The Amur tiger is a huge cat from the pages of the Red Book. Where does a tiger live and what does it eat? Where does the Amur tiger live?

The Ussuri (Amur, Far Eastern) tiger is a subspecies that just recently could have completely disappeared. Besides, Ussurian tiger- the only one living in cold conditions.

This animal was able to achieve the highest skill in hunting because, unlike those living in prides and practicing collective hunting, predator Ussuri tiger is always a pronounced loner.

Features and appearance of the Ussuri tiger

Animal Ussuri tiger strong and powerful, with a fair amount of physical strength. Its weight reaches 300 kg. The maximum weight that was recorded was 384 kg. The body is 1.5 - 3 meters long, and the tail is approximately 1 meter. - a very fast animal, even in snowy terrain it is capable of running at a speed of about 80 km/h.

The body of the animal is flexible, the paws are not too high. The ears are short and small. Only this subspecies has a 5 cm wide layer of fat on its belly, which protects the predator from the icy wind and low temperatures.

In the photo there is a Ussuri tiger

The tiger has color vision. It has thicker fur than tigers that live in warmer climates. The coat is orange, with black stripes on the back and sides, and the belly is white. The pattern on the skin is individual for each animal. The coloring helps the tiger blend in with the trees of the winter taiga.

Habitat of the Ussuri tiger

Largest quantity tigers live in southeastern Russia. This is a protected area. The Ussuri tiger lives along the banks of the Amur River, as well as the Ussuri River, which is how it got its name.

Much fewer tigers live in Manchuria (China), approximately 40 - 50 individuals, i.e. 10% of the total number of tigers in the world. Another distribution area for this subspecies of tigers is Sikhote-Alin, where the only viable population of this species lives.

Character and lifestyle

The Far Eastern tiger lives in a harsh climate: air temperature ranges from -47 degrees in winter to +37 degrees in summer time. When very tired, a tiger can lie down directly on the snow.

Resting in the snow can last up to several hours, and the predator will not feel the cold. This species is uniquely adapted to cold and frost. But for a long rest, he prefers to find shelter among rocks, between ledges, and also under fallen trees.

The female makes a den for the cubs; for this she looks for the most inaccessible place, for example, in an inaccessible rock, in thickets or a cave. Adult males do not need a den.

They prefer to relax just next to their prey. Young tigresses separate from their mother at 1.5–2 years, it all depends on the appearance of the next litter in the female. But they do not go far from their mother’s den, unlike males.

Each tiger lives in an individual area, its area is determined by the number of ungulates. Every day tigers walk around their property. The female and male live in territories of varying sizes.

The male's territory ranges from 600 to 800 square meters. km, and females from about 300 to 500 sq. km. The smallest territory belongs to the female with her cubs. It is up to 30 sq. km. As a rule, several females live in the territory of one male.

On average, a tiger travels a distance of about 20 km per day, but the course can be 40 km. Tigers are animals that love consistency. They use the same trails and regularly mark their territory.

Amur tigers love solitude and never live in packs. During the day they like to lie on the rocks, from where they can see good review. Far Eastern tigers like water; they can lie in or near any body of water for hours. Tigers are excellent swimmers and can even swim across the river.

Diet of the Ussuri tiger

The Far Eastern tiger is a predator; it has large fangs (about 7 cm) with which they catch, kill and dismember prey. It does not chew, but cuts the meat with its molars and then swallows it.

Thanks to the presence of soft pads on its paws, the tiger moves almost silently. Tigers can hunt at any time. Their favorite food is: wapiti, small mammals.

However, sometimes they eat with pleasure and can eat the fruits of some plants. The average individual should eat 9–10 kg of meat per day. At good nutrition The animal quickly gets fat and can then go a week without food.

The predator usually drags its prey to the water, and hides the remaining food in a safe place before going to bed. Eats lying down, holding prey with its paws. Amur tiger It rarely attacks humans. Since 1950, there have been only about 10 recorded cases of this tiger species attacking humans. Even if hunters chase a tiger, it does not attack them.

