Siberian Tiger
Conservation status
Critically endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Subfamily: Pantherinae Genus: Panthera Species: P. tigris Subspecies: P. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The diverse order Carnivora (kɑrˈnɪvərə or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/ from Latin carō (stem carn-) "flesh" + vorāre Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. Pantherinae is the subfamily of the family Felidae which includes the genera Panthera, Uncia and Neofelis Panthera is a Genus of the family Felidae (the cats which contains four well-known living Species: the Tiger, the The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus tigris altaica
Trinomial name
Panthera tigris altaica Temminck, 1884
Distribution of the Siberian tiger (in red)

The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is a rare subspecies of tiger (P. In biology trinomial nomenclature refers to names for taxa below the rank of species Coenraad Jacob Temminck ( March 31, 1778, Amsterdam - January 30, 1858, Lisse) was a Dutch aristocrat and In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus tigris). Also known as the Amur, Manchurian, Korean, Altaic, or North China tiger, it is confined completely to the Amur region in the Far East, where it is now protected. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. It is considered to be the largest of the six tiger subspecies and the largest taxon cat in the world. A taxon (plural taxa) or taxonomic unit, is a name designating an organism or a group of Organisms In Biological nomenclature according to WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic

Contents 1 Physical features 2 Distribution and population 3 Genetics 4 Breeding 5 Diet 6 History 6.1 Soviet Union 6.2 Post Soviet Era 7 Captivity 8 Attacks on humans 9 See also 10 References 10.1 General references 11 External links

Physical features

The Siberian tiger is typically 2-4 inches taller at the shoulder than the Bengal tiger, which is about 107-110 cm (42-43 in) tall . The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis) is a Subspecies of Tiger primarily ^[1] Old Males reach normally a head and body length of 190-220 centimetres (75-97 in). A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth The largest male with largely assured references was 350 cm (138 in) "over curves" (3,30 m/130 in. between pegs) in total length. ^[2] (The tail length in old males is about one m/39 in. ) A maximum body weight of up to 320 kg (700 lbs) is recorded^[2] and exceptionally large males weighing up to 384 kg (847 lbs) are mentioned in the literature but, according to Mazak, none of these cases can be confirmed via reliable sources. ^[2] A further unconfirmed report tells of a male tiger shot in the Sikhote Alin Mountains in 1950 weighing 384. 8 kg (846. 6 lb) and measuring 3. 48 m (11. 5 ft). ^[3] Females are normally smaller than males and weigh 100-167 kg (220-368 lbs),^[4] probably up to 180 kg (400 lbs). ^[5]

The "Siberian Tiger Project", which has operated from Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik since 1992, found that 215 kg (474 lbs) seemed to be the largest that they were able to verify, albeit from a limited number of specimens. The Sikhote-Alin (Сихотэ-Алинь also spelled Sikhotae-Alin) is a Mountain range in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais Russia ^[6] According to modern research of wild Siberian tigers in Sikhote-Aline, an average adult male tiger (>35 months) weighs 167. 3 - 185. 7 kg (the average asymptotic limit, computed by use of the Michaelis-Menten formula, gives 222. 3 kg for male tigers) and an adult tigress – 117. 9 – 122. 6 kg, respectively. The mean weight of historical Siberian tigers is supposed to be higher: 215. 3-260 kg for male tigers. ^[7] At least one authority suspects that this is the difference between real weights and hunter's estimates. ^[8] 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. ^[9]

Apart from its size, the Siberian tiger is differentiated from other tiger subspecies by its mane of fur around the neck, which is much more developed than in other subspecies as an adaptation against the cold. The fur of this subspecies grows longer and thicker than that of other tigers. During cold winter months, the fur can measure as long as 21 inches with 3,000 hairs over every square centimetre of its surface. The paws have extra fur to provide insulation against the snow. Siberian tigers have more white in their coats than other subspecies and coat colour is more gold than orange. Compared to other subspecies, the Siberian tiger has less striping, the stripes being more brown than black. Stripes appear largely absent on the outer area of the front legs. ^[10]

