The official name of this beautiful animal is the Amur tiger, but it is called both the Ussuri and the Far East. This is the largest and most northern predator species in the world. Its habitats are the banks of the Amur and Ussuri rivers.
How many Amur tigers remain in the world, the only ones who have mastered life in the snow?
general information
Without much exaggeration, we can say that this predator is the most perfect among all existing on planet Earth. Compared to a lion forming families (prides) and living thanks to collective hunting, the tiger is a pronounced loner, and therefore it requires the highest skill for hunting.
Before we find out how many Amur tigers remain in the world, we will provide a description of this predator and its habitat.
Description
This is the largest predator on the planet, it belongs to rare species of animals. The weight of an adult tiger is 300 kilograms. There is some information about the existing males weighing about 390 kg, but today there are no such large individuals in nature. Body length - in the range from 160 to 290 centimeters, tail length - 110 centimeters.
The Ussuri tiger is an adornment of the taiga of the Far East and an object of worship for many peoples of this territory. Possessing powerful physical strength, the beast is capable of dragging a horse’s carcass on the ground for 500 meters, and can also develop speed in the snow up to 80 kilometers per hour, second only to the cheetah.
This subspecies of tigers is the only one that has a 5-centimeter fat layer on its belly that protects it from the cold wind and very low temperatures. The flexible body of the tiger is elongated, the legs are short, the tail is long, the head is rounded with very short ears.
It is known that a tiger can distinguish colors. At night, he sees much better than a person. The coat of this subspecies of tigers is thicker than that of relatives living in warm regions, and the color is lighter. The color in the winter is orange with a white belly.
Habitat
Today, the Amur tiger is relatively rare. The Red Book contains it on its list. The area of its distribution is concentrated in the south-east of Russia in the state-protected zone. This, as noted above, the shores of Ussuri and Amur, related to the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories.
They are more common in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin ridge of the Primorsky Territory (Lazovsky District), where every sixth wild Amur tiger lives on a not very large territory (according to statistics for 2003). Today there are some plans to resettle animals in Yakutia (the territory of the Pleistocene Park).
Why does the question of tiger numbers arise?
How many Amur tigers remain in the world? This question arises in connection with the fact that in the 20th century this species of predators almost disappeared. For example, in the 30s of the last century, their number was only about 30 individuals. Only due to the inclusion of this animal in the Red Book and the implementation of protective measures, this population has survived, and only in Russia.
Poaching, as well as deforestation suitable for the existence of this wild animal, led to this state of things. Among other things, about 100 square meters are needed per male for a “quiet” existence. km of taiga. People, cutting down cedar forests for their needs, deprive of important food wild boars, which serve as the basis of the diet of tigers.
How many Amur tigers remain in the world?
Today, according to the World Wildlife Fund, the number of individuals of the Ussuri tiger is more than 500.
The dynamics of changes in the number of this subspecies of tigers, starting from the very beginning of the XXI century, is as follows. In 2005, the number of predators in the south of the Far East was approximately 423-502 individuals (adult individuals - 334-417, babies - 97-112). In the spring of 2013, this value was 450, and according to 2015 data, 523-540 individuals. It should be noted that this is not a lot and not a little. That is how many predators can accommodate the areas of the taiga that have not been cut down for today.
