Mammals · Carnivora · Felidae

Amur Tiger

Panthera tigris altaica

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

The Siberian or Amur tiger is the largest cat in the world and the only tiger adapted to winters of thirty degrees below zero. Its winter coat is longer, denser and paler than that of tropical tigers, and it builds up a layer of subcutaneous fat on the belly and flanks. It hunts wild boar and deer over enormous territories, since prey is scarce in the taiga. By the middle of the twentieth century barely a few dozen individuals remained; strict protection in Russia has allowed a slow but steady recovery.

Weight

100 kg – 306 kg

Size

2 m – 3.3 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

Estimated population

Some 500-600 individuals in the wild

Temperate forestMountainCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Feline Temperate forest Mountain Mammal

6countries 3parks39same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe largest cat in the world: the males top 300 kg and endure -40°C.
Its territory can exceed a thousand square kilometres, the largest of any tiger, simply because the boreal forest holds far less prey per hectare than a rainforest.
It is the largest cat to have existed in historical times: large males exceed 300 kilos, more than any lion.