The tiger is the most graceful and graceful animal in the cat family. For many people, at the sight of this amazing animal, the question arises: “What is the largest tiger in the world?”.
The largest species of tigers
This animal has an extremely intimidating size, which may vary depending on its subspecies. It is unequivocally impossible to answer the question of which tiger is the largest in the world. After all, there are several varieties, the dimensions of which leave a strong impression.
To date, it is believed that the largest tigers in the world belong to two subspecies. True, their rivals in size have recently appeared. These are the so-called ligers, which occurred in the process of crossing the two largest representatives of the cat.
Among the subspecies created by nature, the largest tigers in the world are Bengal and Amur. They almost do not differ in size and weight. Although it is worth noting that the largest tiger in the world was killed in 1967 in Northern India. This was officially recognized as the highest rate in nature, because the weight of the killed male reached 388.7 kg!
Bengal tiger
Representatives of this subspecies can be found in Pakistan, Northern and Central India, Eastern Iran, Bangladesh, Manyama, Bhutan, Nepal and in the vicinity adjacent to the mouths of the rivers Ganges, Sutlij, Ravi, Indus. This is not only the largest tiger in the world, but also the most numerous subspecies living today. There are a little less than 2.5 thousand of them.
The average weight of a male Bengal tiger varies by location. The highest results in the modern world are observed in Nepal. On average, the male pulls 235 kg there. But it was there that the "record holder" was seen - the largest tiger in the world, whose weight reached 320 kg.
Amur tiger
This subspecies has many other names: Ussuri, Far Eastern, Manchu or Siberian. As already mentioned, it is believed that this is the largest tiger in the world.
The dimensions of this representative of the cat family are very impressive. For example, if he stands on his hind legs, then his height will be up to 3.5-4 m! The weight of such individuals may vary. So, the stable weight of the Amur tiger is 250 kg. But among them there are outstanding individuals.
The Siberian tiger is somewhat different in appearance from its counterparts living in warm countries. He has a less bright red color, and his coat is very thick. In addition, there is a layer of fat on his belly, which allows him to feel comfortable in freezing winters.
TigerFar Eastern, living in captivity, can live for more than 25 years. At large, his age rarely exceeds 15.
Caring for the conservation of a vanishing subspecies
There are very few Amur tigers left in nature. There are several reasons for this. Among them:
- active destruction of animals by people who hunt them for their fur;
- the extinction of the Amur tigers from the plague, which affects carnivores;
- cutting down the taiga, where tigers can live in freedom and breed;
- decrease in the number of ungulates, which are the staple food of these predators;
- identical DNA in surviving individuals, resulting in weak and often non-viable offspring.
Today this situation is under control. Now reserves and zoos are actively breeding these graceful animals, and their name has been listed in the Red Book of Russia. At last count, there are no more than 500 Amur tigers left.
Liger
As noted earlier, in nature there are hybrids obtained by crossing individuals of different species. Such a measure was taken by zoo owners in order to impress visitors, increasing their numbers and profits. But these attempts were not always crowned with success, and the percentage of success was only 1-2. Crossbreeding lions with tigresses has resulted in quite interesting and large hybrids.
The male liger is much larger than even the Bengal and Amur tigers. Its weight can reach 400 kg even whenthe individual is not obese at all. The growth of a male standing on its hind legs is about 4 m.
In appearance, ligers resemble cave lions, which became extinct about 10 thousand years ago. Such large dimensions are due to the DNA of their ancestors, because lions and tigresses, when mating, activate the gene that is responsible for growth.
The most important feature of lion-tigress hybrids is that their females have the ability to bear children. So, there are two more species - liligers and taligers. The first is derived from the mating of a female liger and a male lion, and the second is derived from the mating of a female liger and a male tiger.
The breeding of such unusual large species is strongly discouraged by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums. After all, today we need to focus on saving endangered species of tigers, and not try our best to break the record for the largest tiger in the world.
