They are so attractive, and at the same time dangerous, and we are talking about tigers, or more precisely, the Amur tigers. Today we will figure out where they live Amur tigers, what is their number, what do they eat in wildlife. Do you know, Interesting Facts about tigers? No?? You will learn about this below, but now we will start with the characteristics.
Description of the Amur tiger
Amur tiger most major representative and small in number, it is distinguished by the fewest stripes on its body and thick fur. The weight of a tiger is about 180-220 kg, with body length 2.7-3.8 meters, height 90-106 cm at the withers. Fur of the Amur tiger not only thick, but also soft, and color he is orange, his belly is white. By the way, stripes the male has more elongated and longer ones, the length of one stripe can be 15-16 cm, width 13-14 cm, while the female has a length of 14-15 cm, width 11-13 cm. In total, 100 stripes can be counted on the body! Did you know that the roar of a tiger can be heard at a distance of 3 km? In addition, the tiger is capable of running 60 km/h, despite its considerable weight.
The tiger has white on its face mustache, which grow in 4-5 rows, and fangs up to 8 cm long! The keratinized protrusions on the sides perfectly help the tiger to cope with the division of food. Adults have 30 teeth. Hind legs tigers have 4 fingers, front 5 each, each with long, sharp and retractable claws. Eyes the tiger is rounded, with an orangeish iris, and ears have a rounded shape. Lifespan of a tiger not very long, just 15 years on average.
How many Amur tigers are left?
Amur tiger the smallest among his kind. You probably know that it was included in the Red Book. Of course, breeders are trying to preserve this species; each animal is beautiful and unusual in its own way, isn’t it? So how many Amur tigers are left? There are about 500 individuals of this species; all is not lost, right?
Where does the Amur tiger live?
Where do wonderful and beautiful creatures live? The Amur tiger can be found V Amur region Russia, Northeast China, North Korea. But only in Russia Amur tiger will be included in the Red Book.
FOOD, INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE AMUR TIGER
Nutrition of the Amur tiger
A tiger can easily endure a long fast, thanks to subcutaneous fat, but this is only during forced fasting, and as we know, we always love to eat. A hungry tiger can eat about 50 kg of meat, but a tiger usually eats 30-40 kg, an awful lot, right? Basic diet– herbivores and artiodactyls. Tigers eat pigs, deer, roe deer, porcupines, moose. But they also snack on small animals: mice, fish, birds, rabbits, and even frogs. Quite often, domestic animals and small elephants become prey. By the way, in summer time The tiger snacks on meat with berries and nuts.
Tiger hunt Alone, he either sits in ambush or quietly sneaks up on prey. Moreover, both methods are successful, thanks to a quick jump of 5-10 meters in length. Large animals Amur tiger
falls to the ground, gnawing the back vertebrae, and gnaws the throat with the small ones. Interestingly, if the hunt is unsuccessful, the tiger gives up and does not attack the victim again.
Interesting facts about the Amur tiger
U Amur tiger 2 names: Siberian and Ussuri
Tail Amur tiger the longest is 110-115 cm in length
Amur tiger is the largest among all species
Amur tiger hunt almost all animals, and in severe hunger will attack a bear
Amur tiger does not kill for fun, he feels how much he needs to be satisfied
Tiger cubs at the age of about a year can already hunt on their own
Included in the book Amur tiger weighing 400 kg
Amur tigers Of all species, they attack humans the least
VIDEO: AMUR TIGER
IN THIS VIDEO YOU WILL SEE WHAT AN AMUR TIGER LOOKS LIKE AND YOU WILL ALSO LEARN A LOT OF USEFUL AND INTERESTING THINGS
Russian Siberia and northern China in the taiga forests gave shelter to the largest cat on earth - the Amur tiger. This predator is simply huge - its weight reaches 400 kilograms, its length from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail is up to four meters, and its height reaches up to one meter. There are up to 400 individuals left in the wild, and approximately the same number in zoos. In Russia, measures are being taken to preserve this species; it is the real pride of the taiga forests, a real symbol of the Far East. He is depicted on the flag and coat of arms of the Primorsky Territory. In China, this species is protected with very strict laws - a poacher who kills a tiger faces the death penalty.