Distribution and population

The Siberian tiger is critically endangered. Organisms with a conservation status of critically endangered have an extremely high risk of becoming extinct In the early 1900s, it lived throughout northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula, northeastern Mongolia and southeastern Russia. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Physical geography See also Geography of North Korea, Geography of South Korea Mountains cover 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula and arable plains are Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Today, the majority of the population is confined to a tiny part of Russia's southern Far East: the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorsky and Khabarovsky Krai. The Ussuri River is a River in the east of Northeast China and south of the Russian Far East. Primorsky Krai (Примо́рский край also known as Primorye (ru Примо́рье is a federal subject of Russia (a Krai) Khabarovsk Krai (Хаба́ровский край Khabarovsky kray) is a federal subject of Russia (a Krai) located in the Russian Far There are very few tigers in northeastern China and fewer still in North Korea. Manchuria ( Romanized Manchu: Manju,, Маньчжурия Mongolian: Манж is a historical name given to a vast geographic region in northeast North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, The South Korean population died out in 1922. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː

By the 1940s the estimated population was down to fewer than 50 in the Russian Far East, although some hundreds still populated neighbouring China. ^[11] 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 Siberian tigers. Poaching has been brought under better control by frequent road inspections. Poaching is the illegal Hunting, Fishing or Harvesting of wild plants or animals Captive breeding and conservation programs are active. Captive breeding is the process of breeding rare or Endangered species in human controlled environments with restricted settings such as wildlife preserves Zoos ^[12] 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. Hailin (Chinese 海林 pinyin Hǎi Lín is within the Hǎilín Shì County-level city administrative division located in Mudanjiang prefecture Heilongjiang China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National ^[13] . ^[14] A 1996 count reported 430 Siberian tigers in the wild. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) 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 to be between 431 and 529 in 2005. Operation Amba is the codename of a Russian programme to curtail the Poaching of Siberian tigers in the Russian Far East. ^[15] 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. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National ^[16]

Genetics

Several reports have been published since the 1990s on the genetic makeup of the Siberian tiger and its relationship to other subspecies. One of the most important outcomes has been the discovery of low genetic variability in the wild Far Eastern population, especially when it comes to maternal or mitochondrial (mtDNA) lineages ^[17]. It seems that a single mtDNA haplotype almost completely dominates the maternal lineages of wild Siberian tigers. On the other hand, captive cats appear to show higher mtDNA diversity. This may suggest that the subspecies has experienced a very recent genetic bottleneck caused by human pressure, with the founders of the captive population being captured when genetic variability was higher in the wild^[18].

However, it may well be that the Siberian tiger population has always shown relatively low genetic diveristy, due to a small number of founders colonising the Far East. Work with the preserved remains of the now extinct Caspian tiger (P. t. virgata) has shown that the two subspecies share a comparatively recent common history, at least when it comes to mtDNA lineages. It appears that tigers colonised central Asia at most 10,000 years ago, and the modern Siberian stock may be the result of a few Caspian tigers subsequently wandering east via northern Asia^[19].

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. Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the Kidneys by a process of filtration from Blood and Excreted through the Urethra. She will spend seven days with the male, during which she is receptive for three days. Gestation lasts 3–3½ months. Gestation is the carrying of an Embryo or Fetus inside a Female Viviparous Animal. Litter size is normally 3 or 4 cubs but there can be as many as 6. For other meanings of litter see Litter (disambiguation. A litter is the offspring at one birth of Animals from the same mother and usually The cubs are born blind in a sheltered den and are left alone when the female leaves to hunt for food. A lair is a underground or other enclosed place that Animals use to hide themselves while at Sleep, Hibernation or when they take part in Reproduction

Cubs are divided equally between genders at birth. However, by adulthood there are usually 2 to 4 females for every male. The female cubs remain with their mothers longer, and later they establish territories close to their original ranges. Males, on the other hand, travel unaccompanied and range farther earlier in their lives, thus making them more vulnerable to poachers and other tigers. ^[1]

