Description and features
This giant wild cat looks very beautiful. The flexible body is harmoniously decorated with expressive dark stripes. The head is graceful, rounded, with small neat ears. The tiger has an exotic and very impressive coloration. He is very strong and fast. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h, and in the snow. The only thing faster than this handsome guy is a cheetah.
Only this subspecies has 5 cm of fat in the belly area. It reliably protects from frost and cold wind. The body is flexible, elongated, with a powerful rounded head, short legs. A long tail adorns the animal and helps with maneuvers. Due to their habitat in cold conditions, the snakes are short.
The animal is able to distinguish colors and sees perfectly at night. He has 30 sharp, strong teeth, allowing him to instantly gnaw through the cervical vertebrae of even a large bear. Tenacious claws help to hold and tear prey, and jump onto trees with lightning speed.
The coat of this inhabitant of the cold taiga is very warm, thick, and has a lighter color than that of its relatives living in warm areas. The wool is orange. The belly, chest and whiskers are white. On the face, the stripes smoothly turn into symmetrical, beautiful patterns.
The Ussuri tiger is an animal with very beautiful fur. On the sides and powerful back, the red background is decorated with dark transverse stripes. Each tiger's striped pattern is unique. You won't be able to find two animals that have the same pattern. Despite the fact that the color of the fur is very bright, the stripes camouflage the predator well. Often the future victim discovers it only in front of his nose.
The Amur Ussuri tiger is a real treasure of the taiga fauna of the Far East. It is not surprising that since ancient times, the peoples who lived here worshiped him and endowed him with magical powers. Now this exotic animal adorns the coat of arms of the Primorsky Territory and the heraldic symbols of its individual regions.
Despite all its power, this animal is very vulnerable. It depends entirely on the population of animals being hunted. The more the taiga is cut down, the less chance of survival the Amur tiger has.
There are six species of tigers in total. The largest of them is the Amur one. This is the largest cat on our amazing planet. In the world it is customary to call this species the Amur species.
Lifestyle and habitat
The lifestyle is the same as that of most felines - solitary. The Ussuri tiger lives strictly within its own territory and tries not to leave it. In search of food, it can travel quite long distances.
The tiger marks the boundaries of its territory with urine. It can also scratch the ground and tear off tree bark. By the height at which the tree bark is stripped, you can understand how tall the animal is. It scares away strangers with a roar. Fights over territory are an extremely rare occurrence.
Most often the tiger is silent. In general, he is distinguished by his silence. Zoologists sometimes do not hear their growl for several years, despite constant observation. The roar can be heard during the rut. Females roar more often. The roar of an irritated predator is hoarse, quiet, and in rage it resembles a cough. If an animal is in a good mood, it purrs.
The largest population lives in the southeastern part of Russia. They can still be found on the banks of the Amur and Ussuri (Khabarovsk, Primorsky Territory). They are also found in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin (Primorsky Territory, Lazovsky district). This small territory is home to every sixth tiger.
In 2003, the most predators were found in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin (Primorsky Territory). When choosing a habitat, the Amur tiger takes into account the main factor - whether there are wild artiodactyls in this territory. If they disappear or their population decreases, the tiger is doomed to starvation.
Also, when choosing a habitat, it is taken into account whether there are natural shelters and what is the average height of snow cover in a given area. Tigers love to hide in bushes and natural crevices. For accommodation they choose:
- river valleys;
- mountains overgrown with deciduous forest;
- cedar forests;
- secondary forests;
- honeydew with a predominance of cedar and oak.
Unfortunately, tigers have now been almost completely displaced by humans from the lowlands. These territories have long been developed for agriculture. Only occasionally, during hungry, harsh winters, can a tiger inspect lost possessions in search of vital food.
This handsome man can be called the ruler of a fairly large territory. The domain of a male is up to 800 km², of a female – up to 500 km². They mark their territory using a special secretion, which also leaves large scratches on the trees.
