Siberian Tiger Habitat

Tiger, tiger burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye.
Could frame thy fearful symmetry? ~ William Blake

You may call them Amur or Manchurian or Altaic or Korean or North China or Ussuri, the Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of the tiger and they are almost on the verge of extinction. They had once ranged across the Western and Central Asia and eastern Russia. But now, due to deforestation, poaching and other harmful activities carried out by man, these animals are confined to a small region in eastern Siberia, were they are being protected from being extinct. Animal lovers across the world, have joined hands to protect these beautiful animals from species extinction. Even you can help them to survive, and for that you need have enough knowledge about these animals.

Habitat

If you are out looking for a Siberian tiger, you would be in the southeast of the Trans-Caucasus. Here, they are mostly confined in the forested area of the Talysh lowlands, mainly in the areas where streams and the reeds thickets along the marine lagoons. In countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, you will find this animal mainly revolves around the rivers and lake basins, areas with thick growth of reeds, plume grass or maybe in the tugai forests which consist of poplar, oleaster and the willow trees. In the fir and juniper forests of Kirgiz, Trans-Illi and Dzhunarsk Altau, which are located at a height of 2,500- 3,000 meters above the sea level, some were captured in the past.

Areas with abundance of wild boar and Bactrian deer and where there are thick forests, low snow covers and enough water supplies, in those areas you will find the western Siberian tigers. Having been displaced from the lower areas, these tigers in the Far East are mostly confined to the low mountains, mainly around the areas near the river valleys and pads which are overgrown with Pine and Oak, or mountains thick with deciduous shrubs or in areas where you find oak or nut -tree groves. These tigers are mainly attracted to rocky and forested areas highly populated with wild boar, wapiti and moose. They usually avoid areas covered with thick snow.

95% of these tigers are found in Russia. It is also said that northern China also has some, but there had been very little evidence of their existence. In March 2010, however there were some good news for China, when a cub was found trapped in a woodpile. It was the first to be spotted in China after nearly 60 years. Unfortunately, the female tiger cub could not be saved. But, this was proof that China had these tigers and now it could also be included in the list. Strange facts are that unlike the lions, they usually like to live alone as a single tiger can sneak up and surprise its prey better than a group of tigers.

The snowy spruce forests of Eastern Russia, is a famous habitat for the white Siberian tigers. You will also find them in the zoos, in the swampy areas and in the thick forest regions. The white Siberian tigers, are almost on the verge of extinction. Right now there are just 50 such tigers in China.

Adaptations

These tigers are the largest among the entire cat family. Their grace and strength, makes them excellent hunters. Their hunting grounds usually stretches for about 1600 sq feet and like dogs and other animals, they mark their territory by urinating there or scratching a tree. No two scratch marks are similar. The tigers are found mainly in the cold and mountainous areas. Hence to survive the long winters, they have an extra layer of fats on their bodies which acts as an insulator from the cold. They also have a thick coat and more fur on their paws. This protects them while they are walking o the snow covered grounds. Their soft and broad pads on their feet, allows them to silently stalk their prey. Even their tongue has a rough surface which helps them to clean up the flesh from the bones of their prey and also to lap water and clean themselves. They also have excellent night visions so they can hunt easily at night.

Diet

As they are the largest cat in the entire cat family, they have the reputations of being "Vicious Killers". But in reality that is not the case. The diet mainly consists of deer, wild boars and maybe sometimes fish. A fully grown Siberian tiger needs at least 20 lbs of meat every day, in order to survive in the cold and harsh climate. Some of these tigers can eat up to 100 lbs of meat at one single meal. After this, they will go without food for days. Some think that humans are also a part of the diet. But that's not the case. Tigers are usually not man-eaters. They only attack men when it comes to self defense, or when the mother tiger is nursing her cubs or when the male tigers are searching for a female to mate. Also, due to old age, the tigers are no longer able to run after their animal preys. That's when they start attacking humans, as humans cannot outrun the tigers. Otherwise, their diet only consists of deer, boars, rabbits, etc.

Well, now you have enough information about the habitat, their diet, their adaptations, etc. you probably have realized how important it is for us to protect and save this cat from becoming extinct. So, do whatever is humanly possible for you to protect and save tigers from extinction. Save the Siberian tigers.