilst young and vulnerable, since they stand out. Those that do survive to adulthood will have a hard time hunting for the same reason - it will be easier for their prey to see them coming.
