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162-703: The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies Panthera tigris tigris native to the Russian Far East , Northeast China and possibly North Korea . It once ranged throughout the Korean Peninsula , but currently inhabits mainly the Sikhote-Alin mountain region in southwest Primorye Province in the Russian Far East. In 2005, there were 331–393 adult and subadult Siberian tigers in this region, with

324-551: A 1999 model, a severe population bottleneck, or more specifically a full-fledged speciation , occurred among a group of Australopithecina as they transitioned into the species known as Homo erectus two million years ago. It is believed that additional bottlenecks must have occurred since Homo erectus started walking the Earth, but current archaeological, paleontological, and genetic data are inadequate to give much reliable information about such conjectured bottlenecks. Nonetheless,

486-469: A 2023 genetic analysis discerned such a human ancestor population bottleneck of a possible 100,000 to 1000 individuals "around 930,000 and 813,000 years ago [which] lasted for about 117,000 years and brought human ancestors close to extinction." A 2005 study from Rutgers University theorized that the pre-1492 native populations of the Americas are the descendants of only 70 individuals who crossed

648-466: A Siberian tiger from northeast China measured 406 mm (16.0 in) in length, which is about 20–30 mm (0.79–1.18 in) more than the maximum skull lengths of tigers from the Amur region and northern India, with the exception of a skull of a northern Indian tiger from the vicinity of Nagina , which measured 413 mm (16.25 in) "over the bone". The ground colour of Siberian tigers' pelage

810-466: A Siberian tiger with four cubs was recorded for the first time in northeastern China's Hunchun National Nature Reserve located in the vicinity of the international borders with Russia and North Korea. Camera-trap surveys carried out in the spring seasons of 2013 and 2014 revealed between 27 and 34 tigers along the China-Russian border. In April 2014, World Wide Fund for Nature personnel captured

972-472: A Siberian tiger. The tiger apparently ambushed, pursued, and killed the lynx but only consumed it partially. This incident marks one of the first documented cases of a tiger preying on a lynx, and indicates that the tiger might have been more intent on eliminating a competitor than on catching prey. Siberian tigers mate at any time of the year. A female signals her receptiveness by leaving urine deposits and scratch marks on trees. She will spend 5 or 6 days with

1134-403: A black tip marks the end. The tiger is one of only a few striped cat species. Stripes are advantageous for camouflage in vegetation with vertical patterns of light and shade, such as trees, reeds and tall grass. This is supported by a Fourier analysis study showing that the striping patterns line up with their environment. The orange colour may also aid in concealment, as the tiger's prey

1296-500: A bottleneck around this time. An unknown environmental event is suspected to have caused the bottlenecks observed in both of these species. The bottlenecks likely caused the low genetic diversity observed in both species. Other facts can sometimes be inferred from an observed population bottleneck. Among the Galápagos Islands giant tortoises —themselves a prime example of a bottleneck—the comparatively large population on

1458-525: A breeding adult population of about 250 individuals. The population had been stable for more than a decade because of intensive conservation efforts , but partial surveys conducted after 2005 indicate that the Russian tiger population was declining. An initial census held in 2015 indicated that the Siberian tiger population had increased to 480–540 individuals in the Russian Far East, including 100 cubs. This

1620-402: A brown bear changing path upon crossing tiger tracks. Other researchers have observed bears following tiger tracks to scavenge tiger kills and to potentially prey on tigers. Despite the threat of predation, some brown bears actually benefit from the presence of tigers by appropriating tiger kills that the bears may not be able to successfully hunt themselves. Brown bears generally prefer to contest

1782-459: A colony's offspring descended from just one dominant male, genetic diversity is limited, making the species more vulnerable to diseases and genetic mutations. The golden hamster is a similarly bottlenecked species, with the vast majority of domesticated hamsters descended from a single litter found in the Syrian desert around 1930, and very few wild golden hamsters remain. An extreme example of

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1944-421: A complete picture of the nature. Tigers depress wolf ( Canis lupus ) numbers, either to the point of localized extinction or to such low numbers as to make them a functionally insignificant component of the ecosystem. Wolves appear capable of escaping competitive exclusion from tigers only when human pressure decreases tiger numbers. In areas where wolves and tigers share ranges, the two species typically display

2106-443: A deceased individual, can be taken over in days or weeks. Male tigers are generally less tolerant of other males within their home ranges than females are of other females. Disputes are usually solved by intimidation rather than fighting. Once dominance has been established, a male may tolerate a subordinate within his range, as long as they do not come near him. The most serious disputes tend to occur between two males competing for

2268-421: A decrease of ungulate populations from 1944 to 1959, 32 cases of Amur tigers attacking both Ussuri brown ( Ursus arctos lasiotus ) and Ussuri black bears ( U. thibetanus ussuricus ) were recorded in the Russian Far East , and hair of bears were found in several tiger scat samples. Tigers attack black bears less often than brown bears, as the latter live in more open habitats and are not able to climb trees. In

2430-514: A drastic decrease in the percentage of males with reproductive success. The controversial Toba catastrophe theory, presented in the late 1990s to early 2000s, suggested that a bottleneck of the human population occurred approximately 75,000 years ago, proposing that the human population was reduced to perhaps 10,000–30,000 individuals when the Toba supervolcano in Indonesia erupted and triggered

2592-401: A female in oestrus . Though tigers mostly live alone, relationships between individuals can be complex. Tigers are particularly social at kills and a male tiger will sometimes share a carcass with the females and cubs within this home range and unlike male lions, will allow them to feed on the kill before he is finished with it. However, a female is more tense when encountering another female at

2754-507: A few more weeks. They can leave the denning site after two months and around the same time they start eating meat. The mother only leaves them alone to hunt and even then she does not travel far. When she suspects an area is no longer safe, she moves her cubs to a new spot, transporting them one by one by grabbing them by the scruff of the neck with her mouth. A tigress in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve maximised

2916-420: A great deal of dietary overlap, resulting in intense competition. Wolf and tiger interactions are well documented in Sikhote-Alin , where until the beginning of the 20th century, very few wolves were sighted. Wolf numbers may have increased in the region after tigers were largely eliminated during the Russian colonisation in the late 19th century and early 20th century. This is corroborated by native inhabitants of

3078-572: A group of Russian, American and Indian zoologists published an analysis of historical and contemporary data on body weights of wild and captive tigers, both female and male across all subspecies. The data used include weights of tigers that were older than 35 months and measured in the presence of authors. Their comparison with historical data indicates that up to the first half of the 20th century both male and female Siberian tigers were on average heavier than post-1970 ones. The average historical wild male Siberian tiger weighed 215.3 kg (475 lb) and

3240-453: A historical contraction were detected. This disparity in signal may be due to several reasons, including historical paucity in population genetic variation associated with postglacial colonisation and potential gene flow from an extirpated Chinese population. The extent and distribution of genetic variation in captive and wild populations were similar, yet gene variants persisted ex situ that were lost in situ . Overall, their results indicate

3402-494: A kill as early as 11 months and reach independence as a juvenile of 18 to 24 months of age; males become independent earlier than females. Radio-collared tigers in Chitwan started leaving their natal areas at the age of 19 months. Young females are sexually mature at three to four years, whereas males are at four to five years. Generation length of the tiger is about 7–10 years. Wild Bengal tigers live 12–15 years. Data from

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3564-471: A kill. During friendly encounters and bonding, tigers rub against each other's bodies. Facial expressions include the "defence threat", which involves a wrinkled face, bared teeth, pulled-back ears and widened pupils. Both males and females show a flehmen response , a characteristic curled-lip grimace, when smelling urine markings. Males also use the flehmen to detect the markings made by tigresses in oestrus. Tigers will move their ears around to display