Reproduction and life expectancy of the Ussuri tiger

The mating season for tigers does not occur at a specific time of the year, but it still occurs more often towards the end of winter. For childbirth, the female chooses the most impassable and safe place.

Usually the female gives birth to two or three cubs, less often one or four. There are cases of the birth of five tiger cubs. Babies just born are absolutely helpless and weigh up to 1 kg.

However, future predators grow quickly. By two weeks they begin to see and hear. By one month, the tiger cubs have doubled their weight and begin to emerge from the den. From two months they try meat.

But they feed on mother's milk for up to 6 months. First, the tigress brings them food, and then begins to lead them to the prey. At the age of two, tiger cubs begin to hunt with their mother, their weight at this time is about 100 kg.

The male does not help in raising children, although he often lives not far from them. The tiger family breaks up when the cubs reach 2.5 - 3 years old. Tigers grow throughout their lives. Amur tigers live on average about 15 years. They could live up to 50 years, but, as a rule, due to harsh conditions habitat they die early.

In the photo there are cubs of the Ussuri tiger

Conservation of the Ussuri tiger

In the mid-nineteenth century, this type of tiger was quite common. However number of Ussuri tigers declined sharply at the beginning of the twentieth century.

This is due to the uncontrolled capture of tiger cubs and the shooting of animals, which at that time was not regulated in any way. The harsh climatic conditions tiger territories.

In 1935, a reserve was organized on Sikhote-Alin. From that moment on, hunting for the Far Eastern tiger was banned, and even for zoos, tiger cubs were caught only as an exception.

It is currently unknown How many Ussuri tigers are left?, according to 2015 data, the number of individuals in the Far East was 540. Since 2007, experts have declared that the species is no longer endangered. However, Ussuri tiger in the Red Book Russia is still listed.

The Amur tiger is the largest representative among the cat family. The predator’s habitat is the territory of Russia – Primorsky and Khabarovsk region, as well as the northeastern regions of China. Population Amur tigers does not exceed 500 individuals. Approximately the same number of wild cats live in zoos around the world.

Previously, the habitat of Amur tigers was more extensive; they lived in the territory south of the Caspian Sea and were even distributed on the Black Sea coast. Tigers lived in Central Asia and were found as far east as Alaska. Thus, this predator felt like a master in the eastern regions of Eurasia, and in the western regions of this large continent the Asiatic lion ruled.

People interfered with the order of nature and exterminated both subspecies with incredible cruelty. Today, the Asian or, as it is also called, the Indian lion has survived only in the north-west of India in the Girsky forest, and the Amur tigers remain only in Primorye.

Appearance

In terms of height, Amur tigers exceed Bengal tigers by an average of 7 centimeters; their height at the withers is 112-120 centimeters. The body length of males is 2.4-3.3 meters, and their body weight ranges from 180 to 306 kilograms. Females are smaller than males - their body length is 2.4-2.7 meters, and they weigh from 120 to 170 kilograms. The tail of this predator can be 1 meter in length.

Amur tigers are strong and resilient, they can chase prey at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour and drag a large prey they have caught up to a distance of 500 meters.

Amur tigers have thick and coarse fur in summer, the length of the pile on the back is 15-17 millimeters, on the stomach - 25-35 millimeters and on the tail - 14-16 millimeters, and in winter time the fur becomes softer and longer, on the back it grows to 40-50 millimeters, to 65-105 millimeters on the stomach and 60-100 millimeters on the chest.
The predator has long mustaches - from 90 to 115 millimeters.

Listen to the voice of the Amur tiger

From severe frosts Amur tigers are protected not only by thick fur, but also by a thick layer subcutaneous fat in the lower part of the body.

The Amur tiger has a red color with transverse black stripes and a white belly and chest. In summer the coat is redder and brighter than in winter.

Reproduction and lifespan

Predators spend their lives alone, and only during the breeding season do females and males form pairs. Females 3.5 times more males, in this regard, the male, after fertilization, immediately sets out to search for a new female. Females remain pregnant for 3.5 months, after which 2-4 tiger cubs are born. The cubs are born completely helpless and blind, their eyes open only on the 10th day, and their teeth erupt on the 15th day. When the cubs are 2 months old, they begin to crawl out of the hole.

