What is the largest type of tiger. Tigers: what are they?
Tiger is one of the species carnivorous mammals belonging to the cat family. Scientists at this moment, nine subspecies of this predator have been identified. However, due to frivolity human race, only six of them have survived, of which the most numerous is the Bengal tiger. And one of the smallest is considered the Amur tiger, also known as the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). This subspecies is considered the largest tiger in the world.
Tiger body structure
The weight of the Amur tiger reaches 270 kilograms, and the body length of an adult male can be 2.7-3.8 meters to the tip of the tail. The length of the tiger's tail is up to 115 cm, as is the height at the withers. The Amur tiger is able to reach speeds of up to 50 km/h in the snow.
The Amur tiger has thicker fur than subspecies living in warm areas, and a lighter color - yellow with a white belly. In addition, the tiger has a five-centimeter layer of fat on its belly, which protects it from icy wind. Amur tigers have an elongated and flexible body with a rounded head, short legs and a long tail. The tiger is able to distinguish colors, and at night it sees five times better than a person.
Amur tiger currently
Currently, the number of Amur tiger individuals reaches about 600, which has been the most big number. According to scientists' estimates, this figure simply cannot grow any further, since the size of their natural habitat in Siberia will not be able to bear larger number individuals. So, for one such “kitten” you need approximately 300-500 square kilometers of fields and forests for hunting, provided that there is enough potential prey there for the survival of the species.
Due to the disrespectful attitude of most people towards the nature around them, the number of " big cats" is decreasing weekly, which does not please scientists. Poachers cannot leave the Amur tigers alone and are constantly chasing them, which reduces their numbers. A particularly profitable thing for these "destroyers of nature" are tiger bones, which are used in government institutions medical type. And in the illegal underworld One Amur tiger skeleton can fetch up to $5,000.
Andrey Milash, Samogo.Net
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 more than 2,500 individuals in wildlife. 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 has a darker color and smaller size than bengal tigers, but they are capable of reaching a maximum weight of 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 has been recognized as a separate type only 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 malayan tiger It 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) Very rare view, which lives only on the island of Sumatra. Habitat destruction is still considered main threat for 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 Previously found in sparse forests. It was discovered in the south and west of the Caspian Sea. By at least, was still found in the wild until the early 1970s. The closest living species to the Caspian tiger is 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 an animal that belongs to the feline species, and is one of its largest representatives. This animal is a predator and, in addition to its impressive size, has great strength, as well as beauty and grace.
Throughout the world, six varieties of these animals are distinguished, despite the fact that just a hundred years ago the number of tiger varieties was nine. The number of tigers on the planet is becoming smaller with each passing day. The reason for this unfortunate phenomenon is man, or rather, some of his actions. In particular, the reduction in the number of these cats was affected by total pollution environment, and in some cases uncontrolled attacks by poachers. Many people, when they look at a tiger, wonder: “What does the most big tiger in the world?"
The tiger, which belongs to the Amur species, is also designated in a number of sources as the Ussuri tiger, is the most major representative of this species throughout the Earth. It is also classified as an endangered species of animal. The weight of this predatory animal can exceed 300 kilograms. There are sources that talk about male Amur tigers weighing up to 390 kilograms. Today tigers with similar dimensions are no longer found.
The body length of these animals can be 1.6 – 2.9 meters, and their tail can reach 110 cm. These animals are considered true symbol taiga, as well as the object before which some peoples living in the region worship Far East. This cat with color exotic looking very beautiful, and in its power it has no equal among the entire animal world. The image of a tiger is used in the symbolism of the Primorsky Territory of Russia.
Tigers are easily vulnerable, despite the strength they have. Tigers are so strong that they can drag horse carcasses over distances of up to half a kilometer. They are also capable of moving at speeds of up to eighty kilometers per hour in snowy terrain. In terms of speed, the tiger is second only to its relative the cheetah. This species is the only one that lacks a 5-centimeter layer of fat on its belly.
The body of the animal is elongated, the head is round. The tiger's tail is quite long, and its paws are relatively short. Tigers can see colors, and at night their vision is 5 times better than humans. U Amur tigers thicker coat compared to their counterparts living in warm climates climatic zones. The color of the animal's fur is lighter than that of other tigers. Coat predator in winter - orange, white color predominates on the belly.
Habitat
The most large cluster Amur tigers have been recorded in the east of the Russian Federation. They live on the coast of the Ussuri and Amur rivers. About 10% of existing individuals of this species live in China.
Lifestyle and nutrition of the Amur tiger
The Amur tiger species is the owner of vast spaces. For females, these spaces occupy from 300 to 500 square kilometers, and for males - from 600 to 800. If there is enough food in the territory that the animal owns, then it does not leave its territory. When game becomes scarce, the possibility of tigers attacking dogs and livestock living nearby cannot be ruled out.
Animals are most active at night. Males mostly live alone, but females can live in groups. Animals greet each other using special sound signals, which are formed by fairly vigorous exhalation of air through the mouth and Airways. In addition, these predators can express signs of friendliness to each other, which manifest themselves in the form of touching their muzzles or heads.