3726-458: A major environmental change. Parallel bottlenecks were proposed to exist among chimpanzees , gorillas , rhesus macaques , orangutans and tigers . The hypothesis was based on geological evidence of sudden climate change and on coalescence evidence of some genes (including mitochondrial DNA , Y-chromosome DNA and some nuclear genes ) and the relatively low level of genetic variation in humans. However, subsequent research, especially in

3888-498: A major threat of population bottleneck. The remaining two populations are now geographically isolated and the populations face an unstable future with limited remaining opportunity for gene flow. Genetic bottlenecks exist in cheetahs . Bottlenecks also exist among pure-bred animals (e.g., dogs and cats : pugs , Persian ) because breeders limit their gene pools by a few (show-winning) individuals for their looks and behaviors. The extensive use of desirable individual animals at

4050-544: A merger zone of the East Asian temperate broadleaf and mixed forest and the taiga , resulting in a mosaic of forest types that vary in elevation and topography. Key habitats of the Siberian tiger are Korean pine forests with a complex composition and structure. The faunal complex of the region is represented by a mixture of Asian and boreal life forms. The ungulate complex is represented by seven species, with Manchurian wapiti , Siberian roe deer , and wild boar being

4212-511: A population bottleneck is the New Zealand black robin , of which every specimen today is a descendant of a single female, called Old Blue. The Black Robin population is still recovering from its low point of only five individuals in 1980. The genome of the giant panda shows evidence of a severe bottleneck about 43,000 years ago. There is also evidence of at least one primate species, the golden snub-nosed monkey , that also suffered from

4374-495: A preference for sambar deer , Manchurian wapiti , barasingha , gaur and wild boar . Abundance and body weight of prey species are assumed to be the main criteria for the tiger's prey selection, both inside and outside protected areas. It also preys opportunistically on smaller species like monkeys , peafowl and other ground-based birds, porcupines and fish. Occasional attacks on Asian elephants and Indian rhinoceroses have also been reported. More often, tigers take

4536-603: A private, usually vegetated spot no further than 183 m (600 ft), though they have been recorded dragging them 549 m (1,801 ft). They are strong enough to drag the carcass of a fully grown buffalo for some distance. They rest for a while before eating and can consume as much as 50 kg (110 lb) of meat in one session, but feed on a carcass for several days, leaving little for scavengers. In much of their range, tigers share habitat with leopards and dholes . They typically dominate both of them, though with dholes it depends on their pack size. Interactions between

4698-566: A reduction in leopard population densities. Similarly, at two sites in central India the size of dhole packs was negatively correlated with tiger densities. Leopard and dhole distribution in Kui Buri correlated with both prey access and tiger scarcity. In Jigme Dorji National Park , tigers were found to inhabit the deeper parts of forests while the smaller predators were pushed closer to the fringes. The tiger generally mates all year round, particularly between November and April. A tigress

4860-481: A reduction in prey numbers, tigers continued to kill favoured prey while leopards and dholes increased their consumption of small prey. Both leopards and dholes can live successfully in tiger habitat when there is abundant food and vegetation cover. Otherwise, they appear to be less common where tigers are numerous. The recovery of the tiger population in Rajaji National Park during the 2000s led to

5022-578: A remarkable similarity between Caspian and Siberian tigers, indicating that the Siberian tiger is the genetically closest living relative of the Caspian tiger, which strongly implies a very recent common ancestry. Based on phylogeographic analysis, they suggested that the ancestor of Caspian and Siberian tigers colonized Central Asia less than 10,000 years ago via the Gansu−Silk Road region from eastern China, and subsequently traversed eastward to establish

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5184-688: A scattered range in the Indian subcontinent, the Indochinese Peninsula , Sumatra, northeastern China and the Russian Far East . As of 2020, India had the largest extent of global tiger habitat with 300,508 km (116,027 sq mi), followed by Russia with 195,819 km (75,606 sq mi). The tiger mainly lives in forest habitats and is highly adaptable. Records in Central Asia indicate that it primarily inhabited Tugay riverine forests and hilly and lowland forests in

5346-448: A secluded location, be it in dense vegetation, in a cave or under a rocky shelter. Litters consist of as many as seven cubs, but two or three are more typical. Newborn cubs weigh 785–1,610 g (27.7–56.8 oz) and are blind and altricial . The mother licks and cleans her cubs, suckles them and viciously defends them from any potential threat. Cubs open their eyes at the age of three to 14 days and their vision becomes clear after

5508-481: A severe population bottleneck. A population bottleneck was created in the 1970s through the conservation efforts of the endangered Mauna Kea silversword ( Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. sandwicense ). The small natural population of silversword was augmented through the 1970s with outplanted individuals. All of the outplanted silversword plants were found to be first or subsequent generation offspring of just two maternal founders. The low amount of polymorphic loci in

5670-519: A sex ratio of averaging 2.4 females per male. These density values were much lower than what had been reported for other subspecies at the time. In 2004, dramatic changes in land tenure, population density, and reproductive output in the core area of the Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik Siberian Tiger Project were detected, suggesting that when tigers are well protected from human-induced mortality for long periods,

5832-425: A small group becomes reproductively (e.g., geographically) separated from the main population, such as through a founder event, e.g., if a few members of a species successfully colonize a new isolated island, or from small captive breeding programs such as animals at a zoo. Alternatively, invasive species can undergo population bottlenecks through founder events when introduced into their invaded range. According to

5994-512: A tail of 101 cm (40 in) and with a chest girth of 127 cm (50 in). The longest female measured 270 cm (110 in) in total length including tail of 88 cm (35 in) and with a chest girth of 108 cm (43 in). A male captured by members of the Siberian Tiger Project weighed 206 kg (454 lb), and the largest radio-collared male weighed 212 kg (467 lb). The Siberian tiger

6156-424: A three-year study on Siberian tigers indicate that the mean interval between their kills and estimated prey consumption varied across seasons: during 2009 to 2012, three adult tigers killed prey every 7.4 days in summer and consumed a daily average of 7.89 kg (17.4 lb); in winter they killed more large-bodied prey, made kills every 5.7 days and consumed a daily average of 10.3 kg (23 lb). Following

6318-447: A transient in another male's home range until he is older and strong enough to challenge the resident male. Tigers mark their home ranges by spraying urine on vegetation and rocks, clawing or scent rubbing trees and marking trails with faeces , anal gland secretions and ground scrapings. Scent markings also allow an individual to pick up information on another's identity. Unclaimed home ranges, particularly those that belonged to

6480-404: A typical felid morphology, with a muscular body, shortened legs, strong forelimbs with wide front paws, a large head and a tail that is about half the length of the rest of its body. It has five digits, including a dewclaw , on the front feet and four on the back, all of which have retractile claws that are compact and curved, and can reach 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The ears are rounded and

6642-519: A video of a tigress with cubs in inland China. The tiger population in the Changbai Mountains dispersed westwards between 2003 and 2016. Camera trap surveys between 2013 and 2018 revealed about 55 Siberian tigers in four forested landscapes in northeastern China: Laoyeling, Zhangguangcai Range , Wandashan and Lesser Khingan Mountains . Feces , urine and hair was used to genetically identify 30 tigers in this region. However, only Laoyeling

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6804-440: A watering hole for prey to come by, particularly during hot summer days. It is an ambush predator and when approaching potential prey, it crouches with the head lowered and hides in foliage. It switches between creeping forward and staying still. A tiger may even doze off and can stay in the same spot for as long as a day, waiting for prey and launch an attack when the prey is close enough, usually within 30 m (98 ft). If

6966-415: Is colour blind and possibly perceives the tiger as green and blended in with the vegetation. The three colour variants of Bengal tigers – nearly stripeless snow-white, white and golden – are now virtually non-existent in the wild due to the reduction of wild tiger populations but continue in captive populations. The white tiger has a white background colour with sepia -brown stripes. The golden tiger

