There are eight main subspecies of the tiger, which traditionally differ in geographical features. Three of them - Balinese, Caspian and Javanese - are now completely extinct. The Amur tiger is also endangered, therefore it is listed in the Red Book of Russia and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and is also included in the Convention on the Prohibition of the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
The critically small number of Amur tigers was recorded in the 30s and 40s of the last century, when only about thirty remained. Currently, the number of adults has increased tenfold, and the number of cubs is 100-110.
Tiger hunting has been banned since 1947.
Habitat
Nine out of ten existing Amur tigers live in Russia, in the Primorsky Territory. Habitat area - about 150 thousand square meters. km In the south of the Far East, there are three separate centers where tigers can be found: Sikhote-Alin, the northwestern border with China, and the southwestern border. The habitual environment for predators is cedar-broad-leaved forests of the Manchu type.
The climate in these places is quite severe: cold snowy winters and a short period of cool summers. But the Amur tiger survives perfectly in such difficult conditions. The task of man is to preserve the ecosystem of the Far Eastern forests in their original form, since this cat species does not know how to adapt to a different climate.
Amur tiger - description
This is the largest "cat" on the planet. In size, it surpasses even a lion. The length of the body with the tail reaches 3 meters. The average weight is from 130 to 190 kg, but individuals are also found in 300-350 kg. A newborn tiger cub weighs only 1 kg, gaining weight rapidly: in three months - 10 kg, in half a year - 30 kg, in two years - 100 kg.
The Amur tiger has characteristic stripes, but its color is paler than other tiger species. His coat is reddish-orange with brown or black stripes. In summer, the color is brighter, it dims a little by winter, and the coat becomes long and thick, specially adapted for cold snowy winters. These predators also have a thick fat “pillow” on their stomach so that they can lie on the snow without problems, and wide pillows on their paws so as not to fall into the snow.
The tiger’s arsenal of attack is sharp long claws (about 10 cm) and large fangs (up to 8 cm in length), with which it captures, kills and dismembers prey.
Animal habits
The Amur tiger lives alone. He selects and designates a certain area of the territory (about 500-600 sq. Km) and rarely leaves it. Tigers are polygamous animals, therefore, in one large area of the male’s habitat, several smaller territories of females are often found.
Only females with cubs start a permanent den, and males, as a rule, rest near their prey.
These predators feed mainly on wild boars, red deer, roe deer and sika deer. In the year they eat about 70-80 large carcasses. But, very hungry, they do not disdain anything: they can eat fish and fruits from trees.
The Amur tiger moves a lot: on average in one day it can go in search of prey from 20 to 70 km. Animals move, as a rule, on the same proven route.
Most often, tigers behave in the evening, night and morning, and during the day they prefer to relax, lying higher on a rock in order to clearly see what is happening around.
Tiger breeding
Predators reach puberty in 3-4 years. Tigers do not have a standard season for breeding, but most often this occurs in the second half of winter. Mating lasts from 5 days to a week, after which the male leaves the female. She will be alone in taking care of the cubs.
Pregnancy lasts an average of 103-110 days, after which 1-4 cubs appear. Most often in the litter of 2-3 newborns. They are born blind, they feed on only mother’s milk for up to two months, then they begin to feed on meat, and they go on the first hunt at the age of one and a half years. After that, young tigers leave the territory of their mother and begin an independent life.
Mortality among tiger cubs is very high - in natural conditions, about 50% of babies die. But human activity and poaching exacerbates the situation. Due to deforestation, tigers lose one full-fledged habitat every three years. And because of the use of all parts of the tiger in Chinese folk medicine, the poaching hunt continues, despite all the bans. According to forecasts, with an annual shooting of only 5% of existing individuals, the Amur tiger population may disappear within the next 50 years.