Siberian Tiger or Amur Tiger - Panthera tigris altaicia

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Siberian Tiger or Amur Tiger - Panthera tigris altaicia

Siberian Tiger or Amur Tiger

Tigers are magnificent animals! They inspire awe with their regal grace and beauty. It is with their sheer size and power, they command our respect. Tigers are among the top predators on earth. The Siberian Tiger is the largest of all living cats in the world today. Adult males have been recorded reaching over 1,000 lbs! The average male weighs 650 lbs. Female Siberian Tigers are considerably smaller with an average weight of 350 lbs. Siberian Tigers are heavy, bulky cats and may reach extreme lengths with some head to tail measurements recorded at over 10 1/2 feet in length. Altaicia has an orange coat which is paler than that of the other four living subspecies. They sport widely spaced brown stripes versus the narrowly spaced darker black stripes found on the other subspecies. Tigers happen to be the only cat with striped fur. Tiger stripes are unique just like fingerprints with no two tigers having the same pattern of stripe. The Siberian Tiger has a white belly and chest with a dense ruff of white fur around its neck.

Siberian Tigers are indigenous to Asia and once ranged throughout eastern Russia and Korea into China and Southeast Asia reaching as far as India and Pakistan. The lived in the forested temperate climate of these countries as well as the harsh tundra at the northeastern part of the Asian continent. Separate populations extended around the Caspian Sea and on the Indonesian Islands of Bali, Java and Sumatra. Unfortunately, the Bali, Javan and Caspian tigers have been declared extinct. Only five tiger subspecies are still living today.

Golden Siberian Tiger
(See Color Variation Page)
Golden Siberian Tiger

In the wild, this cat primarily hunts wild boar and elk. Due to the fact that their prey lives in varying and scattered densities, the Siberian Tiger requires large territories with adult males patrolling and defending territory up to 400 square miles. Females tend to inhabit smaller territories. As of now, wild populations are estimated around 350 to 410 animals. However, another 490 individuals are managed in various conservation programs like the SSP (Species Survival Plan® Program). The TigerHomes Sanctuary has Siberian Tigers, White Tigers and the extremely rare Golden Tigers. The tigers are not separate subspecies, but genetic color mutations and are among the world's most beautiful and magnificent animals. The main purpose of our educational mission is to teach about the importance of protecting these extremely rare and most critically endangered species of mammals on our planet today.

Scientific Name: Panthera tigris altaicia
Range: Humid forests and grasslands of China, North Korea and the Central Asiatic areas of Russia in very limited isolated areas where they have sufficient natural habitat to support their territory range and prey.
Average Weight:
   Female: 120 -180kg (325 - 375 pounds)
   Male: 150 -250kg (700-1,000 pounds)
Size (Length):
   Female: 1.4-1.75m (4'-6"-5'-9")
   Male: 1.7- 2.5m (8'7" 10'9")
Diet: All tigers are carnivorous. Siberian Tiger prey consists of ungulates (large and small hooved animals) such as antelope, deer, elk, wild boar and wild pigs. The nature of the Tiger's hunting method and prey availability results in a "feast or famine" feeding style . Tigers gorge themselves often consuming 40-60 lbs of meat at one time as they may not be successful hunting again for several days.
Gestation Period: 100-119 Days (Averaging 103 Days)
Cub Maturity: 18 months - 2 Years
Cubs Per Litter: (Usually 2-3 cubs) Cubs are born blind and weigh 2-3 pounds. 18-26 month intervals.
Lifespan: 14-18 Years
Predators: Man. Particularly in the remaining Tiger subspecies, by poaching the tiger in the Asian marketplace in spite of its protected status for Endangered Species. Tigers are illegally poached for their beautiful fur and body parts. Tigers are revered to have mystical, magical powers by ancient culture and every single part of the tiger is used in the illicit markets that threaten their survival
Social Structure: Solitary, except during mating season. Male territory may sometimes overlap.
Territory Size: 644km (400miles )
Population: (Wild): 350-410
   Captive Bred (SSP): 500-700 living in Zoos today. (Unfortunately, more exist in captivity than in the wild. However, this does show us the extreme value of captive breeding programs to try to preserve this subspecies from becoming extinct.
Conservation Status: CITES Appendix 1. (All wildcats are listed on CITES Appendix I or II). Also, the Siberian Tiger is a candidate for the Species Survival Plan® Program (SSP) with over 490 animals in captive breeding programs throughout the world.

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