7128-560: Is a large cat and a member of the genus Panthera native to Asia . It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into nine recent subspecies , though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of the Sunda Islands . Throughout the tiger's range, it inhabits mainly forests, from coniferous and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in

7290-401: Is absent, so that ligers grow far larger than either parent species. By contrast, the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene while the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene; hence, tigons are around the same size as their parents. Since they often develop life-threatening birth defects and can easily become obese, breeding these hybrids is regarded as unethical. The tiger has

7452-526: Is always smaller and never as heavily built and robust as that of a male. The height of the sagittal crest in its middle part reaches as much as 27 mm (1.1 in), and in its posterior part up to 46 mm (1.8 in). Female skulls range from 279.7 to 310.2 mm (11.01 to 12.21 in). The skulls of male Caspian tigers from Turkestan had a maximum length of 297.0 to 365.8 mm (11.69 to 14.40 in), while that of females measured 195.7 to 255.5 mm (7.70 to 10.06 in). A tiger killed on

7614-586: Is caused by a mutation of a transmembrane aminopeptidase gene. Around 37% of the Simlipal tiger population has this feature, which has been linked to genetic isolation . The tiger historically ranged from eastern Turkey, northern Iran and Afghanistan to Central Asia and from northern Pakistan through the Indian subcontinent and Indochina to southeastern Siberia, Sumatra, Java and Bali. As of 2022, it inhabits less than 7% of its historical distribution and has

7776-446: Is closely associated with distribution of Manchurian wapiti, while distribution of wild boar was not such a strong predictor for tiger distribution. Although they prey on both Siberian roe deer and sika deer, overlap of these ungulates with tigers was low. Distribution of moose was poorly associated with tiger distribution. The distribution of preferred habitat of key prey species was an accurate predictor of tiger distribution. Results of

7938-404: Is considered to be driving the decline, although heavy snows in the winter of 2009 could have biased the data. In northern China’s Huang Ni He National Nature Reserve, poachers set up foremost snare traps , but there is not sufficient personnel to patrol this 75 km (29 sq mi) area throughout the year. In Hunchun National Nature Reserve, poaching of ungulate species impedes recovery of

8100-615: Is considered to have been possible during the Pleistocene . Therefore, it was proposed to recognize only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely Panthera tigris tigris in mainland Asia, and P. t. sondaica in the Greater Sunda Islands and possibly in Sundaland . In 2015, morphological, ecological and molecular traits of all putative tiger subspecies were analysed in a combined approach. Results support distinction of

8262-488: Is emitted through an open mouth and exposed teeth. In friendlier situations, tigers prusten , a soft, low-frequency snorting sound similar to purring in smaller cats. Tiger mothers communicate with their cubs by grunting, while cubs call back with miaows . When startled, they "woof". They produce a deer-like "pok" sound for unknown reasons, but most often at kills. The tiger is a carnivore and an apex predator feeding mainly on large and medium-sized ungulates, with

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8424-520: Is forced through an open mouth as it closes and can be heard 3 km (1.9 mi) away. They roar multiple times in a row and others respond in kind. Tigers also roar during mating and a mother will roar to call her cubs to her. When tense, tigers moan, a sound similar to a roar but softer and made when the mouth is at least partially closed. Moaning can be heard 400 m (1,300 ft) away. Aggressive encounters involve growling , snarling and hissing. An explosive "coughing roar" or "coughing snarl"

8586-438: Is in oestrus for three to six days at a time, separated by three to nine week intervals. A resident male mates with all the females within his home range, who signal their receptiveness by roaring and marking. Younger, transient males are also attracted, leading to a fight in which the more dominant, resident male drives the usurper off. During courtship, the male is cautious with the female as he waits for her to show signs she

8748-513: Is incredibly low, nearly undetectable amounts of genetic diversity in the genome of the Wollemi pine ( Wollemia nobilis ). The IUCN found a population count of 80 mature individuals and about 300 seedlings and juveniles in 2011, and previously, the Wollemi pine had fewer than 50 individuals in the wild. The low population size and low genetic diversity indicates that the Wollemi pine went through

8910-493: Is known to occur in Siberian tigers. A morbillivirus infection was the likely cause of death of a tigress in the Russian Far East that was also tested positive for feline panleukopenia and feline coronavirus . Blood samples from 11 adult tigers in Nepal showed antibodies for canine parvovirus -2, feline herpesvirus , feline coronavirus, leptospirosis and Toxoplasma gondii . The tiger has been listed as Endangered on

9072-437: Is less capable of climbing trees than many other cats due to its size, but cubs under 16 months old may routinely do so. An adult was recorded climbing 10 m (33 ft) up a smooth pipal tree . Adult tigers lead largely solitary lives within home ranges or territories , the size of which mainly depends on prey abundance, geographic area and sex of the individual. Males and females defend their home ranges from those of

9234-502: Is low, only 27–35 individuals contributed to their genes . Further exacerbating the problem is that more than 90% of the population occurred in the Sikhote Alin mountain region. Tigers rarely move across the development corridor, which separates this sub-population from the much smaller sub-population in southwest Primorye province. The winter of 2006–2007 was marked by heavy poaching . Poaching of tigers and their wild prey species

9396-571: Is not less than 150 cm (59 in), condylobasal length of skull 250 mm (9.8 in), zygomatic width 180 mm (7.1 in), and length of upper carnassial tooth over 26 mm (1.0 in) long. It has an extended supple body standing on rather short legs with a fairly long tail. In the 1980s, the typical weight range of wild Siberian tigers was indicated as 180 to 306 kg (397 to 675 lb) for males and 100 to 167 kg (220 to 368 lb) for females. Exceptionally large individuals were targeted and shot by hunters. In 2005,

9558-526: Is often considered to be the largest tiger. A wild male, killed in Manchuria by the Sungari River in 1943, reportedly measured 350 cm (140 in) "over the curves", with a tail length of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in). It weighed about 300 kg (660 lb). Dubious sources mention weights of 318 and 384 kg (701 and 847 lb) and even 408 kg (899 lb). The skull of

9720-417: Is often very pale, especially in winter coat. However, variations within populations may be considerable. Individual variation is also found in form, length, and partly in colour, of the dark stripes, which have been described as being dark brown rather than black. The fur of the Siberian tiger is moderately thick, coarse and sparse compared to that of other felids living in the former Soviet Union. Compared to

9882-474: Is pale golden with reddish-brown stripes. The snow-white tiger is a morph with extremely faint stripes and a pale sepia-brown ringed tail. White and golden morphs are the result of an autosomal recessive trait with a white locus and a wideband locus, respectively. The snow-white variation is caused by polygenes with both white and wideband loci. The breeding of white tigers is controversial, as they have no use for conservation. Only 0.001% of wild tigers have

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10044-476: Is planned. The tiger is among the most popular of the world's charismatic megafauna . It has been kept in captivity since ancient times and has been trained to perform in circuses and other entertainment shows. The tiger featured prominently in the ancient mythology and folklore of cultures throughout its historic range and has continued to appear in culture worldwide. The Old English tigras derives from Old French tigre , from Latin tigris , which

10206-452: Is ready to mate. She signals to him by positioning herself in lordosis with her tail to the side. Copulation typically lasts no more than 20 seconds, with the male biting the female by the scruff of her neck. After it is finished, the male quickly pulls away as the female may turn and slap him. Tiger pairs may stay together for up to four days and mate multiple times. Gestation lasts around or over three months. A tigress gives birth in

