The Siberian tiger is the second largest tiger species on Earth. It is mainly found in Eastern Russia. It is a predator that hunts various animal species. The top of its body is orange-yellow in color. Its thick coat allows it to survive in the snow. Researchers have found that the Siberian tiger has a huge territory. What kinds of things does this predator hunt? Where is the Siberian tiger found and how big can these predators grow?
The Siberian tiger
- Denomination
- Appearance
- Living environment
- Reproduction
Denomination
The scientific name for this mammal is ‘Panthera tigris altaica’. They are also called ‘amur tigers’, ‘Korean tigers’ or ‘North China tigers’. Despite these different names, they are genetically identical.
Appearance
Dimensions
The Siberian tiger can grow to about 3.25 meters in length. It can weigh up to about 300 pounds. The females weigh less on average than the males and can weigh about 180 pounds. The Siberian tiger is the second largest feline in the world after the Bengal tiger. Despite this, it is very flexible which makes it an excellent hunter. It has a large skull that looks almost like a lion’s skull.
Coat
The Siberian tiger has a thick striped coat that camouflages it. It has fewer stripes than other tiger species because there are relatively few trees in its habitat. Its camouflage can give it the advantage of being able to surprise its prey in the area in which it lives. The top of its body is orange-yellow in color while the belly, chest, insides of its limbs and neck are always white. The thickness of his coat allows him to keep his body temperature constant. They have more hair than, for example, the Bengal tiger.
Tail
This predator has a long tail that it uses to balance itself. Its tail can reach a length of nearly three feet. Male specimens have a tail that is, on average, a few inches longer than a female’s tail.
Claws
Its long curved claws make it easy to grab its prey. This allows him to make marks on tree bark. They do this to mark their territory. In addition, he sometimes climbs trees where his sharp claws come in handy.
Teeth
Its fangs can reach a length of up to 9 inches. He uses these to kill his prey and to tear off meat. He uses his so-called ‘cutting teeth’ to cut the meat into smaller pieces. These clippers are located near the corners of his mouth. Its front teeth are considerably smaller than, say, its canines. He only uses these to scrape the meat off bones and are too small to tear up larger pieces of meat.
Living environment
This predator is mainly found in the east of Russia, in addition, it also occurs in China. Thanks to its sturdy fur and thick layer of fat, this predator has the ability to survive in the snow. It occurs in both wooded and mountainous areas and prefers places with a lot of vegetation. Because it lives in areas with extreme weather conditions, it has the advantage of being very sparsely populated here. In addition, the ecosystem in these areas is more intact than in densely populated areas on Earth.
Endangered species
Despite these various advantages, it is an endangered species. This is because his habitat is shrinking and hunted.
Hunt
The Siberian tiger has a wide range compared to other tiger species. This has to do with the small amount of prey that live in the environment. This forced him to use a larger hunting area. The tiger is a carnivore and hunts, among other things, musk animals, Manchurian elk, salmon, elk and hares. To do this he sometimes travels 1,000 kilometers during the hunt. It stalks its prey for an extended period of time and then strikes when it is close enough.
Individualistic predator
He hunts alone and marks his area by urinating on trees and stones. These predators usually avoid contact with humans. People are more likely to encounter tigers that have difficulty hunting (for example, because they are injured or ill). This can lead to very dangerous situations.
Reproduction
The females show that they are ready to mate in two ways. They do this by scratching against tree trunks and by leaving behind urine traces. Females can be pregnant for 3 to 4 months. The offspring are born blind and only after 2 weeks have the ability to observe the environment with their eyes. Around the same time, their teeth start to show. After a year, the offspring is only big enough to hunt completely independently. The youngsters stay with their mother for a total of 3 to 5 years.