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Siberian Tiger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Panthera tigris altaica Temminck, 1884 |
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 Distribution of the Siberian Tiger (in red)
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The Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is a rare subspecies of tiger (P. tigris). Also known as the Amur, Manchurian or North China tiger, it is confined completely to the Amur region in far eastern Siberia, where it is now protected. It is considered to be the largest of the 6 tiger subspecies.
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Physical features
The Siberian tiger is typically only 2-4 inches taller at the shoulder than the Bengal Tiger, which is about 107-110 cm tall.[1] Old Males reach normally a head and body length of 190-220 centimetres (75-97 in). The largest male with largely assured references was 350 cm (138 in) "over curves" (3,30 m. between shoulders) in total length.[2] (The tail length in old males is about one metre.) Apart from its size, the Siberian Tiger is differentiated from other tiger subspecies by its paler fur and dark brown (rather than black) stripes. As well as for colour, their fur also differs by being thicker and longer in order to cope with the freezing temperatures of their habitat. Siberian Tigers vary, too, by having larger feet than most other sub-species to help facilitate movement through snow.
Although male Siberian Tigers commonly weigh up to 270 kilograms,[3] an average male weighs around 200-230 kg. Weights up to 306 kg have been recorded and exceptionally large males of up to 384 kg are mentioned in the literature but, according to Mazak, none of these cases were confirmed via reliable sources.[2] Females are normally smaller than males and weigh 100-167 kg,[4] probably up to 180 kg (390 lb).[5] The "Siberian Tiger Project", which has operated from Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik since 1992, found that 215 kg seemed to be the largest that they were able to verify, albeit from a limited number of specimens.[6] Dale Miquelle, program director of the Siberian Tiger Project, writes that, despite repeated claims in the popular literature that the Siberian is the largest of all tigers, their measurements on more than fifty captured individuals suggest that body size is, in fact, similar to that of Bengal tigers.[7]
Distribution and population
The Siberian Tiger is critically endangered. In the early 1900s, it lived throughout the northeastern China, Korean Peninsula, northeastern Mongolia and southeastern Russia. In 1922 they died out from South Korea (then under Japanese rule) and today, it is very rare in North Korea and is largely confined to a very small part of Russia's southern Far East (the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorsky and Khabarovsky Krai).[citation needed] There are very few tigers in northeastern China and fewer still in North Korea. Captive breeding and conservation programs are currently active.[citation needed]
By the 1940s the estimated population was down to fewer than 50 in the Russian Far East, although some hundreds still populated neighbouring China. [8] The number increased to more than 200 in 1982, although in China there are now thought to be no more than a dozen or so Amur tigers. Poaching has been brought under better control due to frequent road inspections.
A count, taken in 1996 reported 430 Siberian Tigers in the wild. However, Russian conservation efforts have led to a slight increase, or at least to a stable population of the subspecies, as the number of individuals in the Siberian Forests was estimated between 431 and 529 in the last count in 2005.[9] According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the latest Russian Census reports put this number to be anywhere between 480 and 520 without including the small numbers of this subspecies present in mainland China.[10] The Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Centre in the northern Heilongjiang province of China plans to release 620 Siberian tigers, after its numbers have increased from 708 to 750.[11]
Breeding
Siberian tigers reach sexual maturity at 3 years of age. They mate at any time of the year. A female signals her receptiveness by leaving urine deposits and scratch marks on trees. She will spend seven days with the male, during which she is receptive for three days. Gestation lasts 3–3½ months. Litter size is normally 3 or 4 cubs but there can be as many as 6. The cubs are born blind in a sheltered den and are left alone when the female leaves to hunt for food.
Diet
Like all other cats, the Siberian Tiger is a carnivorous predator; an adept hunter, it preys primarily on wild boar and red deer. Both species make up 65-90% of its diet in the Russian Far East. Other important prey species are moose, roe deer, sika deer, musk deer and goral. Even dangerous animals like adult brown bears are among the prey species of the Siberian tiger. Asiatic black bears and brown bears constitute 5-8% of the Siberian tigers diet,[2] but it will also take smaller prey like lagomorphs (hares, rabbits, and pikas) and fish, including salmon. Because its main prey are red deer and wild boar, protecting these and other prey animals from illegal hunting may be just as important to the tiger's survival as preventing direct killing of the big cats.