10368-444: Is surrounded by black. The tiger is marked with distinctive black or dark brown stripes, which are uniquely patterned in each individual. The stripes are mostly vertical, but those on the limbs and forehead are horizontal. They are more concentrated towards the backside and those on the trunk may reach under the belly. The tips of stripes are generally sharp and some may split up or split and fuse again. Tail stripes are thick bands and

10530-483: Is thought to support a breeding population. Siberian tigers are known to travel up to 1,000 km (620 mi) over ecologically unbroken country. In 1992 and 1993, the maximum total population density of the Sikhote-Alin tiger population was estimated at 0.62 tigers in 100 km (39 sq mi). The maximum adult population estimated in 1993 reached 0.3 tigers in 100 km (39 sq mi), with

10692-419: Is usually thin, though the Siberian tiger develops a particularly thick winter coat. The tiger has lines of fur around the face and long whiskers, especially in males. It has an orange colouration that varies from yellowish to reddish. White fur covers the underside, from head to tail, along with the inner surface of the legs and parts of the face. On the back of the ears, it has a prominent white spot, which

10854-575: The Caucasus . In the Amur - Ussuri region of Russia and China, it inhabits Korean pine and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ; riparian forests serve as dispersal corridors, providing food and water for both tigers and ungulates . On the Indian subcontinent, it inhabits mainly tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , temperate broadleaf and mixed forests , tropical moist evergreen forests , tropical dry forests , alluvial plains and

11016-527: The IUCN Red List since 1986 and the global tiger population is thought to have continuously declined from an estimated population of 5,000–8,262 tigers in the late 1990s to 3,726–5,578 individuals estimated as of 2022. During 2001–2020, landscapes where tigers live declined from 1,025,488 km (395,943 sq mi) to 911,901 km (352,087 sq mi). Habitat destruction , habitat fragmentation and poaching for fur and body parts are

11178-485: The Late Stone Age . European bison , also called wisent (Bison bonasus), faced extinction in the early 20th century. The animals living today are all descended from 12 individuals and they have extremely low genetic variation, which may be beginning to affect the reproductive ability of bulls. The population of American bison (Bison bison) fell due to overhunting, nearly leading to extinction around

11340-629: The Russian Far East and Northeast China to tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests on the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia . The tiger is an apex predator and preys mainly on ungulates , which it takes by ambush. It lives a mostly solitary life and occupies home ranges , defending these from individuals of the same sex. The range of a male tiger overlaps with that of multiple females with whom he mates. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs that stay with their mother for about two years. When becoming independent, they leave their mother's home range and establish their own. Since

11502-515: The University of Oxford , U.S. National Cancer Institute and Hebrew University of Jerusalem collected tissue samples from 20 of 23 Caspian tiger specimens kept in museums across Eurasia. They sequenced at least one segment of five mitochondrial genes and found a low amount of variability of the mitochondrial DNA in Caspian tigers as compared to other tiger subspecies. They re-assessed the phylogenetic relationships of tiger subspecies and observed

11664-412: The land bridge between Asia and North America. The Neolithic Y-chromosome bottleneck refers to a period around 5000 BC where the diversity in the male y-chromosome dropped precipitously, to a level equivalent to reproduction occurring with a ratio between men and women of 1:17. Discovered in 2015 the research suggests that the reason for the bottleneck was not a reduction in the number of males, but

11826-759: The late Pleistocene and Holocene , it was likely connected to the South China tiger population through corridors in the Yellow River basin, before humans interrupted gene flow. Today, its range stretches south to north for almost 1,000 km (620 mi) the length of Primorsky Krai and into southern Khabarovsk Krai east and south of the Amur River . It also occurs within the Greater Xing'an Range , which crosses into Russia from China at several places in southwest Primorye. This region represents

11988-794: The mangrove forests of the Sundarbans . In the Eastern Himalayas , it was documented in temperate forest up to an elevation of 4,200 m (13,800 ft) in Bhutan, of 3,630 m (11,910 ft) in the Mishmi Hills and of 3,139 m (10,299 ft) in Mêdog County , southeastern Tibet. In Thailand, it lives in deciduous and evergreen forests. In Sumatra, it inhabits lowland peat swamp forests and rugged montane forests . Camera trapping during 2010–2015 in

12150-532: The monsoon ; three males had 84–147 km (32–57 sq mi) large home ranges in winter, 82–98 km (32–38 sq mi) in summer and 81–118 km (31–46 sq mi) during monsoon seasons. In Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve , 14 females had home ranges 248–520 km (96–201 sq mi) and five resident males of 847–1,923 km (327–742 sq mi) that overlapped with those of up to five females. When tigresses in

12312-590: The 14th Conference of the Parties to CITES in 2007, stronger enforcement measures were called for, as well as an end to tiger farming. In 1992, the Siberian Tiger Project was founded, with the aim of providing a comprehensive picture of the ecology of the Amur tiger and the role of tigers in the Russian Far East through scientific studies. By capturing and outfitting tigers with radio collars, their social structure, land use patterns, food habits, reproduction, mortality patterns and their relation with other inhabitants of

12474-600: The 2010s, appeared to refute both the climate argument and the genetic argument. Recent research shows the extent of climate change was much smaller than believed by proponents of the theory. In 2000, a Molecular Biology and Evolution paper suggested a transplanting model or a 'long bottleneck' to account for the limited genetic variation, rather than a catastrophic environmental change. This would be consistent with suggestions that in sub-Saharan Africa numbers could have dropped at times as low as 2,000, for perhaps as long as 100,000 years, before numbers began to expand again in

12636-424: The 20th century. In Illinois alone, the number of greater prairie chickens plummeted from over 100 million in 1900 to about 46 in 1998. These declines in population were the result of hunting and habitat destruction , but the random consequences have also caused a great loss in species diversity. DNA analysis comparing the birds from 1990 and mid-century shows a steep genetic decline in recent decades. Management of

12798-667: The Far East to tolerate the big cats, as they limit ungulate populations less than wolves, and are effective in controlling wolf numbers. Siberian tigers also compete with the Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) and occasionally kill and eat them. Eurasian lynx remains have been found in the stomach contents of Siberian tigers in Russia. In March 2014, a dead lynx discovered in Bastak Nature Reserve bore evidence of predation by

12960-621: The IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy in accordance with the 2015 two-subspecies proposal and recognised only P. t. tigris and P. t. sondaica . Results of a 2018 whole-genome sequencing study of 32 samples from the six living putative subspecies—the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South China, Siberian and Sumatran tiger—found them to be distinct and separate clades . These results were corroborated in 2021 and 2023. The Cat Specialist Group states that "Given

13122-493: The International Tiger Studbook 1938–2018 indicate that captive tigers lived up to 19 years. The father does not play a role in raising the young, but he encounters and interacts with them. The resident male appears to visit the female–cub families within his home range. They socialise and even share kills. One male was recorded looking after cubs whose mother had died. By defending his home range,

13284-651: The Middle-Late Pleistocene of Japan. Results of a phylogeographic study indicate that all living tigers have a common ancestor that lived between 108,000 and 72,000 years ago. Genetic studies suggest that the tiger population contracted around 115,000 years ago due to glaciation. Modern tiger populations originated from a refugium in Indochina and spread across Asia after the Last Glacial Maximum . As they colonised northeastern China,

13446-466: The North American ex situ population were sampled to assess the genetic representation found in captivity. Population genetic and Bayesian structure analyses clearly identified two populations separated by a development corridor in Russia. Despite their well-documented 20th century decline, the researchers failed to find evidence of a recent population bottleneck, although genetic signatures of

13608-498: The Siberian tiger is characterized by its large size. The facial region is very powerful and very broad in the region of the canines . The skull prominences, especially in the sagittal crest and crista occipitalis , are very high and strong in old males, and often much more massive than usually observed in the biggest skulls of Bengal tigers. The size variation in skulls of Siberian tigers ranges from 331 to 383 mm (13.0 to 15.1 in) in nine individuals measured. A female skull

