Amur (Ussuri) tiger photo. Amur tiger Reproduction and lifespan

Only once looking at him, it is impossible not to admire this powerful, beautiful and graceful animal. The Amur tiger is the largest feline. It is also often called Far Eastern or Ussuri. This is explained by the fact that its habitat in our area is Primorsky Krai, southeast Russia, the Amur and Ussuri river basins. To find out more interesting things about this beast, you need to find out everything related to its external data and lifestyle.

Description of the tiger

The Amur tiger belongs to the class of mammals of the cat family, one of the four representatives of the panther genus.

With its size, this predator surpasses even a lion. A description of the Amur tiger is impossible without mentioning its weight and height. The weight of an adult animal reaches 200 kg, and in some cases it can vary within 250 kg. With such a mass, it has an equally impressive body length. The size of the Amur tiger is from 2.5 to 4 m, depending on sex and age. Its height at the withers varies from 100 to 110 cm.

Characteristics of external data

Despite the impressive external data, the movements of the tiger are silent and graceful. Quiet gait is ensured by soft and wide pads on the paws. Even making his way through the thick grass, the beast will go unnoticed. Also, thanks to them, the animal does not fall into the deep snowdrifts of the Ussuri taiga during the winter period.

The thick and fluffy fur of the Amur tiger is explained by the presence of a predator in a harsh climate. It is mostly red in color, with the exception of the belly, chest and neck - they are white. His entire body is decorated with black stripes. The most interesting part of the characteristics of the Amur tiger is that no two animals are the same in color. Each individual has its own unique stripe pattern. It is the black stripes that allow the beast to disguise itself in the wild.

Habitat

Most of the Amur tigers live within the far eastern south of Russia, northeast China, as well as in the southern and central parts of the Sikhote-Alin. The habitual habitat of these animals is extremely unusual. Animals do not like to live too high, so they settle in areas of low mountains. They prefer to be between ridges, near sweeping river valleys, as well as in forest areas where you can find oak and cedar. Luxurious, thick and warm wool allows you to adapt even to the conditions of a severe winter. But if it is too long and severe, tigers have to settle near populated areas in order to be able to feast on livestock.

Features of predators

Amur tigers do not live in packs, but singly. Each adult has its own habitat. One female can own a territory from 250 to 450 square meters. In males, it expands to a mark of 2000 square meters. Each animal must mark its perimeter. He does this by scratching trees, as well as releasing urine. Tigers avoid contact with humans. Therefore, during the hunt, they rarely go beyond their territory. Only in the event of an acute shortage of food and severe hunger, the beast begins to lose fear of humans and goes in search of food to nearby settlements. In such cases, the starving animal will eat everything that gets in its way: the fruits of plants, livestock, dogs and fish.

Amur tigers in Russia

Even 100 years ago, these animals completely inhabited the entire Far East. But over the years, cases of their shooting have become more frequent in this region of Russia. When the number of dead exceeded 150 individuals, the Amur tiger population began to decline. By the 30s of the last century, predators began to rapidly disappear from the territory of Russia. This contributed to the imposition of a ban on their hunting. This law was passed in 1947. Ten years later, the capture of Amur tiger cubs was banned. Graceful handsome men were on the verge of extinction. It was decided to list the Amur tigers in the Red Book. These measures contributed to the preservation of the population, and by the 80s their number increased by 200 individuals.

Tiger Conservation

The Amur tiger was considered an endangered species until 2007. In the Red Book of Russia, he was listed as an animal that is on the verge of extinction. However, in 2007, the leaders of the World Wildlife Fund said that the number of these predators has increased decently over the past 100 years. How many Amur tigers are left in Russia? According to official figures, about 500 individuals.

Members of the famous expedition called "Amur Tiger", who were engaged in observing predators in the wild, reported that about 6 tigers live in the Ussuriysky Reserve of Primorsky Krai. At the same time, the territory of the reserve does not exceed 400 square meters. For 6 adults, it is very small. Therefore, they called on the authorities to increase it, and also demanded to more thoroughly regulate the activities of people who live near the boundaries of the reserve.

