MALAYAN TIGER  
Panthera tigris malayensis

The Malayan Tiger is found only on the southern part of the Malay peninsula. Until 2004, it was considered in the same subspecies as the Indo-Chinese tiger. The Malayan Tiger is, along with the Sumatran tiger, among the smallest of the tiger subspecies. Numbering around 600-800 individuals in the wild at this writing, only the Bengal and the Indo-Chinese tigers have a larger population. However, they are still highly endangered. The Malayan Tiger is a national icon in Malaysia, appearing on its coat-of-arms and in logos of Malaysian institutions such as Maybank, Proton and FAM, and symbolizes strength and bravery to the people of Malaysia. The tiger has been given various nicknames by the locals, including "Pak Belang," which literally means "Striped Sir." Pak Belang features prominently in folklore as one of Sang Kancil's ("The Mouse Deer's") adversaries.

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