Tiger Genome Decoded, Reveals Genes that make Killer Cats

The fearsome tiger shares over 95 percent of its genome with domestic cats, according to a new study that sequenced genomes of other big cats such as snow leopards and lions.

"Tigers are just a big domestic cat," Jong Bhak, one of the study authors told BBC. "They're probably much closer than we thought."

Genome sequence study also shows that tigers were built-to-kill as they possess genes that build strong muscles. The latest research could help in conserving big cats, Jong Bhak, a geneticist at the Personal Genomics Institute in South Korea told nbc.news.

The genome of the endangered Siberian tiger (or Amur tiger) was sequenced for the study. These tigers are the largest tiger subspecies- weighing as much as 660 pounds and measuring about three meters from head to tail. Sadly, there are just 350 individuals of these beautiful cats left in the wild.

"We looked at this very large tiger first to see what made it distinctive from other cats," Jong Bhak told the National Geographic. The genetic sample for the study came from a nine-year-old male tiger at the Everland Zoo in Korea. Researchers then compared the genes in the sample to the gene map of the Bengal tiger.

Built to Kill

Tigers and other cat species don't just look like mean killing machines, but they are actually designed- at a genetic level- to be efficient killers. The study showed that there is a narrow set of 1,376 genes associated with strong muscles and digestion of protein that is shared by almost all members of the cat family.

The study authors suggest that the common genes in tigers might have come from the ancestors of these felines that lived about 11 million years ago. Even the domestic cat shares many of these genes.

Of course, there are certain genes that are present in some cat species like snow leopards that help them adapt to thin air and high altitude and African lions' light-colored fur help them endure heat.

"I take this to indicate that [big cats] have evolved to fill a very particular carnivorous niche in the environment that is predicated on the advantages in hunting these genes provide," said Bhak, The National Geographic reports.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communication.