The official name of this beautiful animal is the Amur tiger, but it is also called the Ussuri and the Far East. It is the largest and northernmost predator species in the world. Its habitats are the banks of the Amur and Ussuri rivers.
How many Amur tigers are left in the world, which are the only ones that 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 the lion, which forms families (prides) and lives on collective hunts, the tiger is a pronounced loner, and therefore it requires the highest skill to hunt.
Before we find out how many Amur tigers are left in the world, we will present 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 existing males weighing about 390 kg, but today there are no such large individuals in nature. Body length - ranging from 160 to290 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 able to drag a horse carcass along the ground for 500 meters, and can also develop speeds in the snow up to 80 kilometers per hour, second only to a cheetah.
This subspecies of tiger is the only one with a 5 cm thick layer of fat on its belly, protecting it from cold winds and very low temperatures. The flexible body of the tiger is elongated, the paws are short, the tail is long, the head is rounded with very short ears.
Tiger is known to be able to 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. Winter coloration is orange with a white belly.
Habitats
Today, the Amur tiger is relatively rare. The Red Book contains it in its list. Its distribution area is concentrated in the southeast of Russia in a state-protected zone. These, as noted above, are the banks of the Ussuri and Amur, belonging to the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories.
They are more common in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin ridge in Primorsky Krai (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).
Whythere is a question about the number of tigers?
How many Amur tigers are left in the world? This question arises due to 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 thanks 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 has led to this state of affairs, as well as deforestation suitable for the existence of this wild animal. Among other things, for one male for a "calm" existence, about 100 square meters are needed. km of taiga. People, cutting down cedar forests for their needs, deprive wild boars of important food, which serve as the basis of the diet of tigers.
How many Amur tigers are left in the world?
Today, according to the World Wildlife Fund, the number of Ussuri tigers is more than 500.
The dynamics of changes in the number of this subspecies of tigers, starting from the very beginning of the 21st century, is presented as follows. In 2005, the number of predators in the south of the Far East was approximately 423-502 individuals (adults - 334-417, babies - 97-112). In the spring of 2013, this value was 450, and according to the data of 2015 - 523-540 individuals. It should be noted that this is not a lot and not a little. This is the number of predators that can accommodate areas of the taiga that have not been cut down today.
In conclusion
The protection of the Amur tiger in Russia is carried out at the proper level. There are evenlong-term plans to resettle it within its former habitat - to return it to the places where it once lived and was subsequently mercilessly exterminated. Thanks to such activities, their number can reach 750 individuals, but this is possible only through intensive work to increase the number of ungulates.
