Amur Tiger
Scientific name : Panthera tigris altaica
The Amur Tiger, otherwise known as the Siberian Tiger, is the largest cat in the world. Males are larger than females, reaching 3.3 metres in length and weighing up to 306kg, while their counterparts come in at a still impressive 2.7 metres and 167kg. Living up to 15 years, you can find some individuals inhabiting North Korea and China, however, you’ll predominately find amur tigers in the birch forests of eastern Russia. These animals have evolved over time to become apex predators, using their specialised senses to stalk their prey before using their impressive power to take them down. But before they can do all this, they travel miles in their search and typically hunt at night.
Basic Facts
Length : 3.3 metres
Weight : 660 pounds
Population : 500 individuals
Population trend : Stable
Reproduction
Once a female reaches reproduction maturity at around 4 years (although this does vary) , they can reproduce every two years. The gestation period for tigers is between 3 and 3 1/2 months, after which they typically birth a litter of cubs between 1-6, although 2-4 is more common. If all the cubs in the litter die then a second litter may be birthed within 5 months. Once born, cubs are about the size of a house cat and began their life blind. After about 2 weeks their teeth begin to grow and their eyes open. This is followed by them being weaned at 6 months and then reaching independence after 18 months.
What threats do Amur Tigers face?
Hunting
Amur tigers very nearly became extinct in 1930, where numbers fell to between 20-30 individuals. This was primarily due to hunting where they are poached for their fur as well as their body parts which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. After this, Russia granted tigers full protection, but this hasn’t stopped poachers completely who are now better armed to hunt this species. Organisations, such as WWF, are working with policymakers in Russia to better protect the highly criminalised forest sector.
Habitat Loss
Compared to other tiger inhabited countries, Russia does pretty well in human population growth, not threatening tiger habitat. However, the same cannot be said for the likes of logging. Russia has done well in terms of protection for tigers, however, illegal logging is still a major issue and causes habitat segmentation. This is present in most of the Amur Tigers range and leads to difficulties in the movement of genetics which could be troublesome in the near future.
Will’s Odyssey Prints
Bring nature into your home with a perfectly captured canvas from Will’s Odyssey. This canvas captures an Amur Tiger looking out into the distance.
