re: I sometimes hear LSU refered to as the Bengal Tigers

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There are only 2 distinct species of Tigers. (Bengal and Siberian)

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There are only 2 distinct species of Tigers. (Bengal and Siberian)

Bengal's are predominately gold and Siberian's white.

BTW, the former solitary confined Mike was a Bengal/Siberian Hybrid.....

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This is totally incorrect. There are 11 recognised Tiger subspecies (within a single modern species, Panthera tigris), with 5 of those recognized as extinct today.

The famous white tigers represent a recessive trait that has only ever been found among Bengal tigers. Important to note it is not the same as albinism. The variant has never been recorded in Siberians except in hybrids with Bengal blood.

The normal color for both Siberians and Bengals are reddish-orange with black stripes. The only "gold tigers" are lighter orange with faded stripes and are the result of yet another recessive trait (far rarer than the white trait in Bengals).