Despite their power and well-developed senses, predators often have to spend a lot of time hunting. According to statistics, one hunt out of ten ends in success. Tigers approach their prey by crawling, resting their hind paws on the ground and arching their backs. If the hunt is for small game, the tiger immediately kills it by gnawing its throat. With more big catch the situation is different: first the predator knocks the animal to the ground, and then gnaws the vertebrae in the neck.
If the hunt is unsuccessful, the animal abandons its prey. Tigers rarely decide to attack a second time. The animal usually drags its prey to some body of water, and before sleeping, it usually hides what is left uneaten.
Despite being hunted striped predators preferably on ungulates; in case of lack of food, they can even feed on fish, mice, various birds and frogs, and sometimes even plants. The Amur tiger's diet includes several varieties of deer, wild boars, lynxes, roe deer, moose and other fairly large animals. These predators need at least 10 kilograms of meat per day. To ensure a prosperous life for a tiger, 50 to 70 ungulates per year will be required.
Reproduction
The moment a female Amur tiger turns three years old, she will be ready to reproduce. The sexual activity of these animals reaches its peak in the second half of the winter season. Tiger cubs are usually born between April and June. Male tigers often do not take any part in the subsequent fate of their offspring. The male leaves the female almost immediately after mating.
The gestation period of Amur tigers is 112 days. Typically, two to four kittens are born at a time. A female tiger usually hides her cubs, and in case of danger, takes them to safe place. Tigresses are usually very careful in protecting, protecting and caring for their cubs. Tiger cubs begin to see 2 weeks after birth. The cubs usually remain next to their mother until they are 4-5 years old.
Amur tiger and man
In the old days, people hunted tigers, although only the bravest dared to do so. A real hunter who managed to defeat a tiger put on the skin of the animal as a source of the highest pride and dignity. Many people believe that tigers often hunt and eat people. In essence, Amur tigers usually hunt and feed on ungulates and only in rare cases can they attack human habitation.
Tiger cubs are quite playful and very smart. They are easy to train, which is why Amur tigers are often kept in circuses and zoos.
Amur tigers are listed in the Red Book, although according to experts World Fund wildlife as of 2007 was the same number as one century ago.
The Amur, or Ussuri, tiger is one of the smallest representatives of the cat family.
The Amur, or Ussuri, tiger is one of the smallest representatives of the cat family. It is also called the most northern tiger. Its habitat is located in the southeast of Russia, along the banks of the Amur and Ussuri in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. Approximately 10% of tigers live in China. Listed in the Red Book.
The Ussuri tiger is a large, exotically colored cat, unrivaled in strength and power in all the world's fauna. This is one of the biggest terrestrial predators of our planet and at the same time a vulnerable animal, despite its large size and enormous physical strength. The strength of a tiger is such that it can drag a horse carcass on the ground for more than 500 m. In the snow, it can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h. It is second only to the cheetah in speed.
The Ussuri tiger is depicted on the flag and coat of arms of the Primorsky Territory, as well as on many heraldic symbols of cities and regions of the region. He is the object of worship of many peoples of the Far East. In 1988, Hodori (as the Siberian tiger is called in Korean) was the official mascot of the Summer olympic games in Seoul. In China, killing an Amur tiger carries the death penalty.
Contrary to widespread myths about the danger to humans, the Amur tiger prefers to attack wapiti, sika deer, roe deer, and wild boars. For adequate nutrition, a tiger requires about 50-70 ungulates per year. If there is not enough food, the tiger may attack livestock, but not humans.
Amur tigers live alone. But females sleep with their cubs. The habitat areas do not overlap, and if they overlap, it is only partially. As a rule, this applies to males. Where adult males live, several females may also live. On average, an adult tiger travels 9.6 km per day, with a maximum of 41 km. Tigress - 7 km each, maximum - 22 km.
The Amur tiger is unusually silent: some zoologists, who have observed it in the wild for many years, have never heard a tiger roar. The exception is the rutting period, when tigers roar often, especially females. A predator irritated by something growls dully and hoarsely, and in rage it characteristically “coughs.” IN good-natured state he purrs like a cat.
One of the main reasons for the disappearance of Amur tigers was the destruction of natural habitats and the erosion of their food supply. This large predators need quite extensive hunting areas- about 100 km2 per animal. To others important factor is poaching.
The Amur tiger is killed for its beautiful skin, as well as for its bones and internal organs. Medicines and tinctures made from them, according to mythical ideas firmly entrenched in traditional Chinese medicine, give to a person special power and help with a variety of ailments - from rheumatism to impotence.
Today, experts continue to fight to preserve and increase the Amur tiger population.
A hundred years ago, the population of tigers on our planet was about 100,000. Almost half of them lived on the Hindustan Peninsula. However, at the beginning of the 21st century the situation changed dramatically.
Now there are no more than 4 thousand tigers left in the wild. Even children can answer the question of where the tiger lives. Previously, these “cats” lived in India and China, as well as in eastern Russia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan. However, in our time, it is, alas, almost impossible to meet these graceful predators in such natural regions of the planet. Tigers are dying out as a species, and the main reason lies in the activities of humans, who not only hunt this animal, but also change the conditions customary for its existence. So what kind of animal is this tiger? Where does this species of the cat family live and what does it eat?
