The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is also known as the Amur, Manchurian, Altaic, Korean, North China or, Ussuri tiger. Though it once ranged throughout Western and Central Asia and eastern Russia it is now completely confined to the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in far eastern Siberia, where it is now protected. It is considered to be the biggest of the nine recent tiger subspecies and the largest living felid.

Genetic research in 2009 revealed that the current Siberian tiger population is almost identical to the Caspian tiger, a now extinct western population once thought to have been a distinct subspecies. The pelage of the Siberian tiger is moderately thick, coarse and sparse compared to that of other felids living in the former Soviet Union. Compared to now extinct westernmost populations, the still living Far Eastern Siberian tiger's summer and winter coats contrasts sharply compared to other subspecies.

Generally, the coat of now extinct western populations was brighter and more uniform than that of Far Eastern populations. The summer coat is coarse, while the winter coat is denser, longer, softer and silkier. The winter fur often appears quite shaggy on the trunk, and is markedly longer on the head, almost covering the ears.

The whiskers and hair on the occiput and the top of the neck is also greatly elongated. The background colour of the winter coat is less bright and rusty compared to that of the summer coat, and tends to be more ocherous. Due to the winter fur's greater length, the stripes appear broader with less defined outlines.

The summer hair on the back is 15-17 mm long, 30-50 mm along the top of the neck, 25-35 mm on the abdomen, and 14-16 mm on the tail. The winter fur on the back is 40-50 mm, 70-110 mm on the top of the neck, 70-95 mm on the throat, 60-100 mm on the chest and 65-105 on the abdomen. The whiskers are 90-115 mm.

The Siberian tiger is typically 2-4 inches taller at the shoulders than the Bengal tiger, which is about 107-110 cm (42-43 in) tall. Mature males reach an average head and body length of 190-230 centimetres (75-90 in). The largest male with largely assured references was 350 cm (138 in) "over curves" (3,30 m/130 in.

between pegs) in total length. Females are normally smaller than males and weigh 100-167 kg (220-368 lb), probably up to 180 kg (400 lb). The bodies of now extinct western populations were generally less massive than that of their Far Eastern cousins, and their average size was slightly less.

In Turkestan, male tigers exceeded 200 cm in length, though an estimated body length of 270 cm was recorded. Females were smaller in size, normally ranging between 160-180 cm. The maximum known weight was 240 kg.

Although tigers from Turkestan never reached the size of Far Eastern tigers, there are records of very large individuals of the former population.) The tail length in fully grown males is about 1 m (39 in). Weights of up to 318 kg (700 lb) have been recorded and exceptionally large males weighing up to 384 kg (847 lb) are mentioned in the literature but, according to Mazak, none of these cases can be confirmed via reliable sources. A further unconfirmed report tells of a male tiger shot in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in 1950 weighing 384.8 kg (846.6 lb) and measuring 3.48 m (11.5 ft).

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