What do tigers eat

The predator prefers to eat ungulates. Red deer, deer, wild boar, elk or roe deer often fall into its paws. If a tiger is starving for a long time, he will not disdain anything. Tree fruits, fish, frogs, birds and even mice will do as food. When placed in a successful habitat where a large number of ungulates live, a tiger can quickly gain excess weight. An adult male usually builds up subcutaneous fat, the thickness of which reaches 6 cm. Having gained enough fat, the animal can go without food for about a week. However, what the Amur tiger is like during starvation, it is better not to know anyone. On such days, he can eat everything that gets in his way.

How tigers hunt

Despite the fact that this predator has great strength and a well-developed sense of smell, only 1 out of 10 attacks on the victim ends in success for him. The rest of the animals quickly run off to heal their wounds. Tigers at the same time extremely rarely set off in pursuit of the victim, preferring to go in search of less nimble prey. This is what makes the predator spend most of the time not only on finding food, but also on skillfully catching it.

Amur tigers are very cautious. They sneak up on their prey very quietly, almost silently. The animal moves slowly on the ground, transferring the main part of its weight to the front limbs. At the same time, his back is arched, and the body is lowered as much as possible. When a tiger encounters small prey, he first of all gnaws her throat. Dealing with a large animal in this way will not work. Therefore, the predator first overwhelms him and only then bites his neck. The Ussuri tiger eats in the same way as all feline representatives - lying down. At the same time, he always holds the carcass of the animal with his front paws.

tiger breeding

Readiness for mating in females appears quite late, at about 3 years. After reaching this age, she can bear offspring and is quite ready for reproduction. These predators live alone. Therefore, they do not have one partner for a long period. The mating period takes about a week, then the male leaves his mate. He does not take part in the upbringing of the brood. The females have to take care of the cubs for several years.

Caring for offspring

Pregnancy in tigresses lasts from 95 to 115 days. Most often no more than 4 cubs are born. Babies are born completely blind and helpless. Only after 2 weeks do their eyes open and the first teeth begin to grow. Tiger cubs feed on mother's milk up to 6 months. In addition, from about 2 months they begin to taste meat. During the feeding period breast milk A tigress guards her offspring very carefully. She hides tiger cubs in hard-to-reach places, trying in every possible way to provide them with maximum protection from possible dangers, which are so numerous in the taiga and forests.

Tiger cubs grow rather slowly. An adult tigress teaches them to hunt and catch animals for food on their own. Little tiger cubs have a very kind and obedient disposition. That is why people have been training them from the very beginning. early age. After a few years, the babies reach sexual maturity, while being constantly with their mother. Only by reaching the age of 3-5 years the family breaks up, and the cubs begin a new independent life.

Amur predator and man

Everyone, without exception, is afraid of these wild animals. When looking at photos of Amur tigers, a feeling of fear and admiration appears at the same time. And not in vain, because these animals are considered one of the most dangerous predators planets. Ancient people decided to hunt them only in the most exceptional cases, since they rarely defeated such strong beast. In those days, wearing the skin of a tiger was an honor. Unfortunately, some people continue to hunt these beautiful animals. In Russia, only a fine is imposed for killing an Amur tiger. In China, such a crime is punishable by death.

The lifestyle of the Ussuri tigers

Some believe that this beast is a danger to humans. However, this opinion can be interpreted in different ways. The Amur tiger, by its nature, prefers to hunt ungulates: deer, roe deer, wild boars or gazelles. Man is not included in the list of possible prey. Although the tiger may well attack a person, because he is still a predator. But he will do this only in a hopeless situation.

For proper nutrition, the Ussuri predator needs to eat about 70 large ungulates a year. If the tiger is starving, he will use his hunting skills. Amur beauties easily find traces of lumberjacks, who often set traps for small game. They also skillfully prowl in the hunters' lodges.

