Amur (Siberian) tiger

Amazing predator back from the brink - but for how long?

Common Name		Siberian tiger, Amur tiger; Tigre de Sibérie(Fr); (Sp)
Scientific Name		Panthera tigris altaica
Habitat		Boreal forest
Location		Far eastern Asia
Status		IUCN: Critically Endangered (CR - C2a(ii)) CITES: Appendix I
Population		431 to 529 individuals

Background

In the 1940s the Amur tiger was on the brink of extinction, with no more than 40 tigers remaining in the wild. Thanks to vigorous anti-poaching and other conservation efforts by the Russians with support from many partners, including WWF, the Amur tiger population recovered and has remained stable throughout the last decade or so.

But poaching of tigers and its prey, increased logging and construction of roads, forest fires and inadequate law enforcement are threats that affect the survival of the species.

WWF, in partnership with Russian authorities and other NGOs, is helping establish an ecological network of protected areas (Econet) to secure well-connected habitat for the Amur tiger, funds anti-poaching patrols in the Russian Far East and supports an ungulate recovery programme. WWF is collaborating with the Russian authorities and other partners in the recent survey of Amur tigers.

Physical Description

A typical male Amur tiger, the largest of the tiger subspecies, may weigh more than 250 kg and measure nearly three meters from nose to tip of the tail.

Size
Individuals weigh between 180 and 300 kg.

Colour
The upper part of the animal ranges from reddish orange to ochre, and the under parts are whitish. The body has a series of black striations of black to dark grey colour.

Habitat

Major habitat type
Boreal forest

Biogeographic realm
Palearctic

Range States
China, North Korea, Russia

Geographical Location
Far eastern Asia

Ecological Region
Russian Far East Broadleaf and Conifer Forests