The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica, formerly known as the Siberian tiger) is one of the largest cats in the world and today, an estimated 500 – 550 can be found in the Russian Far East with a small number ranging across the border into China and possibly North Korea.
In the 1940s, it was on the brink of extinction with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. This was due to decades of almost continual political instability with the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union.
In 1947 after WW2, Russia became the first country to ban tiger hunting and offer tigers full protection. Hunting of the main prey species, boar and deer, became restricted by annual quota based on the results of population counts. Poaching of tigers became relatively rare, because there was no market for skins and other tiger products, although hunters on occasion killed their “competitor” when an opportunity presented itself.
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Description:
Amur tigers are one of the larger tiger sub-populations. The average weight for males is 160-190 kg, while females are smaller, at 110-130 kg. Males, females and cubs can be distinguished by their tracks: a male’s paw pad measures 10.5 – 14.5 cm across, a female’s 8.5 – 9.5. cm, and a cub’s – from 5.5 – 10 cm. (Male cubs, after one year, usually have paw measurements already larger than their mothers’).
Amur tiger coat colour is a lighter orange than other tiger sub-populations and becomes even more so in winter. Their coat is longer and thicker than other sub-populations because of the colder climate and they have a thick mane around the neck and extra fur on their paws, which protects them against the cold.
Breeding:
Sexual maturity is reached around 4 years, but varies with gender and is earlier in zoo tigers. When a female is ready to mate she will signal by leaving scratch marks and urine deposits to attract males. Gestation last 3 to 3 1/2 months, litter size is 1-6, however, 2-4 is the most common.
Longevity:
In the wild, they can live between 10-15 years, but in captivity, they live nearer to 20 years old.
Prey:
The Amur tiger needs large prey to survive, and its main prey species are ungulates – wild boar, sika deer and red deer. In the summer tigers may prey on smaller animals such as badgers and raccoon dogs. Bears comprise about 3% of the tiger’s diet in the Russian Far East. There are rare cases on record of adult brown bears being killed and eaten by Amur tigers. Brown bear cubs are killed more often (indicating that male tigers can drive away the defending mother bear) and the smaller Himalayan black bear also appears on the Amur tiger’s menu.
Hunting habits:
Research by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) together with Russian scientists has shown that a female Amur tiger has a home range of up to 20 x 20 kilometres, and some males patrol an area as large as 40 x 40 kilometres. These large home ranges are due to naturally low prey densities in the temperate climate found in the Russian Far East. The home range of a male in his prime can include that of several females. As a result of these extensive territories it is clear that a very large area, about the size of Italy, is needed to support a viable population consisting of several hundred animals.
Siberian tiger
The Siberian tiger is a tiger from a specific population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies native to the Russian Far East, Northeast China,[3] and possibly North Korea.[4] It once ranged throughout the Korean Peninsula, north China, and eastern Mongolia. The population currently inhabits mainly the Sikhote-Alin mountain region in southwest Primorye Province in the Russian Far East.
resource: wikipedia