Tigers rarely visit settlements. Although some people call these animals cannibals, predators very rarely attack people. This can only happen if the tiger is sick, injured, or trapped. Penetrating into the nearest village, he can eat one of the livestock, but on man will attack only in the rarest and most desperate cases.

Information about it amazing predator cannot be limited to dry data. The Amur tiger is too unique, majestic and beautiful animal. Therefore, it is worth listing a few of the most interesting facts about him:

• Even 100 years ago, hunters who lived in the valleys of the Ussuri rivers were afraid to even pronounce the name of this beast. The Amur tiger was worshiped, considering it a deity endowed with incredible power.
• Chinese for a long time were convinced that the bones and meat of tigers have a healing effect.
• These predators were listed in the Red Book, as their population is considered the smallest among all other subspecies.
• In many photos of Amur tigers you can see their very dangerous weapon- teeth. In adults, their length reaches 10-15 cm.
• Most often, tigers kill their prey by biting their throats, but sometimes they use strangulation. Having attacked the prey, the tiger may not immediately reach the main artery in the neck with its teeth. Therefore, he can hang on large prey, waiting until it bleeds out, but suffocates.
• The Amur tiger can jump over a distance of 6 meters, as well as make a jump up to 5 meters high.
• The Ussuri predator is able to accelerate up to 60 km/h.
• Tigers do not consider humans as their possible prey. There is no such instinct in their nature. They can attack a person only in defense if they are driven into a trap. Also, severe hunger, which tormented the animal for several days, can contribute to this.
• The favorite method of hunting for tigers is ambush. Therefore, when you see a predator in the savannah, you don’t have to worry - the animal is most likely resting.
• Aboriginal people living in India have interesting feature, which concerns the way of movement in the territory where the Amur tiger lives. They put a face mask on the back of their head. It is believed that by wearing a mask, one can avoid the attack of a tiger, since the animal loses the element of surprise necessary for it, because the victim “looks” at him all the time.
• Amur tigers love to swim. Unlike other members of the cat family, tigers enjoy swimming and splashing in the water. Little tiger cubs can play and frolic in the pond for a long time.
• The pattern on the forehead of the Amur tigers is very similar to the Chinese character for the king. That is why in China these predators are of particular value.
• The black stripes of the tiger adorn not only their coat, but also their skin. If you shave the beast, it will not lose its unique striping.
• Hunting for Amur tigers is prohibited worldwide.

The Amur tiger is the largest member of the cat family. This mighty predator lives on the territory of Russia in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, as well as in the northeastern regions of China. The total number of this subspecies in wild nature has a little over 500 individuals. About the same number of cats live in zoos around the world.

Once the living space of the beast was more extensive. It inhabited the lands south of the Caspian Sea and even met on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Lived in Central Asia, and in the east spread to Alaska. That is, this large striped cat reigned supreme in the eastern regions of Eurasia. In the western regions of the vast continent, the Asiatic lion held the palm. Man intervened in the established order of things and mercilessly destroyed both subspecies. Today, the Asian (Indian) lion drags out its existence in the Gir forest in northwestern India, and the Amur tiger lives only in Primorye.

Appearance

This subspecies exceeds the height of the Bengal tiger by 5-7 cm and reaches 112-120 cm at the withers. The body length of males ranges from 2.4 to 3.3 meters. Weight is 180-306 kg. Females reach a length of 2.4-2.7 meters, and weigh 120-170 kg. The tail of the Amur tiger grows up to a meter in length. The average weight of a male usually ranges from 200 kg, and the height at the withers is 110 cm. The beast is able to run at a speed of 50 km / h, and big booty he can drag a distance of 500 meters.

The coat of the beast is thick and coarse in summer. On the back, it reaches a length of 15-17 mm, 25-35 mm on the stomach and 14-16 mm on the tail. In winter, the fur becomes longer, softer and silkier. On the back, its length is 40-50 mm, on the chest 60-100 mm, and on the stomach 65-105 mm. The mustache of a predator reaches a length of 90-115 mm. In the lower part of the body there is a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. All this protects the big tabby cat from severe cold weather. The color of the coat in winter is less bright and red than in summer. The general red background is crossed by black stripes. The belly and chest are white.