Animals practically do not leave their habitat if they have enough food. If there is little game, the predator can attack domestic animals and cattle. Hunting is carried out mainly at night.
The tiger does not join the pride like the lion. Males prefer a solitary existence, while females often form groups. Males can allow a female and her cubs to live in their territory. The Amur tiger can travel up to 41 km in search of food. 10% of the population is found in China. This is only 40-50 individuals.
Here they settled in Manchuria. To greet, predators use sounds that are produced by sharp exhalation through the mouth and nose. They also touch their heads, muzzles, and can even rub their sides. This animal prefers to avoid people. If a tiger comes close to a human dwelling, it means that the food situation is very bad. The animal is starving.
Assault on a person
The press loves to scare readers with chilling stories about man-eating tigers, but the stories have nothing to do with the Ussuri tigers. These animals prefer to stay as far as possible from humans and their homes. The exception is livestock during years of total starvation.
The Amur tiger avoids humans on the tenth road, attacking only wounded and dying individuals. Even in the case of a targeted hunt, the fleeing animal will prefer to move away rather than attack in response.
However, attacks on people were officially recorded; over the forty-year history of observations, tigers showed aggression 19 times. The reasons were protection of babies, prey, or provocation from humans. The tigers killed two people, and other participants in the conflict were injured.
The main cause of conflict between humans and tigers are attacks on grazing cattle and dogs guarding houses and pastures. But in this case, the instigators of the hunt for the beast are people.
Nutrition
Tigers occupy the top of the food pyramid. These are true predators who have nothing to fear, except perhaps hunger. They live in a unique food system that has developed on the territory of the Ussuri taiga. The size of the tiger population directly depends on the state of nature in the Far East.
This predator eats nothing but meat. Only severe hunger can force him to eat the fruit of a plant growing in the taiga. He prefers large prey. At the center of its diet are wild boar and wild artiodactyls.
The number of wild boars depends on how bad the pine nut is. In hungry years, these animals become much smaller, which causes the tiger to suffer. It is not for nothing that cedar in the taiga is considered the breadwinner tree. By the way, tigers never kill extra prey. They only hunt when they are really hungry. Predators don't kill out of boredom or for fun.
Hunting takes a lot of time and takes a lot of energy. Only every tenth attack attempt is successful. The tiger literally crawls towards the victim. He arches his back and rests his hind legs on the ground. The predator immediately gnaws the throat of small animals, and knocks down large animals, then gnawing the vertebrae of the neck. This predator needs about 20 kg of fresh meat per day.
If the attack is unsuccessful, the animal leaves the victim alone. Repeated attacks are very rare. He prefers to drag his prey to the water. The remains of the meal are hidden. There are often competitors who have to be driven away.
Feeds while lying down. It holds prey with its paws. Hunting is carried out mainly on ungulates. In their absence, even fish, mice, birds, and frogs are used for food. In times of famine, the fruits of all kinds of plants are used.
The main portion of the diet consists of wapiti, deer (red or spotted), wild boar, roe deer, lynx, elk, and small species of mammals. The rate of meat consumption per day is 9-10 kg. One predator requires up to 70 artiodactyls per year.
If a tiger has enough food, it becomes especially plump and large. Subcutaneous fat reaches a thickness of 5-6 cm. Thanks to it, he can not only afford to sleep in the snow, but can fast for about a week without harm to his health. In the snowy winter, when there is very little food, tigers really starve. There is even a risk of dying from critical exhaustion.
The Amur tiger is extremely rarely seen close to people's homes. Over the past 70 years, only a dozen attempts to attack humans have been recorded in the predator’s habitats. In the taiga, he does not even attack hunters who persistently pursue him. In order for an Amur tiger to dare to attack a person, it must be cornered or wounded.
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Amur tiger.
Photo courtesy of ANO »' Reproduction:
Amur tigers are believed to be polygamous. Their periods of reproduction and the appearance of tiger cubs are not confined to any specific time of year. And yet, tigers most often produce offspring in April-June.