13770-523: The Siberian tiger population in the Russian Far East. The events of the Industrial Revolution may have been the critical factor in the reciprocal isolation of Caspian and Siberian tigers from what was likely a single contiguous population. Samples of 95 wild Amur tigers were collected throughout their native range to investigate questions relative to population genetic structure and demographic history. Additionally, targeted individuals from

13932-608: The Sumbar River in Kopet Dag in January 1954 had a greatest skull length of 385 mm (15.2 in), which is considerably more than the known maximum for this population and slightly exceeds that of most Siberian tigers. However, its condylobasal length was only 305 mm (12.0 in), smaller than those of the Siberian tigers, with a maximum recorded condylobasal length of 342 mm (13.5 in). The biggest skull of

14094-463: The adult female population density increases significantly. When more adult females survived, the mothers shared their home ranges with their daughters once the daughters reached maturity. By 2007, population density of tigers was estimated at 0.8±0.4 tigers in 100 km (39 sq mi) in the southern part of Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik, and 0.6±0.3 tigers in 100 km (39 sq mi) in

14256-472: The ancestors of the South China tiger intermixed with a relict tiger population. Tigers can interbreed with other Panthera cats and have done so in captivity. The liger is the offspring of a female tiger and a male lion and the tigon the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion. The lion sire passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female tiger

14418-414: The back is 15–17 mm (0.59–0.67 in) long, 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) along the top of the neck, 25–35 mm (0.98–1.38 in) on the abdomen, and 14–16 mm (0.55–0.63 in) on the tail. The winter fur on the back is 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in), 70–110 mm (2.8–4.3 in) on the top of the neck, 70–95 mm (2.8–3.7 in) on the throat, 60–100 mm (2.4–3.9 in) on

14580-784: The body weight of today's Siberian tigers may be explained by concurrent causes, namely the reduced abundance of prey because of illegal hunting and that the individuals were usually sick or injured and captured in a conflict situation with people. Measurements taken by scientists of the Siberian Tiger Project in the Sikhote-Alin range from 178 to 208 cm (70 to 82 in) in head and body length measured in straight line, with an average of 195 cm (77 in) for males; and for females ranging from 167 to 182 cm (66 to 72 in) with an average of 174 cm (69 in). The average tail measures 99 cm (39 in) in males and 91 cm (36 in) in females. The longest male measured 309 cm (122 in) in total length including

14742-823: The central part of the protected area. Siberian tigers share habitat with Amur leopards ( P. pardus orientalis ), but in the Changbai Mountains have been recorded more often in lower elevations than leopards. Prey species of the tiger include ungulates such as Manchurian wapiti ( Cervus canadensis xanthopygus ), Siberian musk deer ( Moschus moschiferus ), long-tailed goral ( Naemorhedus caudatus ), moose ( Alces alces ), Siberian roe deer ( Capreolus pygargus ) and sika deer ( Cervus nippon ), wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), and even sometimes small size Asiatic black bears ( Ursus thibetanus ) and brown bears ( Ursus arctos ). Siberian tigers also take smaller prey like hares , rabbits , pikas and even salmon . Scat

14904-472: The chest and 65–105 mm (2.6–4.1 in) on the abdomen. The whiskers are 90–115 mm (3.5–4.5 in). The Siberian tiger once inhabited much of the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria and other parts of north-eastern China, the eastern part of Siberia and the Russian Far East, perhaps as far west as Mongolia and the area of Lake Baikal , where the Caspian tiger also reportedly occurred. During

15066-516: The common ancestor of the Siberian and Caspian tigers colonized Central Asia from eastern China, via the Gansu − Silk Road corridor, and then subsequently traversed Siberia eastward to establish the Siberian tiger population in the Russian Far East. The Caspian and Siberian tiger populations were the northernmost in mainland Asia. The Siberian tiger was also called " Amur tiger", " Manchurian tiger", "Korean tiger", and " Ussurian tiger", depending on

15228-455: The context of agriculture (biological and pest control ). In conservation biology , minimum viable population (MVP) size helps to determine the effective population size when a population is at risk for extinction . The effects of a population bottleneck often depend on the number of individuals remaining after the bottleneck and how that compares to the minimum viable population size. A slightly different form of bottleneck can occur if

15390-410: The deciduous and subtropical pine forest of Jim Corbett National Park , northern India revealed a stable tiger population density of 12–17 individuals per 100 km (39 sq mi) in an area of 521 km (201 sq mi). In northern Myanmar, the population density in a sampled area of roughly 3,250 km (1,250 sq mi) in a mosaic of tropical broadleaf forest and grassland

15552-699: The delta and so cannot be provided in the short term. The proposed region is therefore unsuitable for the reintroduction, at least at this stage of development. A second possible introduction site in Kazakhstan is the Ili River delta at the southern edge of Lake Balkhash . The delta is situated between the Saryesik-Atyrau Desert and the Taukum Desert and forms a large wetland of about 8,000 km (3,100 sq mi). Until 1948,

15714-466: The delta was a refuge of the extinct Caspian tiger. Reintroduction of the Siberian tiger to the delta has been proposed. Large populations of wild boar inhabit the swamps of the delta. The reintroduction of the Bukhara deer , which was once an important prey, is under consideration. The Ili delta is therefore considered as a suitable site for introduction. Tiger The tiger ( Panthera tigris )

15876-443: The different subspecies and populations vary greatly in size and weight, the tiger's average size may be less than the lion's, while the largest tigers are bigger than their lion counterparts. The tiger's coat usually has short hairs, reaching up to 35 mm (1.4 in), though the hairs of the northern-living Siberian tiger can reach 105 mm (4.1 in). Belly hairs tend to be longer than back hairs. The density of their fur

16038-504: The early 19th and early 21st centuries, namely the Bengal , Malayan , Indochinese , South China , Siberian , Caspian , Javan , Bali and Sumatran tigers . The validity of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999 as most putative subspecies were distinguished on the basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size of specimens in natural history museum collections that are not necessarily representative for

16200-579: The early 20th century, tiger populations have lost at least 93% of their historic range and are locally extinct in West and Central Asia , in large areas of China and on the islands of Java and Bali . Today, the tiger's range is severely fragmented. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , as its range is thought to have declined by 53% to 68% since the late 1990s. Major threats to tigers are habitat destruction and fragmentation due to deforestation , poaching for fur and

16362-423: The ecosystem, including humans is studied. These data compilations will hopefully contribute toward minimizing poaching threats because of traditional hunting. The Siberian Tiger Project has been productive in increasing local capacity to address human-tiger conflict with a Tiger Response Team , part of the Russian government's Inspection Tiger , which responds to all tiger-human conflicts; by continuing to enhance

16524-512: The entire population. It was proposed to recognise only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely P. t. tigris in mainland Asia and the smaller P. t. sondaica in the Greater Sunda Islands . This two-subspecies proposal was reaffirmed in 2015 through a comprehensive analysis of morphological, ecological and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) traits of all putative tiger subspecies. In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of

16686-740: The exclusion of others can result in a popular sire effect . Selective breeding for dog breeds caused constricting breed-specific bottlenecks. These bottlenecks have led to dogs having an average of 2–3% more genetic loading than gray wolves . The strict breeding programs and population bottlenecks have led to the prevalence of diseases such as heart disease, blindness, cancers , hip dysplasia, and cataracts. Selective breeding to produce high-yielding crops has caused genetic bottlenecks in these crops and has led to genetic homogeneity. This reduced genetic diversity in many crops could lead to broader susceptibility to new diseases or pests, which threatens global food security. Research showed that there