Peculiarities
There are only a few tigers left in the world, but the Amur species is the smallest in number and is under special protection due to a sharp decline in the population.
This species is the northernmost, adapted for living in cold winters and for moving on snow, therefore it has the thickest and longest fur, which can retain heat well.
Among the six species of tigers, the Amur is the largest, at the same time Ussurian tiger is the most big cat on the ground.
The tail is a record holder among tigers and can reach a length of more than a meter.
Amur tiger - official name tiger, but sometimes the non-scientific, but very common names Ussuri or Siberian are used in relation to this cat.
This is an endangered species listed in the Red Book.
Record-breaking tigers reach a weight of 400 kilograms, and usually the animal reaches a weight of 200 kilograms.
Tigresses are good mothers. They carry children for five months. Four or five blind and toothless tiger cubs will be born. It feeds for up to six months, then teaches it to hunt for up to a year. For another year, tigers hunt on their own, but live near their mother.
Hunting
Amur tiger - interesting facts about hunting. Tiger has no natural enemies(except for humans), he even hunts bears.
It goes hunting on its own at approximately one year of age.
Life expectancy in the wild is up to 12 years.
When hunting, it jumps up to seven meters in length.
On average, one individual eats two dozen kilograms of meat, but if it allows hunting trophy, then he can eat to spare, consuming up to 80 kilograms of meat.
Only about ten percent of attacks on prey result in food being obtained. And this despite the fact that he attacks from an ambush, hiding from the victim. The tiger must constantly hunt, and at the same time it spends a lot of energy on the hunt itself. This cat is having a hard time with his hunting grounds constantly shrinking due to human activity.
The Amur species of tigers very rarely attacks people, while other, more heat-loving tigers attack much more often.
He is very strong, he can pull a horse carcass for half a kilometer without any problems. When hunting, it reaches speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour, but over short distances it can accelerate to 80 kilometers per hour. Of the predators, only the cheetah can run faster. For a successful attack, they must sneak up to at least 25 meters.
Loves to hunt ungulates. To feed himself, he needs about 50 deer, wild boars, roe deer, and wapiti per year. IN extreme cases attacks livestock.
Walking around its hunting grounds, a tiger travels up to 40 kilometers a day. Until the moment have a good hunting the beast can cover up to 600 kilometers in a few days. Animals need more than one hundred square kilometers for food, but often hunting territories occupy a large area.
Males defend their territory from competitors and, if necessary, get into a fight. But females with cubs are not touched, so tigresses can enter the tiger’s territory to hunt. But the territories of two females never overlap.
Total allocated nine species of tigers, of which only six remain alive, and three are considered extinct.
Existing tiger species
Amur or Siberian tigers
photo: Joeke Pieters
Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) can reach almost 3.3 meters in length. The weight of males is up to 300 kg, and they are larger than females. This subspecies of tiger has a skull that is much larger than other species. The color of the Amur tiger is paler in winter, and with the advent of the warm season it becomes brighter and more saturated. The fur is thicker and coarser than that of other tiger species due to the low temperature of the range where it lives. Amur tigers are capable of knocking down animals that weigh several times more than them. They tend to hunt elk and wild boar.
Bengal tigers
Bengal tiger (lat. Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis) can be seen in India. It is the most numerous of all tiger species with over 2,500 individuals in the wild. This tiger species can weigh around 230 kg for an adult male and 140 kg for a female. Bengal tigers also have very long tails and heads that are larger than those of other species. They are excellent hunters and feed on a wide range of prey, including deer, antelope, pigs and buffalo. Also, during times of shortage of basic food, they hunt monkeys, birds and other smaller prey.
