Amur tigers are one of the smallest among their relatives; the population size today barely exceeds 500 animals. Smaller numbers are preserved only for Sumatran tigers (up to 500 individuals) and South China tigers (virtually extinct, 30 individuals). Ecologists are trying to maximize the protection of these species in order to prevent their complete extinction.
- 2.1 Diet
- 9.1 Mating process
Description
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The Amur tiger is quite large, considered the largest among the representatives of the cat family, with thicker and lighter fur compared to its southern relatives.
Weight and height
The body length of males is 2.7-3.8 m, females are slightly smaller. The height at the withers reaches 115 cm, weight ranges from 170 to 250 kg. The main color of the fur in winter is orange, the tiger's belly is white.
Peculiarities
This is the only one among the subspecies that has a 5 cm layer of fat on its belly, which protects the animal from freezing winds and very low temperatures. The body of the Amur tiger is elongated, flexible, the head is round in shape, the paws are relatively short, and the tail is long. The ears are small. Amur tigers can distinguish colors and their night vision is five times sharper than that of humans.
Range, habitats
The Amur tiger is found in a relatively limited sector, most of which is a protected zone - this is China and the southeast of Russia, namely the banks of the Amur / Ussuri in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories.
As of 2003, the highest concentration of predators was observed in the foothills of Sikhote-Alin (Lazovsky district of Primorsky Krai), where every sixth Amur tiger lived. In general, when choosing habitats, tigers try to be closer to their main food (ungulates), and also proceed from the height of the snow cover and the presence of shelters, for example, creases or dense thickets of bushes.
The Amur tiger often settles in such biotopes as:
- mountains with deciduous trees;
- mountain river valleys;
- padi with forests of the Manchurian type, where oak and cedar predominate;
- clean cedar forests;
- secondary forests.
The Amur tiger has been displaced by humans from low-lying landscapes suitable for agriculture. In retaliation, babrians often inspect the outskirts of neighboring settlements in winter, when their usual food supply becomes scarce.
Nutritional Features
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The Amur tiger is a typical predator, it is very strong, has developed senses, but it devotes quite a lot of its time to hunting, since only one out of 10 of its attempts is successful. The tiger approaches the prey by crawling, arching its back and resting its hind paws on the ground. It kills small prey by immediately gnawing its throat, while large prey is first knocked to the ground. If the attack attempt is unsuccessful, then the tiger does not pursue its failed victim. He drags the carcass of a killed animal to the water, and always tries to hide its remains and drive other animals away from it. The tiger eats lying down and holds the prey with its paws.
Diet
The diet of the Amur tiger includes mainly large ungulates, as well as fish, frogs, birds and mice, and even plant fruits. This predator mainly hunts wapiti, sika and red deer, roe deer, wild boar, bear, elk and small mammals. He needs 9-10 kg of meat per day, that is, from 50 to 70 ungulates per year.
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.
Amur tigers at night
Amur tigers lead an active nocturnal lifestyle. Males usually live alone, females can gather in small groups. Amur tigers communicate with each other using special sounds that are formed during vigorous exhalation of air through the nose and mouth. Their sign of friendliness is touching their muzzles and rubbing their sides together.
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.
Reproduction
Amur tigers become sexually mature at the age of 4-5 years. There is no specific time of year for the mating season. When a female comes into heat, she leaves urine marks and scratches on trees. Since these tigers live in fairly large territories, the females often leave on their own in search of males.
Mating process
They become ready for mating on days 3-7 of estrus. Mating occurs many times; the male and female remain close together for some time. Then the male leaves the female and goes off in search of a new partner.
Length of pregnancy in females
The duration of pregnancy is 95-112 days, after which 3-4 blind kittens are born, which the female feeds with milk. Their eyes open after 9 days, and at 2 weeks their teeth begin to grow. At 2 months, babies leave their shelter for the first time. The female begins to bring them meat, but milk feeding continues for about six months. After its completion, young tiger cubs begin to go hunting with their mother and learn to hunt on their own. This goes on for quite some time. Tiger cubs tend to play a lot and learn during this game. At the age of 1 year they begin to hunt on their own, and at 2 years they become able to cope with large prey. But still they live with their mother and hunt together until they reach puberty.
Population and species status
The Amur tiger was included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, as well as in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This is due to the fact that the populations of these animals began to decline noticeably until 1940. At the end of the century before last, up to hundreds of these predators were caught, and by 1912 there were only 60 of them. By 1940, their number was only four dozen individuals.
Several factors influenced the decline in the number of Amur tigers. For example:
- Shooting of adults by poachers.
- Decrease in the number of artiodactyls due to active hunting.
- The practice of catching tiger cubs.
- Destruction of green spaces along river banks.
- Harsh winters with heavy snowfalls.
Only after the war did a gradual increase in the number of tigers begin. By 1959, scientists counted up to hundreds of tigers in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. After 5 years, their number increased to 120 individuals, and after another 5 years - 140 individuals. After 10 years, the number of Amur tigers increased to 2 hundred. At the beginning of the third millennium, there were already up to 4 and a half hundred individuals.
Important fact! In 2005, experts again decided to count the tigers, and it turned out that there were about 500 individuals in total, with about 4 hundred adult tigers and up to a hundred cubs.
Thanks to the “Strategy for the Conservation of the Amur Tiger in Russia” adopted in 2010, it was possible to expand the living space of this predator. As a result of the appearance of such a document, the national parks “Bikin” and “Land of the Leopard” were formed, including the Sredne-Ussuriysky reserve.