The mother feeds the cubs for 6 months, then the young begin to accompany the mother on the hunt. Babies learn the art of hunting from females for many months. IN one year old young animals are capable of hunting independently. By the age of two, the animal grows into a seasoned predator that can defeat even the strongest prey. But, despite this, the young leave their mother only at the age of 4-5, when puberty sets in.

Males try to go a long distance and occupy a wide territory, while females prefer to stay close to their mother; they also conquer new territory, but often visit their mother. It is not uncommon to find several females lying peacefully nearby. In the wild, the lifespan of Amur tigers is approximately 15-17 years, but individuals can live up to 35-40 years.

Behavior and nutrition

The victims of Amur tigers are and, from which 70% of the predator’s diet is formed. Tigers also hunt elk, wapiti and Amur gorals. Smaller animals also make up the predator's diet: rabbits, hares, pikas; the favorite fish for these cats is salmon. If there is little food, the Amur tiger may attack a bear. During particularly hungry times, predators approach people's property and hunt livestock and domestic animals. These cats are active at night. A tiger's eyes can only recognize one color, but their vision in the dark is 5 times superior to human vision.

The Amur tiger is not polar bear, whose home is the entire Arctic, each tabby cat lives in its own large territory. The area of ​​land where a tiger lives can be 500 square meters. Predators mark boundaries using urine and scratches left on trees. The domains of males may overlap with those of females. Males do not show aggression towards females. But the situation is different in relation to other males; when boundaries are violated, conflicts arise, but the owner tries to drive away the intruder without bloody clashes.

Enemies

In the wild, tigers of this breed have no enemies; on the contrary, they can attack other predators, for example, wolves. Where there are many Amur tigers, there are practically no wolves, since these wild cats They mercilessly attack canine representatives. This situation is probably explained by the same appetites, because the diet of wolves is the same as that of tigers, which means they are competitors. In this regard, Amur tigers expel everyone from their territory.

The biggest enemy of the Amur tiger is humans. People are pushing tigers out of the valleys, and they are forced to move to the mountainous areas. Today, Amur tigers live in dense spruce thickets on rocky areas, where there are sufficient numbers of wild boars, elk and red deer. The predator tries to avoid areas with deep snow, since hunting there is difficult.

Today there are several programs to increase the Amur population. Experts in this field plan to send some of the tigers to the northeast of Yakutia. In addition, there is an assumption that tigers must adapt well to northern regions American continent. But these are just plans that need to be implemented in the future.

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The Amur tiger is the most large predator in the cat family, it is currently on the verge of extinction, and is therefore listed in the Red Book. The mammal is graceful and very beautiful. The weight of an adult can reach up to 300 kg, with a body length of up to 2.9 meters. The Amur tiger lives in the Russian Far East. Lives in the Ussuri taiga. The animal has incredible strength. There are cases when a tiger dragged a large horse that it had killed along the ground for up to half a kilometer. Among cats he has no equal. The color of the Ussuri tiger is also impressive. He has a very beautiful and thick coat orange color. At the same time, the tiger’s belly is always white. The animal is very fast and agile. He has lightning-fast reactions, jumps well and can run at a speed of 80 km/hour.

The animal is perfectly adapted to living in conditions of extremely low temperatures. A thick layer of subcutaneous fat protects it from hypothermia. The animal has acute color vision and is able to distinguish objects in complete darkness.

The Ussuri tiger is a unique business card Primorsky Krai. His image is even on his coat of arms. The tiger habitat is protected. It includes the territories of the Amur and Ussuri rivers, located in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories. IN Lately The Amur tiger can be found in some areas of China, indicating an increase in its population.