16848-466: The extinct westernmost populations, the Siberian tiger's summer and winter coats contrast sharply with other subspecies. Generally, the coat of western populations was brighter and more uniform than that of the Far Eastern populations. The summer coat is coarse, while the winter coat is denser, longer, softer, and silkier. The winter fur often appears quite shaggy on the trunk and is markedly longer on

17010-407: The eyes have a round pupil. The snout ends in a triangular, pink tip with small black dots, the number of which increase with age. The tiger's skull is robust, with a constricted front region, proportionally small, elliptical orbits , long nasal bones and a lengthened cranium with a large sagittal crest . It resembles a lion's skull, but differs from it in the concave or flattened underside of

17172-415: The female 137.5 kg (303 lb); the contemporary wild male Siberian tiger weighs 176.4 kg (389 lb) on average with an asymptotic limit being 222.3 kg (490 lb); a wild female weighs 117.9 kg (260 lb) on average. Historical Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers were the largest ones, whereas contemporary Siberian tigers are on average lighter than Bengal tigers. The reduction of

17334-529: The first Global Tiger Day in July 2010, and International Forum on Tiger Conservation and Tiger Culture and China 2010 Hunchun Amur Tiger Culture Festival in August 2010. Inspired by findings that the Amur tiger is the closest relative of the Caspian tiger, there has been discussion whether the Amur tiger could be an appropriate subspecies for reintroduction into a safe place in Central Asia. The Amu-Darya Delta

17496-669: The fragmentation of potential tiger habitat, especially in the Eastern Plains. Inbreeding depression coupled with habitat destruction, insufficient prey resources and poaching is a threat to the small and isolated tiger population in the Changbai Mountains along the China–Russia border. In China, tigers became the target of large-scale 'anti-pest' campaigns in the early 1950s, where suitable habitats were fragmented following deforestation and resettlement of people to rural areas, who hunted tigers and prey species. Though tiger hunting

17658-529: The genes for this colour morph and the overrepresentation of white tigers in captivity is the result of inbreeding . Hence, their continued breeding will risk both inbreeding depression and loss of genetic variability in captive tigers. Pseudo- melanistic tigers with thick, merged stripes have been recorded in Simlipal National Park and three Indian zoos; a population genetic analysis of Indian tiger samples revealed that this phenotype

17820-441: The genus Panthera with the lion , leopard , jaguar and snow leopard . Results of genetic analyses indicate that the tiger and snow leopard are sister species whose lineages split from each other between 2.70 and 3.70 million years ago. The tiger's whole genome sequencing shows repeated sequences that parallel those in other cat genomes. The fossil species Panthera palaeosinensis of early Pleistocene northern China

17982-531: The greater prairie chickens now includes genetic rescue efforts including the translocation prairie chickens between leks to increase each populations genetic diversity. Population bottlenecking poses a major threat to the stability of species populations as well. Papilio homerus is the largest butterfly in the Americas and is endangered according to the IUCN . The disappearance of a central population poses

18144-430: The head, almost covering the ears. Siberian and Caspian tigers had the thickest fur amongst tigers. The whiskers and hair on the back of the head and the top of the neck are also greatly elongated. The background colour of the winter coat is generally less bright and rusty compared to that of the summer coat. Because of the winter fur's greater length, the stripes appear broader with less defined outlines. The summer fur on

18306-461: The illegal trade of body parts for medicinal purposes. Tigers are also victims of human–wildlife conflict as they attack and prey on livestock in areas where natural prey is scarce. The tiger is legally protected in all range countries. National conservation measures consist of action plans, anti-poaching patrols and schemes for monitoring tiger populations. In several range countries, wildlife corridors have been established and tiger reintroduction

18468-630: The kill for the bear. Some studies show that bears frequently track down tigers to usurp their kills, with occasional fatal outcomes for the tiger. A report from 1973 describes twelve known cases of brown bears killing tigers, including adult males; in all cases the tigers were subsequently eaten by the bears. The relationship between the Amur tiger and the Himalayan bear is not specifically studied. Numerous publications on these species there are mainly episodic and survey data on this issue are collected by different authors in selected areas which do not give

18630-425: The large database on tiger ecology and conservation with the goal of creating a comprehensive Siberian tiger conservation plan; and training the next generation of Russian conservation biologists. In August 2010, China and Russia agreed to enhance conservation and cooperation in protected areas in a transboundary area for Amur tigers. China has undertaken a series of public awareness campaigns including celebration of

18792-442: The lower jaw and in its longer nasals. The tiger has 30 fairly robust teeth and its somewhat curved canines are the longest in the cat family at 6.4–7.6 cm (2.5–3.0 in). The tiger has a head-body length of 1.4–2.8 m (4 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in) with a 0.6–1.1 m (2 ft 0 in – 3 ft 7 in) tail and stands 0.8–1.1 m (2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 7 in) at

18954-497: The major threats that contributed to the decrease of tiger populations in all range countries. Protected areas in central India are highly fragmented due to linear infrastructure like roads, railway lines, transmission lines , irrigation channels and mining activities in their vicinity. In the Tanintharyi Region of southern Myanmar, deforestation coupled with mining activities and high hunting pressure threatens

19116-826: The male protects the females and cubs from other males. When a new male takes over, dependent cubs are at risk of infanticide as the male attempts to sire his own young with the females. A seven-year long study in Chitwan National Park revealed that 12 of 56 detected cubs and juveniles were killed by new males taking over home ranges. Tigers are recorded as hosts for various parasites including tapeworms like Diphyllobothrium erinacei , Taenia pisiformis in India and nematodes like Toxocara species in India and Physaloptera preputialis , Dirofilaria ursi and Uiteinarta species in Siberia. Canine distemper

19278-527: The male, during which she is receptive for three days. Gestation lasts from 3 to 3½ months. Litter size is normally two or four cubs but there can be as many as six. The cubs are born blind in a sheltered den and are left alone when the female leaves to hunt for food. Cubs are divided equally between sexes at birth. However, by adulthood there are usually two to four females for every male. The female cubs remain with their mothers longer, and later they establish territories close to their original ranges. Males, on

19440-400: The maternal lineages of wild Siberian tigers. On the other hand, captive tigers 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 having been captured when genetic variability was higher in the wild. At the start of the 21st century, researchers from

19602-523: The more vulnerable calves. They sometimes prey on livestock and dogs in close proximity to settlements. Tigers occasionally consume vegetation, fruit and minerals for dietary fibre and supplements. Tigers learn to hunt from their mothers, though the ability to hunt may be partially inborn. Depending on the size of the prey, they typically kill weekly though mothers must kill more often. Families hunt together when cubs are old enough. They search for prey using vision and hearing. A tiger will also wait at

19764-557: The morning. A three-year-long camera trap survey in Shuklaphanta National Park revealed that tigers were most active from dusk until midnight. In northeastern China, tigers were crepuscular and active at night with activity peaking at dawn and dusk; they were largely active at the same time as their prey. The tiger is a powerful swimmer and easily transverses rivers as wide as 8 km (5.0 mi); it immerses in water, particularly on hot days. In general, it

19926-452: The most common throughout the Sikhote-Alin mountains but rare in higher altitude spruce-fir forests . Sika deer are restricted to the southern half of the Sikhote-Alin mountains. Siberian musk deer and Amur moose are associated with the conifer forests and are near the southern limits of their distribution in the central Sikhote-Alin mountains. In 2005, the number of Amur tigers in China

20088-538: The mother and fatal injuries. After around two months, the cubs are able to follow their mother. They still hide in vegetation when she goes hunting. Young bond through play fighting and practice stalking. A hierarchy develops in the litter, with the biggest cub, often a male, being the most dominant and the first to eat its fill at a kill. Around the age of six months, cubs are fully weaned and have more freedom to explore their environment. Between eight and ten months, they accompany their mother on hunts. A cub can make

