South China Tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

Status: Endangered. All of the tiger species are endangered, and in most cases critically endangered due to illegal hunting, and habitat loss from logging and forest destruction

The tiger is a special creature, for the pattern of stripes on its forehead is very similar to the Chinese character which means "king", so people believe that Tiger must be the natural-born king. There is a place of honor in a triumvirate of three lucky animals: the Qilin, the Dragon, and the Tiger. Of the three, only Tigers roam the world, while the other two are creatures of the spirit and story realm. The majesty and deadly grace of the giant cats stirs awe among all who see them.

Metamorphosis into a tiger is a phenomenon spoken of in Chinese lore. A tiger's essence is so powerful and overwhelming, that there are accounts of how simply thinking too much about them can affect a physical transformation. One such story is of ninth century artist Yang Chen, who painted tigers obsessively. When he fell ill at the age of 90 and died, he was transformed into a tiger, leaving all memory and trace of his humanity behind.

References:
HAMMOND, C. E. (1992). SACRED METAMORPHOSIS: THE WERETIGER AND THE SHAMAN. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 46(2/3), 235-255. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23658449

Hammond, Charles E. (1996), "The Righteous Tiger and the Grateful Lion", Monumenta Serica, vol. 44, Taylor & Francis, pp. 191-211, JSTOR 40727087