Siberian tiger facts for kids
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| A male Siberian tiger in Leipzig Zoo | |
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P. tigris altaica
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| Map of where the Siberian tiger lives (In red) | |
The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the "Amur Tiger", is the biggest big cat in the world. These amazing animals live in the birch forests of eastern Russia. You can also find some in China and North Korea. Experts believe there are only about 400 to 500 Siberian tigers left in the wild.
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About Siberian Tigers
Siberian tigers are the largest of all tigers. They are also the biggest of all the big cats. They can grow to be 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) long. Some can even reach 11 feet (3.3 meters)! They usually weigh between 300 and 600 pounds. Some can weigh 700 pounds or more.
To stay warm in winter, Siberian tigers have thicker fur coats. Their fur is thicker than tigers living in warmer parts of Asia. They also have a thick layer of fat under their skin. This fat helps keep them warm too. Like other tigers, Siberian tigers have orange fur with black stripes. They have extra fur around their necks and paws to help them stay warm. Siberian tigers have less orange color in their coats and fewer stripes than other tigers.
Where Siberian Tigers Live
Siberian tigers live in northeast China, the Russian Far East, and parts of North Korea. This area is often called the "Amur Region." It is named after the Amur river. This region has many mountains and coniferous forests. In the summer, the weather is mild to hot. In winter, it can get very cold, especially high up in the mountains.
Siberian Tiger Behavior
Like other tigers, the Siberian tiger prefers to live alone. Each Siberian tiger has its own large area of land, called a territory. Male tigers' territories often overlap with several female territories. However, they usually do not overlap with other male territories. Within their territory, Siberian tigers often have a den in a cave or another hidden spot.
What Siberian Tigers Eat
Siberian tigers live in very cold places. Because of this, an adult tiger needs to eat at least 9 kilograms (about 20 pounds) of food every day. Some adults can eat as much as 50 kilograms (about 110 pounds) of meat in one meal!
Siberian tigers mainly hunt large animals. These include wild boar, elk, and deer. They also eat smaller animals like lynx and even bears. If a tiger cannot find larger prey, it will eat fish, rodents, and rabbits. Normally, about half of a tiger's diet is wild boar.
How Siberian Tigers Hunt
When hunting, a Siberian tiger can run faster than 50 miles per hour. But running this fast uses a lot of energy. So, Siberian tigers only run for short distances. They have excellent night vision and prefer to hunt at night. This helps them surprise their prey more easily. They also have amazing hearing and a great sense of smell. They use these senses to find and attack their prey.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Siberian tigers live alone. They only come together during mating season. The mating season usually starts in December and lasts through January. Female tigers are pregnant for about three to three and a half months. They give birth to their cubs in early spring.
Females usually have 3 to 4 cubs at a time. When a Siberian tiger cub is born, it cannot see and has no teeth. It is no bigger than a regular house cat. The cubs stay blind for about two weeks. The mother starts teaching her cubs how to hunt when they are about 1 year old. The cubs then stay with their mother until they are 3 to 5 years old.
Siberian tigers usually live for 16 to 18 years. Tigers in the wild often live for 10 to 15 years. In zoos, they can live up to 25 years.
Images for kids
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Captive Siberian tiger
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A tiger family depicted in a Korean scroll from the late 18th century.
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A Siberian tigress with a cub at Buffalo Zoo
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A diorama from the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano showing a sika deer chased by a Siberian tiger
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Taxidermy exhibit portraying a Siberian tiger fighting a brown bear, Vladivostok Museum
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Tiger cubs caught alive by Russian hunters in Primorye, 1952/53.
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A tiger at the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction Center for Amur (Siberian) Tigers in the village of Alekseevka, Primorsky Krai, Russia
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Siberian tigress with cub in captivity
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Siberian Tiger at Lincoln Park Zoo
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A "Beware of Tigers" sign In Russian
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A Siberian tiger in the heraldic arms of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in Russia.
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See also
In Spanish: Tigre siberiano para niños