The Amur tiger is the ruler of a vast territory (male up to 800 square kilometers, female up to 500 sq. km). As a rule, the animal does not leave its possessions. This only happens when there is a shortage of food. In this case, the tiger may approach human habitation and attack domestic animals. He hunts at night. Males prefer to live completely alone. Females live in small groups. Tigers communicate with sounds. Being in a good mood, they rub their bodies against each other and touch their heads.

The tiger spends hunting a large number of strength and energy. This is due to the fact that out of ten attempts to catch prey, only one is successful. The animal tracks the victim and tries to get as close to it as possible, while remaining invisible. This is followed by a lightning-fast throw and an attempt to grab the victim by the throat. If unsuccessful, the tiger does not pursue the animal, but prefers to look for a new victim. He drags his prey to a pond, where he eats. The remains are hidden in a secluded place, which he guards.

The tiger feeds on large artiodactyls, which include sika deer and red deer. Can hunt small animals, frogs, birds, mice. Sometimes he enjoys fruit. He eats up to 10 kg of meat per day. Doesn't attack humans. Lives for about 15 years.

The mating period is not tied to a specific season. This can happen at any time. Pregnancy in a female Amur tiger lasts 3.5 months, after which two to five tiger cubs are born, weighing up to 1 kg. They are blind and helpless. They begin to see only after two weeks. Up to two months they feed only on mother's milk, and only then they begin to eat meat little by little. They switch completely to a meat diet at the age of six months. The mother feeds her offspring for two years. After this, the cubs become independent and begin to live separately. The male does not take part at all in raising and feeding the cubs.

The Ussuri tiger has no enemies. Only Brown bear. But such fights are very rare.

The tiger belongs to the cat family. This distant relative leopards, lynxes, panthers and even domestic cats. Although on Latin its name sounds like the panther tigris; the closest relative of the tiger is the lion.

There were nine subspecies of the tiger, three of which are now extinct, and one (the South China tiger) may have already disappeared or will disappear from the wild in the near future.

The Amur tiger lives mainly in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions of Russia, and in very small numbers in northeastern China and North Korea.

The Indochinese tiger (also known as Corbet's tiger) lives in Cambodia. southern China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The number of animals is 1200-1800; there are about 60 tigers in zoos.

Bengal, or Royal Bengal tiger lives in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar, inhabiting different territories - rain forests and dry savannas.

The Malayan tiger is found only in the southern (Malaysian) part of the Malay Peninsula.

The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. About 400-500 individuals live in the wild and 235 in zoos.

The South China tiger is the most endangered subspecies and most likely no longer exists in the wild. It is also one of the smallest subspecies. 59 individuals are currently kept in captivity.

Currently completely exterminated:

• the Balinese tiger that lived on the island of Bali; the last tiger was shot on September 27, 1937 in western Bali;
• Javan tiger who lived on the island of Java; the last time a Javan tiger was seen was in 1979;
• The Turanian tiger, the Caspian tiger, lived from the foothills of the Tien Shan west along river valleys in Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan) to the Caucasus. Last time The Turanian tiger was seen in the Amu Darya delta in 1958.

Our tiger is Amur

Of the five existing subspecies of tigers, the Amur is the largest. Its winter fur is very thick and long, quite light in color. The main color tone is reddish or ocher-red. Black or brown transverse stripes run across the entire body. In summer the color is brighter. In winter, the fur of the Amur tiger becomes long and thick.

The tiger is a very big animal. It weighs 260 kilograms or more, some males weigh more than 300 kg! The body length of the male (with tail) reaches 290-300 cm. Females are smaller than males, 160-180 cm, and weigh 140-160 kg.

The tiger runs fast. In the snow it can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. Capable of making jumps up to seven meters long!

The Amur tiger lives in mountainous areas where broad-leaved and cedar trees grow. Groups of tigers are usually found nearby mountain rivers at an altitude of 400-700 m above sea level.

Tigers lead a solitary lifestyle. Only tigresses live with their cubs until they grow up. Each tiger has its own territory, which it constantly circles. The size of the areas where tigers live varies and depends on the sex of the animal, age, whether there are cubs, and also on how much food there is in the area. The smallest area (10-30 km2) is occupied by females who have small tiger cubs under the age of one year. The area of ​​land where adult male tigers live is 600-800 km2, females – 300-500 km2.