Diet

Like all other cats, the Siberian tiger is a carnivorous predator. A carnivore (ˈkɑrnɪvɔər meaning 'meat eater' ( Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour' is any animal with a diet consisting It preys primarily on wild boar and red deer, which make up 65-90% of its diet in the Russian Far East. The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. Other important prey species are moose, roe deer, sika deer, musk deer, and goral. The moose (North America or elk (Europe Alces alces, is the largest extant Species in the Deer family. The European Roe Deer ( Capreolus capreolus) is a Deer species of Europe, Asia Minor, and Caspian coastal regions The Sika Deer ( Cervus nippon) is a member of the deer family Cervidae that inhabits much of East Asia. Musk deer are Artiodactyls of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family Moschidae. The gorals are the four Species in the Genus Naemorhedus. They are small Ungulates with a Goat -like or Antelope Even dangerous animals like adult brown bears are among the prey species of the Siberian tiger. The Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos) is an Omnivorous Mammal of the family Ursidae, distributed across much of northern Eurasia and Asiatic black bears and brown bears constitute 5-8% of the Siberian tigers diet,^[2]. In particular, the brown bears input is estimated as 1-1. 5%. ^[20] Certain tigers have been reported to imitate the calls of Asiatic black bears to attract them. ^[21] It will also take smaller prey like lagomorphs (hares, rabbits, and pikas) and fish, including salmon. The lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two families, the Leporidae ( Hares and Hares and jackrabbits are Leporids belonging to the Genus Lepus. Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world Pikas are small hamster-like animals with short limbs rounded ears and short tails Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. 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 the direct killing of the big cats. In areas where Siberian tigers and wolves share ranges, the tigers depress the number of wolves, either to the point of localized extinction or to such low numbers as to make them a functionally insignificant component of the ecosystem. The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Wolves appear capable of escaping competitive exclusion only when human persecution decreases the number of tigers. ^[22]

Deforestation and the destruction of the habitats for the tiger's prey animals will also affect the number of tigers in certain regions.

History

Soviet Union

In the early years of the Russian Civil War, both Red and White armies based in Vladivostok nearly wiped out the local Siberian tigers. The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The White movement (Beloie Dvijenie Белое движение whose military arm is known as the White Army (Belaia Armia Белая Армия or White Guard Vladivostok ( is Russia 's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai. The Siberian tiger ( Panthera tigris altaica) also known as the Amur tiger, Manchurian tiger, or Ussuri tiger, is a rare Subspecies 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.

Legal tiger hunting within the Soviet Union would continue until 1947 when it was officially prohibited. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1962, the last tiger in Heilongjiang received protection. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ( Postal map spelling: Heilungkiang Manchu: Sahaliyan ula is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern In the mid 1980s, it was estimated that the Siberian tiger population consisted of approximately 250 animals. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

Post Soviet Era

In 1987, law and order almost entirely broke down due to impending collapse of the Soviet Union. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) 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] However due to the work of The Siberian Tiger Project, founded in 1992, the Siberian tiger has seen a steady recovery and stabilization after the disastrous post-Soviet years that saw its numbers decline sharply. The basis of the success has largely been on the meticulous research carried out on these tigers which led to the longest ongoing study of a single tiger, Olga Project Tiger #1. Through this the project was able to focus their conservation efforts to decrease tiger mortality and to improve the quality of their habitat, as well. The project included anti-poaching patrols, consultation with local governments regarding human-tiger conflicts, reducing the occurrences of clearcut logging and other habitat depletion activities. ^[23]

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. The American Species Survival Plan or SSP program was developed in 1981 by the (American Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected 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 programe. 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. Captive breeding is the process of breeding rare or Endangered species in human controlled environments with restricted settings such as wildlife preserves Zoos 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.

Attacks on humans

Unlike the Bengal tiger, the Siberian tiger very rarely becomes a man-eater. The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis) is a Subspecies of Tiger primarily A man-eater is a colloquial term for an animal that adds Humans to its diet There are currently only six cases in Russia of unprovoked attacks leading to man-eating behaviour. Provoked attacks are however more common, usually the result of botched attempts at capturing them. ^[1]

In an incident at the San Francisco Zoo on 25 December 2007, a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped and killed one visitor, injuring two others. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Two tiger attacks at the San Francisco Zoo occurred on December 22, 2006 and December 25, 2007, involving a 243-pound Siberian The animal was shot dead by the police. Investigators believe the three visitors, whose blood tests showed they had consumed illegal drugs and sufficient alcohol to be above the legal driving limit, had climbed onto the rail by the animal's enclosure and provoked it with taunts and projectiles. ^[24] Whether the tiger was provoked with projectiles is very much in dispute. Recent reports say police did not find any evidence that the tiger had been provoked by the use of projectiles. ^[25]

See also

• Operation Amba

References

General references

External links

• Amur (Siberian) tiger at WWF
• 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
• Siberian Tiger Escapes From San Francisco Zoo Cage, Killing 1, Injuring 2
• 21st Century Tiger - fundraising for tiger conservation

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