The tiger is the most graceful and graceful animal in the cat family. When many people see this amazing animal, the question arises: "What is the largest tiger in the world?"
The largest species of tigers
This animal has extremely frightening dimensions, which can vary depending on its subspecies. It is definitely impossible to answer the question of which tiger is the largest in the world. After all, there are several varieties, the dimensions of which leave a strong impression.
Today it is believed that the largest tigers in the world belong to two subspecies. True, their rivals in size have recently appeared. These are the so-called ligers that occurred in the process of crossing the two largest representatives of the feline.
Among the subspecies created by nature, the largest tigers in the world are Bengal and Amur. They almost do not differ in size and weight. Although it is worth noting that the largest tiger in the world was killed in 1967 in North India. This was officially recognized as the highest rate in nature, because the weight of the killed male reached 388.7 kg!
Bengal tiger
Representatives of this subspecies can be found in Pakistan, Northern and Central India, in Eastern Iran, Bangladesh, Manyama, Bhutan, Nepal and in the environs adjacent to the mouths of the Ganges, Satlidzh, Ravvi, Indus. This is not only the largest tiger in the world, but also the largest among the subspecies that live today. Their number is slightly less than 2.5 thousand individuals.
The average weight of a male Bengal tiger varies by habitat. The highest results in the modern world are noted in Nepal. On average, the male pulls there by 235 kg. But it was there that the “record holder" was noticed - the largest tiger in the world, whose weight reached 320 kg.
Amur tiger
This subspecies has many other names: Ussuri, Far East, Manchurian or Siberian. As already mentioned, it is believed that this is the largest tiger in the world.
The dimensions of this representative of the cat family are very impressive. For example, if he stands on his hind legs, then his growth will be up to 3.5-4 m! The weight of such individuals may vary. So, the stable weight of the Amur tiger is 250 kg. But among them there are outstanding individuals.
The Siberian tiger in appearance is somewhat different from its counterparts living in warm countries. He has a less bright red color, and his coat is very thick. In addition, there is a layer of fat on his belly that allows him to feel comfortable in frosty winters.
The Far Eastern tiger living in captivity can live more than 25 years. At large, his age rarely exceeds 15.
Concern for maintaining a disappearing subspecies
Amur tigers are extremely few in nature. There are several reasons for this. Among them:
- active destruction of animals by people hunting them because of their fur;
- the extinction of Amur tigers from the plague, which carnivores are susceptible to;
- cutting down taiga, where tigers can live free and breed;
- a decrease in the number of ungulates, which are the staple food of these predators;
- identical DNA in surviving individuals, which leads to the appearance of weak and often non-viable offspring.
Today this situation is under control. Now reserves and zoos are actively breeding these graceful animals, and their name was listed in the Red Book of Russia. According to the latest estimates, no more than 500 individuals remained of Amur tigers.
Liger
As noted earlier, in nature there are hybrids obtained by crossing individuals of different species. Such a measure was taken by zoo owners in order to impress visitors, increasing their number and profit. But these attempts were not always crowned with success, and the percentage of luck was only 1-2. Crossing of lions with tigresses led to the appearance of quite interesting and large hybrids.
The male ligra is much larger than even the Bengal and Amur tigers. Its weight can reach 400 kg even when the individual is not at all obese. The growth of a male standing on its hind legs is about 4 m.
In appearance, the ligers resemble cave lions, which became extinct about 10 thousand years ago. They owe such large dimensions to the DNA of their ancestors, because lions and tigresses, when mating, activate the gene that is responsible for growth.
The most important feature of hybrids of a lion and a tigress is that their females have the ability to bear children. So, there are two more species - ligigra and taligra. The first appears as a result of the crossing of a female liger and a male lion, and the second - when mating a female liger and a male tiger.
The American Association of Zoos and Aquariums is extremely disapproving of the breeding of such unusual large species. Indeed, today it is necessary to concentrate on preserving the endangered species of tigers, and not try hard to break the record in the nomination "The largest tiger in the world."