Tigers move along the same paths from year to year. An adult tiger travels from 10 to 41 km per day, and a tigress from 7 to 22 km.

Tigers are usually active in the evening, in the first half of the night and early in the morning. During the day they lie on a rock or on the crest of a ridge for better review. But in snowfall and cloudy weather, the tiger is active during the day. Big snows and the tiger is not afraid of severe frosts, because it has thick fur and wide paws.

The tiger's main prey is wild boar and wapiti, as well as sika deer, elk, and roe deer. On occasion, the tiger preys on brown and white-breasted bears, badgers, raccoon dogs and hares.

Tigers usually hunt at night at watering holes and animal trails. The tiger ambushes its prey and attacks it with a sharp jump. At the same time, the tiger takes into account the direction of the wind so that the prey does not smell it.

A tiger eats 8-10 kg of meat per day, but after a long fast, it can eat up to 18 kg of meat.

The lifespan of individual tigers in the wild reaches 15-20 years. In captivity, a tiger lives longer - 40-50 years. In the wild, tigers die from disease, injury, and are killed by poachers.

Where does the Amur tiger live?

The Amur tiger lives only in the south Far East– in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, mainly on the right bank of the Ussuri and Amur rivers. In the Khabarovsk Territory, the tiger is common only in Bikinsky, Vyazemsky, named after. Lazo, Nanaisky, Khabarovsk, Komsomolsky and Sovetsko-Gavansky districts. There are more tigers in Primorye.

Currently, only Sikhote-Alin maintains the world's only viable population of Amur tigers.

In China, the Amur tiger is very rare. Scientists believe that it crosses the border from the Russian side. There are no other tigers of this subspecies found anywhere else on the planet.

How many tigers are there in the wild?

In order to protect the tiger, scientists need to know not only its numbers, but also its habits. To do this, tigers are counted and observed.

Previously, tigers in the wild were not counted, so we do not know how many tigers there were in the Far East a hundred years ago. Due to the fact that tigers were hunted and the forests in which they lived were cut down, there were fewer and fewer tigers. By the end of the 30s of the 20th century, the Amur tiger was on the verge of extinction - only no more than 50 animals remained. Therefore, in 1947, hunting for tigers was banned, and in 1956, their catching. Nowadays, tiger hunting is prohibited all over the world.

The last tiger count was carried out in the winter of 2005. The number of Amur tigers in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories was 334-417 adults and 97-112 cubs.

The tiger in nature is studied in different ways.

First, places where tigers can live are marked on the map, that is, with habitat conditions suitable for it. Then this territory is divided into equal sections of 1000 hectares (that’s 10 square kilometers). In winter, game wardens use tracks to count how many animals are in each area.

Following the tracks of a tiger in winter to determine the number of animals is called tracking. In order to find out whether a tiger is adult or young, male or female, measure the width of the heel of the animal’s front paw. It is possible to say for sure that this is a male only when the width of the heel exceeds 10.5 cm.

Cameras (camera traps) are installed in places where the tiger moves. When an animal passes by, the mechanism of the device is activated.

Radio tracking is used to monitor the location and movements of the tiger. The tiger is wearing special radio collars, from which signals are received.

Recently, radio collars have been replaced by collars with a GPS transmitter. The battery charge of such a collar lasts for about 500 days, then it automatically detaches.

There are also bad sides to existing tiger conservation methods. In order to put a radio collar on a tiger, it must be caught. In places where the tiger appears most often, a special loop of steel cable is installed on the tree. A mark of valerian is left on the tree. The tiger, like all cats, reacts to its smell. When a tiger passes by, its paw gets caught in a loop, which tightens, and a transmitter connected to the loop with a special fishing line sends a signal to trigger the trap.

When such a large animal as a tiger gets caught in a snare, the first thing it does is try to free itself from it. It jumps, pulls out its paw, gnaws a loop and a powerful steel corner with the same steel bolts with its teeth, scratches the metal cable and surrounding objects with its claws. As a result, the tiger breaks its claws and teeth, especially fangs, and injures its paws.

Crippled tigers cannot then hunt normally in the wild. They go to the nearest village to get their pets and in most cases become victims of poachers.

More than half of the tigers caught with such a snare died in the first two years after capture. I think we need to use a different method of catching tigers, because by trying to help the tiger in this way, we are only making things worse.

Why tiger numbers may be declining

In addition to the killing of a tiger by poachers, many other reasons influence its number, because in nature everything is interconnected. Forest fires destroy the habitats of the tiger and the ungulates on which it feeds. The less food, the fewer tigers in the taiga. People are cutting down forests, and the area suitable for tigers to live is decreasing.

How to protect a tiger

The Amur tiger is one of the most rare representatives world fauna. It is included in the Red Books International Union nature conservation and Russia. In the Red Book Russian Federation The Amur tiger has category II as a rare, declining subspecies.

Scientists have begun one very important experiment. In the spring of 2009, an orphan tiger cub was picked up, whose mother was killed by poachers. Scientists placed the baby in rehabilitation center- a large enclosure in which he learned to hunt ungulates, beware and avoid enemies, including humans. This is the first such experiment: the tiger cub was captured in March and released into the wild on September 16, and now zoologists are observing its behavior. For 2.5 months the tiger lives safely in the taiga.

I think it is necessary to conduct such an experiment on tiger cubs that were born in captivity - in a zoo or circus, because there are a large number of tigers in captivity, and it would be right to release the cubs into the wild if they manage to live in it.

To protect rare animals and their habitats, protected areas are created natural areas- nature reserves. To protect tigers in the Primorsky Territory, the Sikhote-Alinsky reserve was created in 1935, and later the Lazovsky, Kedrovaya Pad and Ussuriysky reserves.

The fate of the tiger worries not only the residents of our country, but also people from other countries, which is why international organizations are being created to protect the tiger.

The protection of the Ussuri tiger became one of the first programs in Russia conducted by the World Wide Fund wildlife. This program includes organizing teams that fight poachers, creating and supporting protected areas, fighting forest fires and deforestation.

Hunting tigers is prohibited, but this is not enough to preserve the species. We need to protect the forests where he lives. By preserving coniferous-deciduous forests with all their inhabitants, we also preserve the Amur tiger, because it is impossible to save the species without taking any measures to save its habitat and the animals on which it feeds.

I also think that everyone needs to know what a beautiful and rare animal this is, then no one will hunt it, but will admire the tiger in photographs.

Amur tiger(Panthera tigris altaica) (also known as the Ussuri, Siberian or East Siberian tiger) is one of the smallest subspecies of the tiger, the northernmost tiger. Listed in the Red Book.

The tiger's habitat is concentrated in a protected zone in the southeast of Russia, along the banks of the Amur and Ussuri rivers in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories; in total, in Russia in 1996 there were about 415-476 individuals. About 10% (40-50 individuals) of the Amur tiger population lives in China (Manchuria). Ussuri tigers are most common in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin in the Lazovsky district of Primorsky Krai, where every sixth wild Amur tiger lives in a relatively small area (2003). It is planned to resettle Amur tigers on the territory of the Pleistocene Park in Yakutia. In the languages ​​of the peoples of the Amur region, instead of its direct definition “Taskhu” (tiger), it is often called “Amba” (big), so as not to cause trouble.

As of February 20, 2007, 450 individuals were kept in zoos around the world (844 individuals as of January 1, 1979).