Reproduction and lifespan

The Amur tiger lives, as a rule, alone. Only during the mating season, males form pairs with females. The latter are 3.5 times more than the representatives of the stronger sex. Therefore, the male, having fertilized one female, goes in search of another. Pregnancy lasts 3.5 months. From 2 to 4 cubs are born. They are born blind and completely helpless. Eyes open on day 10, teeth erupt on day 15. Upon reaching 2 months, the cubs begin to leave the den.

Milk feeding lasts six months. Then the babies begin to accompany the mother during the hunt. The female teaches them this difficult task for many months. In a year, a young Amur tiger is already able to hunt on its own. At two years old, the beast turns into a seasoned predator, which is able to overcome any prey. However, a striped cat leaves its parent only upon reaching puberty. It comes at the age of 4-5 years. Males go as far as possible and occupy vast territories. Females do not move far from their mother. They also form their own land plots and often visit their parent. Often you can see several females at once, who rest peacefully, lying next to each other. The Amur tiger lives in the wild for about 15-17 years. In general, the life expectancy of this beast is 35-40 years.

Behavior and nutrition

The mighty striped predator hunts deer and wild boars. They make up to 70% of his diet. The menu also includes spotted deer, elk, red deer, musk deer and Amur goral. The cat does not disdain hares, rabbits, pikas, and from fish it loves salmon very much. When ordinary food is scarce, the beast attacks bears. In times of famine, it approaches people's dwellings. Here, livestock and dogs become its prey. The Amur tiger is active at night. His eyes distinguish colors, and he sees in pitch darkness 5 times better than a person.

A striped cat is not a polar bear, which owns the entire Arctic. The mighty striped predator is the landowner. Each animal has its own huge territory. Its area can reach up to 500 square meters. km. Borders are marked with urine and scratches on trees. The domains of females often overlap with those of males. The male does not experience aggression towards the weaker sex. In a completely different way, he behaves in relation to the representatives of the stronger sex. Here, when borders are violated, conflicts cannot be avoided. The owner of the land by all appearance makes it clear that the newcomer is removed from his territory. Bloody skirmishes in such cases, as a rule, do not reach.

Enemies

In the wild, the Amur tiger has no enemies. Rather the predator itself is deadly threat for your colleagues. AT this case I mean wolves. Where there are many tigers, the gray wolf is almost never found. The striped cat ruthlessly destroys these canine representatives. Such antagonism is apparently explained by similar appetites. Wolves eat the same things as tigers and create competition for the latter. Therefore, the formidable striped beast expels gray colleagues from its possessions, while acting in the most ruthless ways.

But the Amur tiger cannot cope with a man. People drove the beast out of the vast valleys into the mountainous regions. It currently lives in dense spruce forests interspersed with rocky areas teeming with wild boar, deer and elk. The animal avoids areas with deep snow and heavy snowfalls, trying to live in more suitable places for hunting. There are several programs to increase the size of this population. Specialists want to transfer part of the animals to the north-east of Yakutia. It is also believed that this subspecies perfectly adapts to northern regions American continent. So far, these are only projects, and their implementation is a matter of the future.

The Amur tiger is one of the most unique representatives of cats, deserving special attention and respect from a person. Let's look and talk about the Amur tiger. Amur, he is also the Ussuri or Far Eastern tiger, also called the Siberian tiger. ( 16 photos)

The first thing I want to note is the fact that the Amur tiger is the only subspecies of the tiger that lives in cold climate zone where frosts sometimes reach -40 °C.

The Amur tiger lives in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, as well as several individuals live in China, since their habitat is concentrated directly on the border. In total, about 450 individuals have been recorded in the world in the wild, about the same number are kept in zoos and circuses.

Expensive skin and the prestige of hunting for the Amur tiger did their job. The Amur tiger has been listed in the Red Book as an endangered species since 2007. Fortunately, numerous methods for the conservation and protection of animals have helped to maintain the population and even slightly increase it.

The color of the Amur tiger is somewhat different from the usual color, for example. The Amur tiger is somewhat lighter and has a large white spot on the belly, covering the entire belly and the inside of the paws.

The weight of an adult male can reach 300 kg. This is one of the largest representatives of the cat. Body length about - 220 cm without tail. The paws are small, the body is elongated, the head is massive, the front paws and chest are large.

The Amur tiger is one of the few animals that can distinguish colors! Sees almost perfectly at night, better than during the day. Therefore, it leads a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle.

Tigers hunt wild boars, deer, roe deer and other ungulates, sometimes lynxes. Ussuri tigers are also good fishermen; during spawning they can eat fish. And if the year is completely hungry, then they do not disdain frogs, lizards, rodents.

Tigers lead an exceptionally solitary lifestyle. Only a mother raises her cubs for some time, teaches them to hunt and that's all. Cases of attacks on humans are extremely rare, one might even say that they are almost non-existent. Because if something like that happened, it was in the form of a bayak or funny stories. On the contrary, the Amur tiger tries in every possible way to avoid contact with humans. Humanity also knows many stories when a tiger helped and saved the life of a helpless person in the taiga.

The length of the body of males to the tip of the tail reaches 2.7-3.8 meters, in females it is less. Height at the withers up to 115 cm, weight 160-270 kg. The Amur tiger is capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h in the snow!

Among some peoples of the Far East, the Amur tiger is an object of worship. The Amur tiger is depicted on the emblem and flag of Primorsky Krai. And in China, the death penalty is imposed for the murder of this unique animal.

Proud and beautiful - the Amur tiger and his photographs.

The Amur tiger is the most large predator in the cat family, at the moment it is on the verge of extinction, and therefore is listed in the Red Book. The mammal is graceful and very beautiful. The weight of an adult individual can reach up to 300 kg, with a body length of up to 2.9 meters. The Amur tiger lives in Russian Far East. Lives in the Ussuri taiga. The animal has incredible strength. There are cases when a tiger dragged a large horse killed by him along the ground, 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 of orange color. At the same time, the belly of the tiger is always white. The beast is very fast and agile. He has a lightning-fast reaction, excellent jumping and can run at a speed of 80 km/h.

The animal is perfectly adapted to existence in extremely low temperatures. It is protected from hypothermia by a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. The animal has sharp color vision and is able to distinguish objects in complete darkness.

The Ussuri tiger is a kind of hallmark of Primorsky Krai. His image is present 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. AT recent times The Amur tiger can be found in some areas of China, which indicates 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 square kilometers). As a rule, the animal does not leave its possessions. This only happens when food is scarce. In this case, the tiger can approach human habitation and attack domestic animals. He hunts at night. Males prefer to live in complete solitude. Females live in small groups. Tigers communicate with sounds. Being in a good mood, they rub their bodies against each other, touch their heads.

The tiger spends a large amount of strength and energy on hunting. This is due to the fact that out of ten attempts to catch prey, only one is successful. The beast tracks down the victim and tries to get as close as possible to it, while remaining invisible. This is followed by a lightning 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 prey. He drags his prey to the reservoir, where he eats. The rest hides in a secluded place that guards.

The tiger feeds on large artiodactyls, which include spotted deer and red deer. Can hunt small animals, frogs, birds, mice. Sometimes he eats fruit. He eats up to 10 kg of meat per day. Does not attack a person. Lives for about 15 years.

The mating period is not tied to a specific season. This may happen at any time. Pregnancy in a female Amur tiger lasts 3.5 months, after which two to five 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 eat only 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 that, the cubs become independent and begin to live separately. The male takes no part at all in the upbringing and feeding of tiger cubs.

The Ussuri tiger has no enemies. Can only compete with him Brown bear. But such fights are very rare.

