FACT FILE

The Amur or Siberian Tiger [ panthera tigris altaica ]. Our latest arrival at BWF.

The Siberian (or Amur) tiger lives mostly in eastern Russia. A few are found in northeastern China and northern North Korea.

Tigers live in thick forests or areas with tall grasses to hide in and plenty of prey to eat. They don't like the open grasslands lions live in. Most kinds of tigers live where it is warm but Siberian tigers live where it gets very cold.

 

Male tigers live alone and do not share their land or "territory" with other tigers. The size of a tiger's territory depends on how much prey there is to eat. For example, in some parts of India where there is plenty of prey, a male tiger only needs eight to sixty square miles . In Sumatra, where there is less prey, a male tiger may need as much as 150 square miles. And in Siberia, where there is little prey to be found, male tiger territories are as large as 400 square miles.

Diet

Tigers hunt by stalking (sneaking up) on their prey rather than running after it like lions or cheetahs. Tigers hunt alone. Hunting in a pack would be hard in thick forests and grasslands.

Their prey consists of a variety of different animals, such as deer, wildboar, birds, fish and humans.

You might think tigers hate water because they are cats. Not only do tigers drink water, but they sometimes like to take a cool bath in ponds or rivers. They are also good swimmers.

Reproduction

Mating is usually restricted to winter months. Gestation about 3.5 months, 3-4 cubs weighing about 2.2 pounds each are born blind. They follow the female after about 8 weeks, hunt independently by about 18 months, disperse at 2-2.5 years and mature at 3-4 years. The Tiger's life span about 15 years, longer in captivity.