The Ussuri tiger is a large, exotically colored cat, along with the Bengal (Indian) subspecies of the tiger, it is also one of the strongest and most powerful land predators on our planet and also as the Bengal leader in strength among representatives of the cat family. The body length of Ussuri tigers reaches 3 meters (with tail), shoulder height up to 115 cm, and weight up to 275 kg, in some cases up to 300 kg. (a tiger grows throughout its life, and can reach this weight in old age). A normal adult Ussuri male weighs on average 200-220 kg with a height of 90-106 cm. The tiger is an easily vulnerable animal, despite its large size and enormous physical strength, and it is such that he can drag the carcass of a horse on the ground for more than 500 m. In the snow he is able to reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. Despite the widespread belief about cannibalism, the Amur tiger almost never attacks humans and rarely enters populated areas. In fact, he tries in every possible way to avoid the person. Since the 1950s in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories within settlements Only about a dozen attempts to attack people were recorded. In the taiga, attacks even on pursuing hunters are quite rare.

Listed in the Red Book of Russia. In April 2007, experts from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced that the Amur tiger population had reached a century-high and that the tiger was no longer facing extinction.

Species and man

The tiger has long been considered one of the most dangerous predators, only daredevils dared to hunt him. The tiger skin was the pride of the hunter and the envy of his neighbor. This continued until there were so few of these beauties left in nature that every meeting was an event.

The tiger is less afraid of humans than other large animals, but still tries to avoid him. Experienced taiga residents who have lived next to a tiger for many years say that when meeting a person, he is guided most of all by feeling self-esteem and curiosity, not aggressiveness. The tiger follows in the footsteps of hunters and woodcutters, and visits hunting lodges. He walks leisurely along the roads - most often in order to find out what is going on in his domain, and in winter this makes it easier for him to overcome deep snow. Numerous stories about the beast’s bloodthirstiness can be contrasted with the same number of stories about his good nature, turning to people for help in especially difficult moments. The predator only attacks when wounded or cornered. Tiger cubs are well tamed and easy to train. Therefore, tigers, especially Amur tigers, can often be seen in the circus.

Spreading

The range of the Amur tiger covers the south of our Far East and the extreme northeast of China. On the territory of the Russian Federation, the tiger permanently lives only in the southern and central parts of Sikhote-Alin. The area of ​​its regular and random visits is much wider: in different years The tiger was found in Transbaikalia, the upper reaches of the Lena and Angara, in Yakutia, and on Sakhalin. The Amur tiger's habitat is specific: it lives in low mountains, preferring river valleys and wide valleys between ridges, covered with forests dominated by cedar and oak. The Amur tiger, which has thick winter fur, is well adapted to frost, and the main factor limiting its spread to the north is high (more than 30 cm) snow cover.

Appearance

The Amur tiger is one of the largest land predators, the largest representative of the cat family. The body length of the male is 270-310 cm, the tail is 80-100 cm, the weight of adult individuals can reach 300 kg. Males are a quarter larger than females. The cross-striped coloration of the tiger is extremely characteristic: along the main reddish background on the back and sides there are numerous transverse dark stripes that form a rather complex pattern. The arrangement of stripes is subject to considerable variability: no two tigers appear to have identical black patterns. Despite the brightness and contrast, the striped coloring is undoubtedly camouflage. The large white spots on the black back of the ears have a different purpose: when the tigress walks through the forest, she puts her ears so that the black and white field is clearly visible to the cubs following her, and serves as a kind of beacon for them.

Amur tigers, like most representatives of the genus of large cats, have great mobility in their larynx and vocal cords, thanks to which these animals can emit a special calling cry - a loud roar.

Diet and feeding behavior

The tiger is a predator and feeds exclusively on animal food, mainly large prey. The basis of its diet is deer and wild boars, but sometimes it also catches badgers, bears, wolves, and lynx. There is evidence that this cat has a weakness for domestic dogs, attacking them at any opportunity. The Amur tiger is a skilled fisherman and, during spawning, deftly catches fish on the rifts of mountain rivers.