Indochinese tigers
A species of tiger that is known as the Indochinese tiger (lat. Panthera tigris corbetti), found in several Asian countries. The species is darker in color and smaller in size than Bengal tigers, but they are capable of reaching maximum weight 200 kg for males and 150 kg for females. Indochinese tigers prefer to live in forested areas. There are not many such tigers anymore. The government estimates the species' population to be only 350 individuals. Indochinese tigers are suffering from food shortages as wild pig and deer numbers are also declining.
Malayan tigers
Malayan tiger (lat. Panthera tigris jacksoni) can only be found in the south of the Malay Peninsula. This tiger was only recognized as a separate species in 2004. This is the most small view on the mainland and the second smallest tiger species. Males weigh on average 120 kg, and females about 100 kg. Note that the Malayan tiger has cultural significance as it is on the country's coat of arms and is also the logo of Maybank, a Malaysian bank.
Sumatran tigers
photo: Hagen Schneider
Sumatran tigers (lat. Panthera tigris sumatrae) a very rare species that lives only on the island of Sumatra. Habitat destruction is still considered the main threat to the Sumatran tiger. The stripes on the Sumatran tiger are located closer friend to a friend than other tigers. This allows him to be invisible in tall grass. One of best tactics Sumatran tiger - stalk its prey in the water. It is an extremely fast swimmer, so it is easily able to intercept larger prey in the water that it would not be able to handle on land.
Chinese tigers
Chinese tigers (lat. Panthera tigris amoyensis) most at risk of extinction. This tiger species is often listed among the ten most endangered species in the world. In the early 1950s, the Chinese tiger population was estimated to number 4,000. And already in 1996, only 30-80 of these unique animals remained.
Extinct tiger species
Bali tigers
Some species of tigers are extinct, including Balinese tiger species (lat. Panthera tigris balica). As the name suggests, the range of this tiger species was limited to the island of Bali, Indonesia. Before its extinction, the Bali tiger was the smallest tiger species. This species is still considered important in Balinese Hinduism.
Caspian tigers
Caspian tiger (lat. Panthera tigris virgata), which is also known as Transcaucasian tiger met before in rare forests. It was discovered in the south and west of the Caspian Sea. At least, it was still found in the wild until the early 1970s. The closest living species to the Caspian tiger is the Amur tiger.
Javan tigers
He lived on the island of Java, in honor of which he received his name - Javan tiger (lat. Panthera tigris sondaica). This extinct tiger species was present until the mid-1970s. The weight of males is from 100 to 140 kg, and females - from 75 to 115 kg. Unfortunately, the last Javan tiger was seen after 1979, in the area of Mount Betri.
Tiger hybrids
We talked about different types tigers, as well as those that have become extinct. However, there are some other species that can also be considered part of the tiger family, such as the Liger and Tigon hybrids.
Liger
Liger - hybrid, which is the result of mating between a male lion and a tigress. The lion contributes a gene that promotes growth, because of this, ligers can grow much larger than their parents and have a length of 3-3.5 m, and a weight of 360 kg to 450 kg or even more. They do, however, show appearance and the behavior of both parents. As a result, the liger has spots and stripes imprinted on its sandy fur. Male ligers have a 50% chance of growing a mane, just not as luxurious as a lion's. While the resulting liger is certainly beautiful and interesting to study, the males of this hybrid are sterile, even when their females are usually fertile.
Tigon
Tigon, which is the result of breeding between a male tiger and a lioness, is a less common hybrid. Naturally, tiger hybrids cannot; they are found in the wild and can only be seen in zoos or circuses. Tigons are usually no larger than average in size.
Types of tigers with unique colors
White tigers
Very attractive appearance white tiger makes him a popular and desirable zoo resident or even an exotic pet, but albino tigers are rare in the wild. White tigers were first bred back in early XIX century. They can appear in tiger parents who carry a rare gene that occurs only once every 10,000 births.
Golden Tigers
Another recessive gene may result in an interesting "golden" shade. The color is sometimes called "golden tabby". actually have golden fur, with pale orange stripes. Their fur is thicker than other tigers. At last count, there are about 30 golden tigers.
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The tiger is listed in the International Red Book, as well as in the Red Book of Russia.
