Matthew+Volk+-+Siberian+Tiger

=Siberian Tiger=
 * Scientific Name:** //Panthera tigris altaica//

====**Natural Habitat and Location:** ==== The Siberian Tiger is native to Southeastern Russia and Northeastern China, having once spread as far west as Mongolia. Currently, they inhabit the far eastern edge of Asia, primarily in the birch forests that make up the region. The northern climate is harsher than most tigers have to deal with, which has its advantages and disadvantages. The harsh climate means that there are much less humans in the environment than other areas, which gives the tigers a much more stable ecosystem and far more land to roam - there is little human interaction with the land to shift the balance of nature. Additionally, Russia's timber industry isn't as prominent as that of other nations, so the forests aren't being harvested by many humans. The Siberian Tiger is currently restricted to the mountainous Sikhote-Alin range, in the Primorski and Khabarovski provinces of Eastern Russia. They are also possibly in North Korea and China, although in fewer numbers than the denser Russian population.

**Characteristics:**
Siberian Tigers are the largest cats in the world, and can be up to 13 feet in length and 700 pounds in weight at their prime, with male averages being around 10 feet in length and 500-600 pounds in weight. Females are considerably smaller, at around 200-300 pounds. Siberian Tigers typically have red-orange and white coats, with black or brown striations widely spaced out throughout their bodies. In winter, they tend to lose much of the coloring in their fur for better camouflage in the snowy landscape - some Siberian Tigers become almost completely black and white. Additionally, due to the cold temperatures, Siberian Tigers tend to have longer, thicker fur than most other tigers.


 * Diet and Hunting:** Being such a large animal, Siberian Tigers can eat a variety of different animals, eating up to as much as 60 pounds in one night. However, the Siberian Tiger primarily eats wild boar and elk. This requires the tiger to have an extraordinarily large territory - male Siberian Tigers can have territories of up to 400 square miles, while females typically have a still incredibly large territory of 160 square miles. They may inhabit their territories for any period of time, depending on the amount of resources and ease of living in the land. When it is time to move, they may migrate hundreds of miles before settling in another territory. They are incredibly solitary, and tend to inhabit their territory alone, aggressively defending it and scent-marking it against potential rivals. Siberian Tigers are nocturnal hunters, and will stalk their prey for potentially long periods of time before pouncing for the kill.


 * Offspring and Reproduction:** Tigers are able to mate at any time of the year, although females are only receptive from three to seven days. Due to the large territory size of both genders (although particularly the males), the female often has to seek out a mate. Similarly to how male tigers mark their hunting territory, female tigers may urinate on trees and scratch bark to show that they are searching for a mate. Females generally give birth to two to six cubs after a 3-4 month pregnancy, and raise the cubs for 2-3 years with little or no help from the male tiger until the cubs move on and find their own territory. Cubs typically begin hunting for themselves at around 18 months of age, and females are sexually mature at 3-4 years of age, while males reach sexual maturity at 4-5 years of age.

**Endangerment Status:** Siberian Tigers are an endangered species, with an estimated (but stable) population of between 300 and 450 tigers remaining in the wild. An endangered species shows a greater risk of extinction in the future than threatened species, and therefore more governmental protection is given to these species. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 listed various protections that endangered species are given, such as the authorization for governmental reservations, and banning possession or trading of such endangered (or threatened) species. Siberian Tigers were officially enlisted as endangered in June 1970. They have been the victims of poaching and deforestation, driving their population down to endangered levels. Tigers are hunted as trophies and used in traditional Chinese medicine, and, despite it being illegal in China, approximately 1/3 of the Siberian Tiger population was killed in 1993 alone to meet the demands of Chinese medicine. One tiger can bring in a hunter up to $50,000 on the international market, so while laws have reduced the severity of poaching, it is certainly still a very significant threat. Additionally, Siberian Tigers require enormous territories to properly hunt and reproduce, and the deforestation and modernization of Chinese forests are severely harming their habitats. The simple act of building a road can limit a Siberian Tiger's hunting ground and potentially destroy its entire habitat.

**C** **onservation Efforts:**
Siberian Tiger populations have risen and become much more stable since the mid-20th century. It is estimated that in 1940, Siberian Tiger populations measured at approximately 40 tigers in the wild. Since then, rigorous anti-poaching laws passed in Russia and China have assisted in the stabilizing of this species, and the improvement of their status from "Critically Endangered" to "Endangered." The World Wildlife Fund (WWF - www.panda.org) is just one of many organizations that aid in the protection of Siberian Tigers, and their efforts are working, as shown by the huge increase of Siberian Tiger populations since the 1940s. However, Siberian Tigers aren't safe yet - they are still an endangered species, and although conservation efforts have been successful in preventing the extinction of Siberian Tigers thus far, there are still merely hundreds in the wild, and they are still relatively on the brink of extinction. Extreme care and caution must be taken to ensure the survival of the species.

**B** **ibliography:**
"Siberian Tiger." // National Geographic //. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . "Siberian Tiger." // Tigers in Crisis //. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . "Amur (Siberian) Tiger." // WWF //. World Wildlife Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2009.  "Siberian Tigers." // Tigerhomes //. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2009.  "Tigers." // Animals //. Seaworld, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . "Amur Tiger." // The Animal Spot //. N.p., 2008. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . United States. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. // Species Profile //. // Tiger (Panthera //   //Tigris)//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . Endangered Species Act. 16 USC. Sec. 1531-1544. // Endangered Species Act of 1973 //. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .