Large felines captivate human imagination, leading many to wonder about their distribution across continents. This often includes curiosity about which large cat species inhabit the Americas.
The Absence of Wild Tigers in America
Wild tiger populations do not exist in the Americas. These powerful striped cats are not native to the Western Hemisphere; their natural historical range is exclusively Asia. Historically, tigers ranged throughout Eastern and Southern Asia, extending into parts of Central and Western Asia.
Their habitats span diverse environments, including tropical rainforests, grasslands, and mangrove swamps. While their historic distribution covered about 30 countries, their range has significantly diminished, now occupying less than 7% of their original territory, primarily across South and Southeast Asia, China, and Eastern Russia.
America’s Indigenous Large Felines
While tigers are absent, the Americas are home to their own impressive large wild cat species. The cougar, also known as puma or mountain lion, is the most widely distributed wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. These adaptable felines inhabit a vast range from the Yukon in Canada down to the southern Andes in Chile, thriving in diverse environments like forests, deserts, and grasslands.
Another significant native large cat is the jaguar, the largest wild cat in the Americas and the third largest globally after lions and tigers. Jaguars historically ranged from the southwestern United States, across Mexico, and throughout Central and South America. Their preferred habitats include tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, wetlands, and wooded regions, often near rivers and streams.
Tigers in Captivity
Despite the absence of wild tigers, a substantial number of these animals reside within the United States in non-wild settings. Estimates suggest there are approximately 5,000 to 7,000 captive tigers in the U.S., a number that has, at times, exceeded the global wild tiger population. The vast majority of these tigers are privately owned, often kept in backyard enclosures or roadside attractions, with only a small percentage residing in accredited zoos and facilities.
The presence of these animals in private hands led to the enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety Act on December 20, 2022. This federal law prohibits the private ownership of big cats as pets and restricts public contact with them, including cubs. While current private owners are permitted to keep their animals, they were required to register them with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by June 18, 2023, and are now prohibited from acquiring new big cats.