White Tigers are most commonly Bengal tigers . The white tiger is not a separate sub-species , but only a color variation ; since the only white tigers that have been observed in the wild have been Bengal tigers ( and all white tigers in captivity are at least part Bengal ) , it is commonly thought that the recessive gene that causes the white coloring is probably carried only by Bengal tigers , although the reasons for this are not known . Nor are they in any way more endangered than tigers are generally , this being a common misconception .