After three to four months of waiting, the female gives birth to two or three blind tiger cubs. The mother tries to make a den for her cubs in the safest, hard-to-reach places: in dense thickets, caves, rock crevices - where they will be invisible to other predators.
Around the ninth day after birth, tiger cubs' eyes open, and at the age of two weeks, sharp teeth begin to grow. The mother feeds her children with milk for six months. Leaving the shelter, two-month-old small predators taste game for the first time - their mother begins to bring them meat.
Tiger cubs play a lot, learning the skills necessary for hunting. From the age of six months, grown-up tiger cubs accompany their mother during the hunt and learn the wisdom of searching and obtaining food. At one year of age, the cubs try for the first time to use all the hunting skills they have acquired. But the first attempts to get food do not always end in success. Teenagers will be able to defeat large prey on their own only by the age of two.
For the first few years of their lives, tiger cubs stay with their mother. The tigress hunts with young tigers until they reach sexual maturity. In the second year of life, young tigers separate from their mother, but continue to live on her territory.
Lifespan:
In the wild it is 16-18 years old, in captivity - up to 25 years.
Reproduction
The predator does not have a specific mating season. It could be any month. Late winter is preferred. The male mates with more than one tigress, so he does not create a family. He mates for 5-7 days, and then disappears from the life of the female.
It is curious that females at the time of heat purposefully wander around the endless domain of the male. They are looking for him to mate. This is the eternal call of nature, which is the key to procreation.
Cubs are born after 3.5 months. At the same time, the tigress retreats to the most impassable and remote place of the taiga. On average there are 2-3 cubs in a litter. Rarely 1, 5. Newborns are extremely helpless. They are blind and deaf. Their weight is less than 1 kg. They are completely dependent on their mother, who takes care of them for the first 2-3 years.
With proper care, babies quickly gain strength. Already at two weeks they begin to see and hear everything. A one-month-old tiger cub is already twice as heavy as a newborn. They are very active, inquisitive, and every now and then they get out of their den. They may try to climb trees.
From the age of two months, fresh meat appears in the cubs' diet. Mother's milk is used as food for up to six months. At six months, the cubs become the size of a small dog. They completely switch to meat.
The process of learning to hunt is carried out gradually. At first, the tigress simply brings fresh prey. Then it begins to lead to the killed animal. At two years old, tiger cubs reach 200 kg and begin to hunt themselves.
They quickly adopt their mother's experience. The tigress prefers to solve difficult problems on her own. The male does not take part in raising the offspring, but often lives nearby. When the kids turn 2.5-3 years old, the tiger family breaks up. Everyone lives independently.
These beautiful predators grow throughout their lives. They reach their largest size in old age. In nature they have no enemies. Unless a brown bear can overpower a tiger. Often these two giants come together in a bloody battle. It often ends with the death of the bear, which is eaten by the predator.
Enemies
The strong and large Amur tiger has no enemies in nature. The championship is held only by the ubiquitous poachers. Until now, this handsome man can be killed because of his skin, bones and internal organs, which are mistakenly endowed with certain medicinal properties.
In the 21st century, it is still customary in Tibetan medicine to use tinctures, powders, and all kinds of potions with the organs and bones of the Amur tiger. This barbarity flourishes mainly in China.
What is happening to the Amur tigers now?
Now this species of predator is listed in the Red Book as such, which is on the verge of extinction. Adults and cubs are under strict protection in protected areas. However, based on observations, it was established that the protected area may not be enough for them and they go beyond its limits, which is extremely dangerous.
Unfortunately, this is far from the only species of animal that has practically disappeared from the planet only because man contributed to this. In this case, mass shooting due to the desire to profit led to such extremely negative consequences.
Experts in this field are making every effort to ensure that the Amur tiger population increases. However, it is quite difficult for this predator to reproduce in captivity, so mass attempts do not always lead to success.