Amur tiger gets its food different ways. The predator watches for deer at watering places, on salt licks, lying near their paths. During wapiti mating tournaments, the predator skillfully imitates the voice of a roaring deer, luring it to itself. He simply “grazes” the boars, following the herd for a long time and snatching weak or sick animals from it. The Amur tiger is very patient; it can wait for hours for the right moment to attack. When 20-30 meters remain between the predator and the intended prey, the Amur tiger quickly rushes at it with frequent jumps, developing maximum speed. However, he cannot pursue his prey for a long time at such a speed, and if the throw is not successful, the tiger lies down, rests a little, and then leaves. It is interesting that a tiger pursues a deer no more than 60-80 m, and a wild boar more persistently, sometimes 300-400 meters. Therefore, wild pigs are terrified of their main enemy. The tiger is unusually strong - it can drag prey weighing 1.5-2 times heavier than itself over a distance of tens of meters. Having chosen a secluded place, the tiger begins a meal, during which he is able to eat up to 30 kg of meat. A predator can remain near large prey for several days, resting most of the time and only occasionally getting up to drink from a nearby stream.

When there is enough food, the Amur tiger quickly gets fat: the thickness of its subcutaneous fat can reach 5-6 cm. This allows it to easily endure a week or more of fasting between two successful hunts, and in winter to make long treks, exploring unfamiliar territories. However, in snowy winters, tigers really suffer, and sometimes even die from exhaustion.

Activity

The Amur tiger hunts at any time of the day, but it does not tolerate heat well, and in summer the tiger is most active at dusk.

Vocalization

The Amur tiger, unlike the Bengal tiger, which often emits a loud roar when going hunting, is extremely silent: some zoologists, who have observed it in the wild for many years, have never heard a tiger roar. The exception is the rutting period, when tigers roar often, especially females. A predator irritated by something growls dully and hoarsely, and in rage it characteristically “coughs.” In his good-natured state, he purrs like a cat, but much louder.

Social behavior

A solitary lifestyle is characteristic of both most felines and the Amur tiger. This big cat adheres to a certain individual area, but in search of prey it constantly makes long journeys, so the size of the hunting territories is very large - up to several hundred square kilometers. The Amur tigress with small cubs is limited to a territory of 15-20 square meters. km, and then gradually expands it. The tiger leaves special marks along the boundaries of its territory. Most often these are scent marks: the predator sprays urine on trees or stones, like other cats. Often he makes “scrapes” on the ground, in the places of the marks. In addition, the tiger rips off the bark of trees with the claws of its front paws; such scratches can be found at a height of 2-2.5 meters above the ground. By the height of these marks one can judge the size of the animal that left them.

An adult Amur tiger guards the boundaries of its territory from aliens, but showdowns, as a rule, occur without fights and are limited to roars and other demonstrations of power. Adults are quite tolerant of settling young tigers. Males and females whose areas overlap do not show antagonism towards each other and maintain long-term attachments.

Reproduction

Reproduction of Amur tigers, as a rule, is not confined to any season, however, in the Ussuri Territory, the rut most often takes place in January - March. Tigers are polygamous: in the domain of one male, from one to three females can live, with each of whom he alternately enters into mating relations. If competitors appear on the site, fights may occur between rivals.

Pregnancy lasts 95-112 days, and from April to July, tiger cubs appear in the female’s den. A litter usually contains 2-4 cubs, which are born completely helpless, but already striped, and each weigh a little more than a kilogram. After giving birth, the female does not leave the kittens for about a week, leaving only to drink water. Males do not take part in caring for the offspring. Tiger cubs develop quickly: after 4-5 days their ears open, after 8-10 days their eyes open, and after two weeks their milk teeth begin to emerge. At the age of one month, the cubs begin to leave the den and become accustomed to the meat that the mother brings. Until 3-4 months, the tigress only occasionally leaves the kittens for a few hours, and after a successful hunt, she leads them to the place where the prey lies. A little later, the cubs begin to walk with their mother, learning to search for prey and hunting methods. The cubs stay with the tigress for at least 1.5-2 years, and when the mother finally leaves them, they live in a group on her property for several months. Due to insufficient hunting skills, young animals often go hungry and therefore follow the tigress’s tracks, feeding on the remains of her prey. Tigers become sexually mature by the age of 3-4 years, but only half of the cubs born survive to this age.

Lifespan

In captivity, Amur tigers live up to 25 years; in nature, their lifespan is obviously shorter.

Scientific classification