Subspecies of tigers
Tigers differ in coat color and size, depending on the territory in which they live. Thus, several subspecies of this cat family have been identified.
The Bengal tiger prefers life in dry savannas, mangrove and rain forests. Such conditions can be found in the territory modern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Quite a lot of these animals live there - about two thousand individuals.
The most large population The Indochinese tiger lives in Malaysia. It was possible to preserve this subspecies due to the fact that strict laws were introduced in the country that successfully combat poaching.
Chinese is on the verge of extinction. Where does a tiger of this subspecies live? It is no longer possible to find it in the wild. Chinese tigers are preserved only in the country's zoos, but the Chinese government is trying to return this type of cat to natural environment their habitat.
The largest and smallest “cat” on the planet
Tigers are capable of living not only on the continent. There are representatives of this species who have chosen the nature of the island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula as their habitat. They differ from their relatives primarily in body size. Weight Limit which an adult can reach is 120-130 kilograms. Sumatran tigers are considered the smallest among their other relatives.
And the Amur tiger is considered the largest cat on the planet. Where does this subspecies of the cat family, which is also called Ussuri or Far Eastern, live? We'll tell you now!
Where do Ussuri tigers live? What is their lifestyle like?
In accordance with its name, tigers of this subspecies are distributed in the Amur and Ussuri river basins, as well as in the southeastern part of Russia and the Primorsky Territory. Only 5% of individuals of this subspecies can be found in China.
Unlike their close relatives (lions), tigers lead a solitary lifestyle. Adults never gather in flocks. They have their own territory - a special place where the tiger lives and hunts. Moreover, in this matter the animals we are considering are distinguished by enviable constancy. For many years they do not leave their site, year after year they go around the same paths, thus declaring to all their relatives that this place is already occupied. To mark the boundaries of their territory, tigers use scent marks, like most cats. In addition, they can make marks on trees by tearing off the bark with their claws. Such traces can be found even at a height of two and a half meters.
What do tigers eat?
The main diet of tigers consists of ungulates such as sika deer, wild boar and wapiti. At the same time, a tiger must eat at least ten kilograms of meat per day. Thus, every year about 50-70 animals die in the territory where the tiger lives. This type of predator is capable of hunting at any opportunity convenient for it.
Unlike other representatives of the cat family, tigers are not afraid of water, so they very often supplement their diet with fish, which they catch during spawning.
Tigers hunt, as well as live, alone. And only one attempt out of ten ends in success. Perhaps the whole point is that these predators prefer not to pursue a prey that was able to escape, but to hunt down a new one.
If the food supply decreases sharply, the tiger may leave its territory and begin hunting livestock or dogs. At the same time, a young healthy animal is never the first to attack a person. Only old or wounded individuals who are unable to hunt large prey can do this.
Reproduction and raising offspring
As already mentioned, tigers are loners, so they mating season not associated with any certain time of the year. Mating occurs when the male finds a female. He stays near her for no more than 5-7 days, after which he leaves.
To bear offspring, a pregnant tigress needs from 95 to 112 days. Tiger cubs are born completely blind and helpless. Therefore, they are forced to stay with their mother. They begin to see only a week and a half after birth. After about 15 days, their teeth begin to emerge. The mother feeds the kittens with milk for up to two months. And only after this time do the cubs taste meat for the first time.
From about six months, the young offspring begin to accompany the mother during the hunt, but do not participate in it. Young animals begin to hunt independently after reaching one year. A tiger will be able to kill large game on its own only two years after birth.
Tiger cubs live with their mother until puberty. Once they are able to feed themselves, the cubs separate. However, the territory where tigers from the new offspring live belongs to their mother. These are the rules...
Where does the white tiger live?
Contrary to popular belief, the white tiger is not classified as a separate subspecies. This feature of its color is the result of a gene mutation. Some individuals lack the pigment that should color their fur. yellow. At the same time, the black bars remain in place.
The birth of a white tiger is very a rare event. Albino can appear in an ordinary tiger family, regardless of its subspecies. For every 10 thousand individuals with a yellow color, there is only one white one.
Most often, white beauties are born in captivity, as they are descendants of the same animal. Therefore, the main places where tigers live are zoos or private nurseries.
A cat protected by the state
Over the past hundred years, the Amur tiger population has decreased by 25 times. There are no more than 450 individuals of this subspecies left in the wild. The main reason their disappearance was due to poaching. These beauties are destroyed for their skins, in addition, in East Asia Bones and other parts of a killed animal, whose name is the Amur tiger, are also used as valuable medicinal raw materials. Where does this subspecies live after its habitat is destroyed?
Basically, individuals of the same population cannot contact each other due to the fact that they live isolated from each other. The reason for this isolation is human activity. Thus, the number of predators is significantly influenced by the decreasing factor of their genetic diversity. The imbalance between the predator and its main victims is also negative, because the number of the latter also decreases every year.
Now the Ussuri tiger is listed in the Red Book. In Russia, a poacher must pay a fine for killing him. For reference: in China there is a death penalty for such a crime.