COOL CATS!
This is a page devoted to our feline friends, specifically the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) . They are in need of our help before they become extinct.
There is a tiger killed every 18 hours in India.
General Information:
Size:
Head to Tail Length- 9-13'
Shoulder Height- 3'
Weight- Males: maximum 500 lbs.; Females 220-370 lbs.
*The Siberian tigers are the world's largest cat.
Characteristics:
Adaptations/Coloration- 2 sides striping unalike
Claws- long; retractable; don't hinder running
Feet- heavily haired (aids silent stalking)
Forefeet- 5 digits; Hindfeet- 4 digits
Fur- relatively long & thick
Hair- longer on a male's cheeks
Vocalization- roars
Behavior:
Feeding- drags kill to hiding place; rests intermittently until carcass is devoured; finishes with great amount water
Hunting- nothing they can't overpower; depends on sight & hearing more than smell; stalks slow & silent until close enough for final spring; male solitary (except when courting); mom stays with young
Swims- contrary to the popular belief that cats hate water, the Siberian tiger swims well and loves the water
Territory- large; 30 sq. mi.
Reproduction/life span:
Life span- captivity maximum 15 yrs
Sexual Maturity- 3-4 yrs
Breeding- late Jan-Apr
Birth Interval- 2-4 yrs
Gestation- 92-113 days
Cubs- 2-4 in a litter; 3-4 lbs. each; will kill independently 7 mos.
Diet:
Tigers are a carnivore-
Wild- boar, deer, elk, fish, hare, & livestock
Zoo- Carnivore Diet, bones, enrichment treats, & vitamins
Habitat/range:
Rocky mountain woodlands; SE Russia, N. Korea, Manchuria (cold forested areas), & Siberia; 3 reserves in Russia
Status:
US Endangered
About these wonderful tigers and their plight:
I looked around and found this report from the Tiger Information Center, which I think fully and better describes their precarious situation than I could say with my own words:
Wild Tigers: Russia
In this century, the Siberian tiger (sometimes called the Amur, Manchurian, or Northeast China tiger), has survived four wars, two revolutions, and now an onslaught on its forests. Its IUCN status is considered Critical, its numbers in the wild fluctuating from a low of 24 tigers in the 1940s to IUCN estimates of about 150 to 200 in 1994. Recent conservation efforts have paid off, and as of 1997 there were estimated to be between 437-506 wild Siberian tigers. There are three protected areas for tigers in Russia-the Sikhote-Alin (3,470 km2), Lazovsky (1,165 km2), and Kedrovaya Pad (178 km2) Reserves-inland from the Sea of Japan in the Russian Far East.
Wild Tigers: China
Sightings of Siberian tigers in Changbaishan, near the