After 5 years of protective measures, it was possible to increase the protected area to one and a half million hectares. When the next count was carried out in 2015, it turned out that about 540 Ussuri tigers live in the Far East, while only 10% of the world population is concentrated in Manchuria, in China.
Further problems in the distribution of these animals are associated with a number of factors. For example:
- With a fairly low population density.
- With large areas of family and private character.
- With the presence of a meager food supply.
- With the inability to adapt to modern conditions.
- With a high value of the animal from the point of view of Chinese medicine.
- With the actions of poachers.
- With poor reproductive capabilities.
Currently, Amur tigers live in those areas of the taiga that have not been deforested. Many experts dream that the tiger will be returned to its historical habitat. A promising direction for preserving and increasing the number of this animal is associated with the resettlement of this predator within the Pleistocene Park, formed in Yakutia. Experts plan to increase the number of Amur tigers to 750 individuals. Unfortunately, this can only be possible if there is a noticeable increase in the number of wild ungulates. In other words, there is no way to do this without comprehensive measures.
Interesting Facts:
- The Tungus and Manchus rarely call the Amur tiger by the name “taskh” (tiger), but replace the name of the animal with “amba” (big) in order to avoid trouble.
- The image of the Amur tiger is placed on the flag and coat of arms of the Primorsky Territory, and on many symbols of its cities and regions. In addition, the coat of arms of Khabarovsk and the Khabarovsk Territory is also decorated with it. In addition, this species has been and remains a popular character in numerous fiction books, films and cartoons.
- Previously, the Amur tiger was depicted on the coat of arms of Irkutsk, but when the coat of arms of the province was approved by Emperor Alexander II, its description came to St. Petersburg with the Siberian word “babr” (which means “tiger”), officials hastily “corrected” it to “beaver” " And it turned out that the coat of arms should depict “a beaver carrying a sable in its teeth.” Since a predator still had to hold the sable in its teeth, the coat of arms began to depict a fictional black animal with a large tail and webbed hind limbs. This picture has been preserved on the modern coat of arms of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region, although the long-standing error has been corrected.
Lifestyle
No matter how formidable this animal is, the habits that are inherent in all cats cannot be taken away from it. The tiger prefers solitude - it is part of a pack, and also goes after prey alone. The Amur tiger leaves the boundaries of its territory only if it needs to catch large prey. The predator also leaves special marks on its territory:
- strips the bark off trees;
- leaves scratches;
- splashing urine on vegetation or rocks.
The male defends his territory quite harshly - the tiger simply tries to destroy uninvited guests, but with representatives of his own species he tries to eliminate the conflict through a menacing roar. Fighting is a last resort for the Amur tiger. Moreover, he can live in complete silence for several years.
Individuals reproduce once every two years. The tiger is by nature a polygamous animal, so it can keep several females on its territory at once. If another tiger claims them, then even a fight is possible.
Where does it live?
The habitat of this predator is located in the Far Eastern part of the country. He lives in the valleys of the largest Far Eastern river, the Amur and its tributary, the Ussuri, where the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories are located. The species is most concentrated in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin. According to experts, every 6th Siberian tiger lives there.
The Amur cat feels most comfortable in forest valleys located between low mountain slopes overgrown with coniferous and deciduous trees. The Amur tiger does not like to climb mountains; only a deep feeling of hunger will force him to do so.
Tigers live alone. Each has its own specific territory, which they fiercely defend from competitors - other tigers. In males it reaches an area of 2 thousand square meters. kilometers, for females - 400 square meters. km. The territories of males and females may overlap.
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Notes
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- Amur tiger in Russia. Bibliographic reference book. 1998. M.: WWF, 416 p.
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- Sokolov V. E.
Rare and endangered animals. Mammals: Reference. allowance. - M.: Higher School, 1986. - P. 343. - 519 p., [24] l. ill. — 100,000 copies. - Aristov A. A., Baryshnikov G. F., 2001. Mammals of the fauna of Russia and adjacent territories. Predatory and pinnipeds. St. Petersburg: Nauka, 558 p.
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- Kitchener, AC
A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group: [English] / Kitchener, AC, Breitenmoser-Würsten, C., Eizirik, E. … [et al .] // Cat News. — 2022. — No. Special Issue 11. - P. 66–68. - White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea (unspecified)
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The SHAFR Guide Online
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(20190917T0319). Date accessed: December 6, 2022. - ↑ 1 2
Russian scientists proposed to count the Amur tigers in the DPRK
(unspecified)
.
lenta.ru
. Date accessed: December 6, 2022. - Expert: There may be 20 Amur tigers living in the DPRK (Russian). Mir24
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(2005).Chapter 6. Who's king of the beasts?
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25-35 in DG Miquelle, EN Smirnov, JM Goodrich (Eds.) Tigers in Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik: Ecology and Conservation
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(inaccessible link). Access date: March 3, 2010. Archived December 8, 2008. - Driscoll, C. A., Yamaguchi, N., Bar-Gal, G. K., Roca, A. L., Luo, S., Macdonald, D. W., O'Brien, S. J. (2009). Mitochondrial Phylogeography Illuminates the Origin of the Extinct Caspian Tiger and Its Relationship to the Amur Tiger. PLoS ONE 4(1):e4125. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004125
- Amur tiger | Commemorative coins of Russia | Bank of Russia Archived on May 17, 2011.
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- Lyapustin S.N., Fomenko P.V.
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