I get a lot of comments that my character looks like 'just a regular tiger' so here's a rough, quick comparison.

My character is a fictional "extinct" breed of tiger called an African tiger. (Originally she was a bengal tiger and as her markings developed some golden bengal / tabby was thrown in the mix before returning her stripes to solid black. She was then made part lightning dragon hence she has lightning bolt markings on her tailtip and eartips. Regular members of this breed do not have those markings, just round spots and white tailtips.)

Their markings are distinct and boomerang shaped. They have a white mane running behind the head down the neck similar to young cheetahs.

African tigers are also waaaaay smaller than regular tigers and more similar to a cheetah in leg construction and size. They have smaller muzzles, sometimes elongated to seem canine-like. African Tigers swim to bathe themselves and do not have sandpaper tongues, more similar to a canine's.
The fur color ranges from gold to deep orange and the markings are always black.

The tail on my character is as big as you see it, with her transformation to dragon form the tail must stretch to fit the size on the dragon. It does not have that much floof.

The tail on a regular member of this species is constructed the same as a regular tiger, the poofiness being all fur. Very fluffy tails similar to a persian cat.

Enjoy!
SAI