The largest living cat in the world, the Siberian tiger posses both grace and beauty. Although it spends a lot of time hunting, its reputation as a vicious killer is undeserved. The Siberian tiger is way bigger than its relative the Bengal tiger, which has a darker coat. The Siberian tiger’s winter coat lacks the red stripes of tigers from warmer climates, but its white coat helps camouflage it in its snowy habitat Because it has to withstand temperatures as low as -50o F, the Siberian tiger grows a longer and thicker coat than other tigers. It also develops a layer of fat on its flanks and belly that helps insulate him.
The Siberian tiger occupies a very large territory. Ranges of 4,000 square miles have been recorded. The tiger may occupy the same territory for many years if food sources are stable within the area. If prey is scarce, it often migrates hundreds of miles. Both males and females mark the boundaries of their ranges with urine and scratch marks on trees. But only the male defends its territory against other males, concentrating on the most important areas, such as a boundary close to a female’s territory or an area rich in food. The male tiger is solitary, shunning other males. He allows tigers of either sex to pass through his range but is more tolerant of females. The female is sometimes accompanied by her young.
Tigers mate at any time during the year. A female shows that she is ready to mate be leaving urine deposits and scratch marks on trees. In Siberia, where the tiger’s range is vast, she may go in search of a male. The female is receptive for only three to seven days. During this time a pair will mate many times, after which the male laves to mate with another female. After the gestation period of three to three and a half months, three or four cubs are born in a sheltered den. They are nursed by their mother which rarely leaves them. At about two weeks old their eyes open and their first teeth begin to grow. At three months the cubs start to leave the den, and the mother brings them meat to eat. They continue to take her milk until they are five to six months old. At this stage they may begin to accompany her on hunting trips. The cubs are less than a year old when they start to hunt for themselves. At two years old they can kill large prey, but they will not leave their mother until they are three to five years old. They then start to look for their own territories and mates.
The Siberian tiger spends a lot of time hunting, since it is only successful 1 in 10 times. It preys mainly on deer and wild pig, but also eats fish. The tiger creeps within 30 to 80 feet of its victim, them pounces and grabs the prey by the nape of the neck with its back feet still on the ground. This nape bite kills small prey, but larger prey is brought to the ground before being killed by a suffocating bite to the throat. If the tiger misses its prey on the pounce, it may chase it for up to 650 feet but rarely catches it. When it does kill its prey, it drags it to cover, usually near water. It then eats its fill, covers up the remains, and goes to sleep. Later, it eats the rest of the carcass.
Siberian tigers are capable of dragging prey that would take more than a dozen men to move. One Siberian tiger traveled 620 miles in 22 days in search of food. The Siberian tiger needs to eat over 20 pounds of meat a day to sustain itself in the cold climate. It is capable of eating over 100 pounds of meat in one sitting. The heaviest Siberian tiger on record weighed almost 850 pounds. It’s relative, the Bengal tiger lives in India and is much smaller, with a darker coat.
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