The Amur tiger is one of the most rare species predators. Back in the 19th century there were quite a lot of them. However, due to poachers in the 30s of the twentieth century, the species was on the verge of extinction. At that time in the territory Soviet Union only 50 left.

During the expedition of 2008-2009, a special expedition "Amur Tiger" took place. So, it was found that within the boundaries Ussuri Nature Reserve there were only 6 tigers.

Description of the species

The Amur tiger belongs to the class of mammals. In fact, it is one of the largest representatives of predators on the planet, because its mass can reach up to 300 kilograms. Moreover, according to some reports, during the period of their large population there were animals of this species that weighed almost 400 kg. It goes without saying that these are no longer to be found.

The physical capabilities of this type of predator are also impressive - a tiger can easily carry prey weighing half a ton on itself. The speed of movement can reach up to 80 km / h, and in this indicator it is second only to the cheetah.

It should also be noted appearance this animal. Like other predators of this class, it has a color in the form of a red background and white transverse stripes. It should be noted that in this case, this color also plays a camouflage role - in order to get prey, the tiger needs to get extremely close to it, and this color helps in this, since it simply merges with dry vegetation.

Tiger food

The predator eats only meat and most often this prey is enough large sizes. In general, the Amur tiger spends most of its time searching for prey. Wild boars, red deer, deer are the main diet of the predator. For proper nutrition, they need about 50 ungulates per year. However, if the animal lacks large prey, then it does not disdain small ones - livestock, badgers, hares, and so on. At one time, a tiger can eat about 30 kilograms of meat, but the average portion is 10 kilograms.

Lifestyle

No matter how formidable this animal is, nevertheless, the habits that are inherent in all cats cannot be taken away from it. The tiger prefers loneliness - he enters the pack, he also goes to prey alone. The Amur tiger leaves its territory only if it is necessary to catch large prey. Also on its territory, the predator leaves special marks:

• peels off the bark on trees;
• leaves scratches;
• splashes of urine on vegetation or stones.

The male defends his territory quite rigidly - uninvited guests the tiger is simply trying to destroy, but with representatives of its own species, the conflict is trying to be eliminated through a formidable roar. A fight for the Amur tiger is an extreme measure. Moreover, for several years he can live in complete silence.

Individuals breed twice a year. The tiger is by nature a polygamous animal, so it can keep several females on its territory at once. If another tiger claims them, then even a fight is possible.

Place of residence

This species of predator lives in the southeastern territory of Russia, the banks of the Amur River, in Manchuria and even in the territory of the DPRK. The largest number of tigers at this moment is in the area of ​​​​the Lazovsky district, which is in the Primorsky Territory.

A comfortable habitat for a tiger is a river highland with trees such as oak and cedar. An adult tiger can live on an area of ​​up to 2,000 square kilometers without any problems and with maximum comfort. The female can single-handedly inhabit areas up to 450 square kilometers.

Reasons for the disappearance

Of course, the main reason that the number of Amur tigers has practically vanished is their moderate extermination by poachers. Tigers were killed up to a hundred a year, just to get a skin.

However, scientists who studied this issue in detail found that the reason for the disappearance is not only mass shooting. The reasons for the disappearance could also be the following:

• critically insufficient number of food objects;
• intentional destruction of bushes and trees inhabited by Amur tigers.

It goes without saying that these two factors did not arise without human help.

What is happening with the Amur tigers now

Now this species of predators is listed in the Red Book as such, which is on the verge of extinction. Adults and calves are under strict protection in the territory protected areas. However, according to observations, it was found that the protected area may not be enough for them and they go beyond its limits, which is extremely dangerous.

Unfortunately, this is far from the only species of animals that have practically disappeared from the planet just because a person made his efforts. In this case, mass shooting because of the desire to cash in led to such extremely negative consequences.

Specialists in this field are making every effort to ensure that the population of the Amur tiger has increased. However, it is quite difficult for this predator to breed in captivity, so mass attempts do not always lead to success.