In areas where Siberian tigers and wolves share ranges, the tigers depress wolf numbers either to the point of localised extinction or to such low numbers as to make them a functionally insignificant component of the ecosystem. Wolves appear capable of escaping competitive exclusion only when human persecution decreases tiger numbers.[12]
History
Native perceptions
The Tungusic people considered the Siberian tiger a near-deity and often referred to it as "Grandfather" or "Old man". The Udege and Nanai called it "Amba". The Manchu considered the Siberian tiger as Hu Lin, the king.[1]
Soviet Union
In the early years of the Russian Revolution, both Red and White armies based in Vladivostok nearly wiped out the local Siberian tigers. In the 1920s, tigers were heavily persecuted by the Red Army, which would on occasion kill up to eight or ten on a single outing. In 1935, when the Manchurian Chinese were driven back across the Amur and the Ussuri, the tigers had already withdrawn from their northern and western range. The few that remained in the East Manchurian mountains were cut off from the main population by the building of railroads. Within a few years, the last viable Siberian tiger population was confined to Ussuri Land.
During the Great Patriotic War, tiger populations were given some respite. Legal tiger hunting within the Soviet Union would continue until 1947 when it was officially prohibited. In 1962, the last tiger in Heilongjiang received protection. In the mid 1980s, it was estimated that the Siberian tiger population consisted of approximately 250 animals.
In 1989, law and order almost entirely broke down due to impending collapse of the Soviet Union. Subsequent illegal deforestation and bribery of park rangers made the poaching of Siberian tigers easier, once again putting the subspecies at risk from extinction.[1]
Captivity
The captive population of Siberian Tiger comprises several hundred. A majority of these tigers are found in China, with other populations in Europe and North America. The large, distinctive and powerful cats are popular zoo exhibits. The Siberian Tiger is bred within the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a project based on 83 wild caught tigers. According to most experts, this population is large enough to stay stable and genetically healthy. Today, approximately 160 Siberian Tigers participate in the SSP, which makes it the most extensively bred tiger subspecies within the programme. There are currently no more than around 255 tigers in the tiger SSP from three different subspecies. Developed in 1982, the Species Survival Plan for the Siberian Tiger is the longest running program for a tiger subspecies. It has been very fortunate and productive, and the breeding program for the Siberian Tiger has actually been used as a good example when new programs have been designed to save other animal species from extinction.
The Siberian Tiger is not very difficult to breed in captivity, but the possibility of survival for animals bred in captivity released into the wild is small. Conservation efforts that secure the wild population are therefore still imperative. If a captive bred Siberian Tiger were to be released into the wild, it would lack the necessary hunting skills and starve to death. Captive bred tigers can also approach humans and villages, since they have learned to associate humans with feeding and lack the natural shyness of the wild tigers. In a worst-case scenario, the starving tigers could even become man-eaters. Since tigers must be taught how to hunt by their mothers when they are still cubs, a program that aimed to release captive bred Siberian Tigers into the wild would face great difficulties.
References
- ^ a b c Matthiessen, Peter; Hornocker, Maurice (2001). Tigers In The Snow. North Point Press. ISBN 0865475962.
- ^ a b c Vratislav Mazak: Der Tiger. Nachdruck der 3. Auflage von 1983. Westarp Wissenschaften Hohenwarsleben, 2004 ISBN 3 894327596
- ^ Turner, Alan; Antón, Mauricio (1997). The big cats and their fossil relatives. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-10229-1.
- ^ Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- ^ Sunquist, Mel; Sunquist, Fiona (2002). Wild Cats of the World. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-77999-7.
- ^ Prynn, David (2002). Amur Tiger. Russian Nature Press. ISBN 0953299031.
- ^ Thapar, Valmik (2004). Tiger: The Ultimate Guide. CDS Books. ISBN 1593150245.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Siberian Tigers Stable, According to Landmark Survey. National Geographic (2005-06-16). Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
- ^ World's biggest tiger winning extinction fight. The Telegraph (2007-04-14). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
- ^ Baby boom for endangered tigers. BBC News (2007-06-17). Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
- ^ Matthiessen, Peter (2005). Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity: Biodiversity, pp.526. ISBN 1559630809.
General references
- Cat Specialist Group (1996). Panthera tigris ssp. altaica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this subspecies is critically endangered and the criteria used
- Russian Plan to Save World's Largest Tiger Succeeds. Environment News Service. US: Environment News Service. Retrieved on July 26, 2005.
- Seidensticker, John (1999). Riding the Tiger. Tiger Conservation in Human-dominated Landscapes. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521648351.
- Chamberlain, Ted (2007-04-16). Photo in the News: Biggest Tiger Pounces Back From Brink. National Geographic.
External links
- Amur (Siberian) tiger at WWF
- Save China's Tiger homepage, information regarding the rewilding project
- Siberian Tiger Profile at National Geographic
- Wildlife Conservation Society's Siberian Tiger Project
- AMUR - Preserving leopards and tigers in the wild
- Information Resources on Tigers, Panthera tigris: Natural History, Ecology, Conservation, Biology, and Captive Care, AWIC Resource Series No. 34, April 2006, Compiled by: Jean Larson, Animal Welfare Information Center, USDA, ARS, NAL, 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA. E-mail: awic@nal.usda.gov