20250-551: The much smaller female tigers. During telemetry research in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve , 44 direct confrontations between bears and tigers were observed, in which bears in general were killed in 22 cases, and tigers in 12 cases. There are reports of brown bears specifically targeting Amur leopards and tigers to abstract their prey. In the Sikhote-Alin reserve, 35% of tiger kills were stolen by bears, with tigers either departing entirely or leaving part of

20412-477: The neck. Large prey may be disabled by a bite to the back of the hock , severing the tendon. Swipes from the large paws are capable of stunning or breaking the skull of a water buffalo . They kill small prey with a bite to the back of the neck or head. Estimates of the success rate for hunting tigers range from a low of 5% to a high of 50%. They are sometimes killed or injured by large or dangerous prey like gaur, buffalo and boar. Tigers typically move kills to

20574-414: The need to secure ecological connectivity between the two Russian populations to minimize loss of genetic diversity and overall susceptibility to stochastic events, and support a previous study suggesting that the captive population may be a reservoir of gene variants lost in situ . In 2013, the whole genome of the Siberian tiger was sequenced and published. Tigers in mainland Asia fall into two clades :

20736-482: The northern clade comprises the Siberian and Caspian tiger populations, and the southern clade all remaining continental tiger populations. A study published in 2018 was based on 32 tiger specimens using a whole-genome sequencing for analysis. Results support six monophyletic tiger clades and indicate that the most recent common ancestor lived about 110,000 years ago. The tiger is reddish-rusty, or rusty-yellow in colour, with narrow black transverse stripes. The body length

20898-624: The other hand, travel unaccompanied and range farther earlier in their lives, making them more vulnerable to poachers and other tigers. A Siberian tiger family comprising an adult male, a female and three cubs were recorded in 2015. At 35 months of age, tigers are sub-adults. Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 48 to 60 months. The average lifespan for Siberian tigers ranges from 16–18 years. Wild individuals tend to live between 10–15 years, while in captivity individuals may live up to 25 years. Results of genetic analysis of 95 wild Siberian tiger samples from Russia revealed that genetic diversity

21060-405: The prey spots it before then, the cat does not pursue further. A tiger can sprint 56 km/h (35 mph) and leap 10 m (33 ft); it is not a long-distance runner and gives up a chase if prey outpaces it over a certain distance. The tiger attacks from behind or at the sides and tries to knock the target off balance. It latches onto prey with its forelimbs, twisting and turning during

21222-654: The range of individual variation. The earliest appearance of the modern tiger species in the fossil record are jaw fragments from Lantion in China that are dated to the early Pleistocene. Middle- to late-Pleistocene tiger fossils have been found throughout China, Sumatra and Java. Prehistoric subspecies include Panthera tigris trinilensis and P. t. soloensis of Java and Sumatra and P. t. acutidens of China; late Pleistocene and early Holocene fossils of tigers have also been found in Borneo and Palawan, Philippines. Fossil specimens of tigers have also been reported from

21384-728: The region claiming that they had no memory of wolves inhabiting Sikhote-Alin until the 1930s, when tiger numbers decreased. Today, wolves are considered scarce in tiger habitat, being found in scattered pockets, and usually seen travelling as loners or in small groups. First hand accounts on interactions between the two species indicate that tigers occasionally chase wolves from their kills, while wolves will scavenge from tiger kills. Tigers are not known to prey on wolves, though there are four records of tigers killing wolves without consuming them. Tigers recently released are also said to hunt wolves. This competitive exclusion of wolves by tigers has been used by Russian conservationists to convince hunters in

21546-682: The region where individuals were observed. Felis tigris was the scientific name proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for the tiger. In the 19th century, several tiger specimens were collected in East Asia and described: The validity of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999. Most putative subspecies described in the 19th and 20th centuries were distinguished on the basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size – characteristics that vary widely within populations. Morphologically , tigers from different regions vary little, and gene flow between populations in those regions

21708-668: The same reserve had cubs of up to four months of age, they reduced their home ranges to stay near their young and steadily enlarged them until their offspring were 13–18 months old. The tiger is a long-ranging species and individuals disperse over distances of up to 650 km (400 mi) to reach tiger populations in other areas. Young tigresses establish their first home ranges close to their mothers' while males migrate further than their female counterparts. Four radio-collared females in Chitwan dispersed between 0 and 43.2 km (0.0 and 26.8 mi) and 10 males between 9.5 and 65.7 km (5.9 and 40.8 mi). A subadult male lives as

21870-424: The same sex and the home range of a male encompasses that of multiple females. Two females in the Sundarbans had home ranges of 10.6 and 14.1 km (4.1 and 5.4 sq mi). In Panna Tiger Reserve , the home ranges of five reintroduced females varied from 53–67 km (20–26 sq mi) in winter to 55–60 km (21–23 sq mi) in summer and to 46–94 km (18–36 sq mi) during

22032-460: The same time period, four cases of brown bears killing female tigers and young cubs were reported, both in disputes over prey and in self-defense. Tigers mainly feed on the bear's fat deposits, such as the back, hams and groin . When Amur tigers prey on brown bears, they usually target young and sub-adult bears, besides small female adults taken outside their dens, generally when lethargic from hibernation . Predation by tigers on denned brown bears

22194-449: The shoulder. The Siberian and Bengal tigers are the largest. Male Bengal tigers weigh 200–260 kg (440–570 lb), and females weigh 100–160 kg (220–350 lb); island tigers are the smallest, likely due to insular dwarfism . Male Sumatran tigers weigh 100–140 kg (220–310 lb), and females weigh 75–110 kg (165–243 lb). The tiger is popularly thought to be the largest living felid species; but since tigers of

22356-540: The slopes of the Alcedo volcano is significantly less diverse than four other tortoise populations on the same island. DNA analyses date the bottleneck to around 88,000 years before present ( YBP ). About 100,000 YBP the volcano erupted violently, deeply burying much of the tortoise habitat in pumice and ash. Another example can be seen in the greater prairie chickens , which were prevalent in North America until

22518-401: The struggle and tries to pull it to the ground. The tiger generally applies a bite to the throat until its victim dies of strangulation . It has an average bite force at the canine tips of 1234.3 newtons . Holding onto the throat puts the cat out of reach of horns, antlers, tusks and hooves. Tigers are adaptable killers and may use other methods, including ripping the throat or breaking

22680-422: The three predators involve chasing, stealing kills and direct killing. Large dhole packs may kill tigers. Tigers, leopards and dholes coexist by hunting different sized prey. In Nagarhole National Park , the average weight for tiger kills was found to be 91.5 kg (202 lb), compared to 37.6 kg (83 lb) for leopards and 43.4 kg (96 lb) for dholes. In Kui Buri National Park , following

22842-470: The tiger in his work Systema Naturae and gave it the scientific name Felis tigris , as the genus Felis was being used for all cats at the time. His scientific description was based on descriptions by earlier naturalists such as Conrad Gessner and Ulisse Aldrovandi . In 1929, Reginald Innes Pocock placed the species in the genus Panthera using the scientific name Panthera tigris . Nine recent tiger subspecies have been proposed between

23004-485: The tiger is the enormous territory individual tigers require; up to 450 km (170 sq mi) is needed by a single female and more for a single male. The Siberian tiger was once common in the Korean Peninsula. It was eradicated during the period of Korea under Japanese rule between 1910 and 1945. Tigers are included on CITES Appendix I , banning international trade. All tiger range states and countries with consumer markets have banned domestic trade as well. At