Due to constant persecution by humans and unfavorable changes in habitat conditions, the number of tigers is continuously falling, and the distribution area is shrinking. The bulk of the tiger's range is in tropical and subtropical latitudes. Currently, this predator is preserved in the north of Iran, the north of Afghanistan, Hindustan (mainly in the north of the peninsula), Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Indochina, the Malacca Peninsula, Java, Bali, in some provinces of South and Northeast China, north of the Korean Peninsula. Within Russia, a small population of tigers (120-150 individuals) is found only in Far East, mainly in the Primorsky Territory, where about 110-130 animals were counted.
The Amur tiger is one of the largest subspecies of tiger. The largest recorded Amur tiger weighed 384 kilograms. average weight there are about 230 males, and 100-180 kilograms of females. This subspecies is distinguished by thick, long (compared to other tigers) and fluffy fur, with a more withered red background and fewer stripes than other subspecies.
Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Males bengal tiger usually weigh from 205 to 227 kg, females average 140-150 kg. Bengal tigers from northern India and Nepal are reliably larger than tigers from the south of the Indian subcontinent.
Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)
The Indochinese tiger (also known as Corbet's tiger) lives in Cambodia, southern China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The estimated size of its population varies in different sources from 1200 to 1800 animals, but an estimate closer to the lower value of this interval is more reliable. Largest population exists in Malaysia. Poaching in this country has been reduced to negligible levels by severe measures, but the tiger population is under significant threat through habitat fragmentation and inbreeding. In Vietnam, nearly three-quarters of tigers were killed to sell their organs for Chinese medicine.
The Indochinese tiger is smaller than the Bengal tiger and has darker colors. The weight of males averages 150-190 kg, females - 110-140 kg.
Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)
The Malayan tiger is found exclusively in the southern (Malaysian) part of the Malay Peninsula. This subspecies was isolated only in 2004 during a study conducted by a group of scientists led by Stephen O'Bryan at the Laboratory of Genetic Diversity National Institute cancer (Frederick, USA). Before that, the population was considered to belong to the Indochinese tiger. The latest census showed the presence of 600-800 tigers of this subspecies in nature, which makes it the third largest among the tiger subspecies, after the Bengal and Indochinese. The Malayan tiger is national symbol Malaysia, where it is present on the country's coat of arms, emblems of various government agencies (for example, the Bank of Malaysia), emblems of army units and units special purpose, etc.
Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Number wild population estimated at 400-500 animals, the vast majority of which live on the territory national parks and nature reserves. Recent genetic studies have shown the presence of unique genetic markers in the genotype of the subspecies; this is a sign that, on the basis of this subspecies, it may develop over time separate species felines (if the subspecies is not destroyed). Based on this, many scientists believe that the Sumatran tiger is more worthy of conservation than any of the other subspecies.
The main threat to the Sumatran tiger is destruction environment(deforestation occurs even in the highly protected areas of Sumatra), and between 1998 and 2000, 66 tigers (or 20% of the population) were killed by poachers.
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest subspecies currently existing: the weight of adult males is 100-130 kg, females - 70-90 kg. The relatively small size of this subspecies is considered an adaptation to life in dense tropical forest.
South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
The South China tiger is the most endangered subspecies, and most likely no longer exists in the wild. It is also one of the smallest subspecies: the body length of both males and females is 2.2-2.6 m. Males weigh from 127 to 177 kg, females - from 100 to 118.
In 1977, the Chinese government passed a law banning tiger hunting, but it was too late for the South China subspecies. Apparently, the last South China tiger in the wild was shot in 1994.
There are currently 59 South China tigers in captivity (all in China), but they are all descendants of just six animals. Thus, the genetic diversity in this subspecies is extremely low, making its extinction natural conditions quite reliable.
Extinct tiger subspecies
Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica)
The Bali tiger has always been found only on the small island of Bali. These tigers were hunted to extinction: the last Balinese tiger (a large female) was killed in the western part of the island (Sumbar Kama) on September 27, 1937. Balinese tigers have never been kept in captivity. Despite the complete disappearance of the local subspecies, the tiger plays important role in the Balinese version of Hinduism.
Turanian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata)
The Caspian (Turanian, Persian) tiger lived in Central Asia in the forests along river valleys and was separated from other populations. In the 1920s the population of these animals began to decline due to active hunting for them, reduction of habitats, and a decrease in the amount of available food. The last Caspian tiger was killed in February 1970 in the Turkish province of Hakkari.
The historical range of this subspecies included Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey. The Caspian tiger was a large subspecies, reaching the weight and size parameters of the Bengal tiger: the heaviest male recorded weighed 240 kg. The background color of the skin was approximately the same as that of the Indian subspecies, but the stripes were noticeable narrower and more dense, dark gray or brown rather than black. The fur of the Caspian tiger was long (relative to other subspecies), especially in winter. The Caspian tiger, along with the Bengal, was one of two subspecies used by the Romans in gladiatorial combat against gladiators and other animals such as Barbary lions.
In January 2009, an article on the Caspian tiger was published in the journal PLoS ONE by a group of scientists from Britain, Israel and the United States. It said that deciphering the genome of a person who disappeared in the 1970s. The Caspian tiger showed that it belongs to almost the same species as the Amur tiger - this opens up the possibility of restoring the population of this animal.
Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica)
The Javan tiger lived on the Indonesian island of Java. Apparently, this subspecies was destroyed in the 80s. twentieth century through hunting and habitat destruction, but extinction became extremely likely starting in the 1950s, when the number of tigers in Java dropped to 25 individuals. The last Javan tiger was seen in the wild in 1979.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
The number of rare predators in the wild has increased from 3,200 to 3,890 individuals. Such data was published on April 11 by WWF and the intergovernmental organization Global Tiger Forum.
According to the latest data, the largest number of tigers live in India - 2226 individuals, Russia (see details below), Indonesia - 371, Malaysia - 250, Nepal - 198, Thailand - 189. Other countries of the “tiger” range include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Laos and Myanmar.
The increase in the number of tigers is explained by a number of reasons. Firstly, the actual increase in the number of predators associated with increased protection of the species and its habitats. An increase in the number of tigers has been noted in Russia, India, Nepal and Bhutan. Secondly, in five countries in 2013-2015. censuses of predators were carried out, which made it possible to clarify the data on their number.
"For the first time in last decades The number of tigers is not decreasing, but growing. This gives us hope and shows that when the authorities, local residents and experts in the field of nature conservation join forces, we can save rare species and their habitats"— emphasized Marco Lambertini, CEO WWF International Secretariat.
Nevertheless, environmentalists continue to talk about the need to strengthen tiger protection: over the past 100 years, the number of predators in the wild has decreased by 97% (from 100 to 3.5 thousand animals). There is an active illegal trade in derivatives (body parts) of tigers. According to calculations by the TRAFFIC organization, law enforcement agencies different countries in 2000-2014 recorded more than 1,500 illegal trade transactions involving tiger derivatives.
According to WWF, the situation is now particularly alarming in South-East Asia. If governments in this region do not take action, tigers in this area may disappear from the wild.
In Russia the total number Amur tigers, according to 2015 census data, ranges from 523 to 540 individuals. Of these, there are about 430 adult predators. In 1996, the population consisted of approximately 415-476 individuals.
“We are proud that our country is making a significant contribution to increasing tiger numbers. Such success became possible, among other things, thanks to more than 20 years of focused work by the Ministry of Natural Resources, WWF and other organizations in the Russian Far East.”, noted the director of WWF Russia Igor Chestin.
Data on the number of the predator was presented on the eve of the opening of the III Intergovernmental Conference on tiger conservation. The meeting will take place from April 12 to 14 in Delhi, India.
The previous estimate of the number of the rare animal in the world was prepared for the 2010 Tiger Summit, which was held in St. Petersburg. At the same time, the main goal was formulated - to double the number of tigers to 6,000 by 2022.
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