23166-685: The tiger population in far eastern Russia, where logging roads facilitate access for poachers and people harvesting forest products that are important for prey species to survive in winter. Population bottleneck The genetic drift caused by a population bottleneck can change the proportional random distribution of alleles and even lead to loss of alleles . The chances of inbreeding and genetic homogeneity can increase, possibly leading to inbreeding depression . Smaller population size can also cause deleterious mutations to accumulate. Population bottlenecks play an important role in conservation biology (see minimum viable population size) and in

23328-610: The tiger population. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , illegal deforestation and bribery of park rangers facilitated poaching of Siberian tigers. Local hunters had access to a formerly sealed off lucrative Chinese market, and this once again put the region's tiger population at risk of extinction. While improvement in the local economy has led to greater resources being invested in conservation efforts, an increase in economic activity has led to an increased rate of development and deforestation. The major obstacle in preserving

23490-589: The tiger population. In Thailand, nine of 15 protected areas hosting tigers are isolated and fragmented, offering a low probability for dispersal between them; four of these have not harboured tigers since about 2013. In Peninsular Malaysia, 8,315.7 km (3,210.7 sq mi) of tiger habitat was cleared during 1988–2012, most of it for industrial plantations . Large-scale land acquisitions of about 23,000 km (8,900 sq mi) for commercial agriculture and timber extraction in Cambodia contributed to

23652-448: The tiger populations in mainland Asia as P. t. tigris . Several reports have been published since the 1990s on the genetic makeup of the Siberian tiger and its relationship to other populations. One of the most important outcomes has been the discovery of low genetic variability in the wild population, especially when it comes to maternal or mitochondrial DNA lineages. It seems that a single mtDNA haplotype almost completely dominates

23814-797: The time spent with her cubs by reducing her home range, killing larger prey and returning to her den more rapidly than without cubs; when the cubs started to eat meat, she took them to kill sites, thereby optimising their protection and access to food. In the same reserve, one of 21 cubs died in over eight years of monitoring and mortality did not differ between male and female juveniles. Tiger monitoring over six years in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve indicated an average annual survival rate of around 85 percent for 74 male and female cubs; survival rate increased to 97 percent for both males and female juveniles of one to two years of age. Causes of cub mortality include predators, floods, fires, death of

23976-532: The two evolutionary groups: continental and Sunda tigers. The authors proposed recognition of only two subspecies: namely P. t. tigris comprising the Bengal, Malayan , Indochinese , South China , Siberian and Caspian tiger populations; and P. t. sondaica comprising the Javan , Bali and Sumatran tiger populations. In 2017, the Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy and now recognizes all

24138-568: The varied interpretations of data, the [subspecific] taxonomy of this species is currently under review by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group." The following tables are based on the classification of the tiger as of 2005, and also reflect the classification recognised by the Cat Classification Task Force in 2017. Snow leopard [REDACTED] Tiger [REDACTED] Jaguar [REDACTED] Leopard [REDACTED] Lion [REDACTED] The tiger shares

24300-463: The white spots, particularly during aggressive encounters and between mothers and cubs. They also use their tails to signal their mood. To show cordiality, the tail sticks up and sways slowly, while an apprehensive tiger lowers its tail or wags it side-to-side. When calm, the tail hangs low. Tigers are normally silent but can produce numerous vocalisations. They roar to signal their presence to other individuals over long distances. This vocalisation

24462-418: The year 1890, though it has since begun to recover (see table). A classic example of a population bottleneck is that of the northern elephant seal , whose population fell to about 30 in the 1890s. Although it now numbers in the hundreds of thousands, the potential for bottlenecks within colonies remains. Dominant bulls are able to mate with the largest number of females—sometimes as many as 100. With so much of

24624-462: Was a borrowing from Classical Greek τίγρις 'tigris'. Since ancient times, the word tigris has been suggested to originate from the Armenian or Persian word for 'arrow', which may also be the origin of the name for the river Tigris . However, today, the names are thought to be homonyms , and the connection between the tiger and the river is doubted. In 1758, Carl Linnaeus described

24786-450: Was collected along the international border between Russia and China between November 2014 and April 2015; 115 scat samples of nine tigers contained foremost remains of wild boar, sika deer and roe deer. Between January 1992 and November 1994, 11 tigers were captured, fitted with radio-collars and monitored for more than 15 months in the eastern slopes of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range. Results of this study indicate that their distribution

24948-516: Was considered the last important site for the tiger in Laos, but it has not been recorded there at least since 2013; this population likely fell victim to indiscriminate snaring. Anti-poaching units in Sumatra's Kerinci Seblat landscape removed 362 tiger snare traps and seized 91 tiger skins during 2005–2016; annual poaching rates increased with rising skin prices. Poaching is also the main threat to

25110-487: Was described as a possible tiger ancestor when it was discovered in 1924, but modern cladistics places it as basal to modern Panthera . Panthera zdanskyi lived around the same time and place, and was suggested to be a sister species of the modern tiger when it was examined in 2014. However, as of 2023, at least two subsequent studies considered P. zdanskyi likely to be a synonym of P. palaeosinensis , noting that its proposed differences from that species fell within

25272-460: Was estimated at 18–22, and 331–393 in the Russian Far East, comprising a breeding adult population of about 250, fewer than 100 likely to be sub-adults, more than 20 likely to be less than 3 years of age. More than 90% of the population occurred in the Sikhote Alin mountain region. An unknown number of tigers survive in the reserve areas around Baekdu Mountain , on the border between China and North Korea, based on tracks and sightings. In August 2012,

25434-420: Was estimated to be 0.21–0.44 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) as of 2009. Population density in mixed deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of Thailand's Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary was estimated at 2.01 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi); during the 1970s and 1980s, logging and poaching had occurred in the adjacent Mae Wong and Khlong Lan National Parks , where population density

25596-448: Was followed up by a more detailed census which revealed there was a total population of 562 wild Siberian tigers in Russia. As of 2014, about 35 individuals were estimated to range in the international border area between Russia and China. The Siberian tiger is genetically close to the now-extinct Caspian tiger . Results of a phylogeographic study comparing mitochondrial DNA from Caspian tigers and living tiger populations indicate that

25758-858: Was much lower, estimated at only 0.359 tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) as of 2016. Population density in dipterocarp and montane forests in northern Malaysia was estimated at 1.47–2.43 adult tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) in Royal Belum State Park , but 0.3–0.92 adult tigers per 100 km (39 sq mi) in the unprotected selectively logged Temengor Forest Reserve. Camera trap data show that tigers in Chitwan National Park avoided locations frequented by people and were more active at night than during day. In Sundarbans National Park , six radio-collared tigers were most active from dawn to early morning and reached their zenith around 7:00 o'clock in

25920-403: Was not detected during a study carried between 1993 and 2002. Ussuri brown bears, along with the smaller black bears constitute 2.1% of the Siberian tiger's annual diet, of which 1.4% are brown bears. The effect the presence of tigers has on brown bear behavior seems to vary. In the winters of 1970–1973, Yudakov and Nikolaev recorded two cases of bears showing no fear of tigers and another case of

26082-516: Was prohibited in 1977, the population continued to decline and is considered extinct in South China since 2001. Tiger populations in India have been targeted by poachers since the 1990s and were extirpated in two tiger reserves in 2005 and 2009. Between March 2017 and January 2020, 630 activities of hunters using snares , drift nets, hunting platforms and hunting dogs were discovered in a reserve forest of about 1,000 km (390 sq mi) in southern Myanmar. Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park

26244-422: Was suggested as a potential site for such a project. A feasibility study was initiated to investigate if the area is suitable and if such an initiative would receive support from relevant decision makers. A viable tiger population of about 100 animals would require at least 5,000 km (1,900 sq mi) of large tracts of contiguous habitat with rich prey populations. Such habitat is not presently available in

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