ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

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TIGER SUBSPECIES - PART II ('Der Tiger', V. Mazak, 1983)


09 - The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) - continuation of 08

The left page starts with a comparison of the tail of a Caspian tiger (left) and an Amur tiger (right). Caspian tigers often had brown-black stripes. Black stripes were only seen on the head, neck, back and the end of the tail. The coat was much shorter in summer than in winter. Many male Caspian tigers had a mane and long belly hair.

Although quite large, Caspian tigers had shorter, more bulldog-like, skulls than Indian tigers. The difference in size (greatest total length) in females was more outspoken than in males. In zygomatic width, it was the other way round. For their size, females of P.t. virgata had relatively wide skulls, whereas those of males, compared to skulls of male Indian tigers, lacked in this department.  

The sagittal crest in males often was well developed and high. Also watch the typical convex profile (see the drawing below). 

As Caspian tigers occupied a large part of southwest and south-central Asia, it is likely that there were distinct regional types. In the northwest (Georgia, eastern Turkey and the northeast of Iran), they inhabited elevated regions. Although somewhat smaller than those east of the Caspian, one male shot near Lenkoran (about 200 km. south of Baku, close to the border with Iran) was 360 cm. in total length (most probably measured 'over curves'). The one who saw him (K.A. Satunin) wrote the tiger was a giant, almost as large as a horse (Heptner and Sludskij, 1980, pp. 123-124).  

Those in northern and eastern Iran (Mazanderan) were intermediate in size, but the male shot by Col. R.L. Kennion had a dressed skin of 10.8 (325,12 cm.) and a skull of 342,90 cm. in greatest total length and 254,00 mm. in zygomatic width, and another male shot near Pindjeh had a skull of 338,67 x 228,85 mm. (Pocock, 1929, pp. 522-523). East of the Caspian, tigers inhabited riverine forests near mountain rivers. Most reports about large tigers are from this region (east and south of Lake Aral). Males reached 200 cm. and well over in head and body length (measured 'over curves') and 180-220 kg., but there are reports of heavier animals. Two females shot in Tadzjikistan were 97 and 135 kg. (Heptner and Sludskij, 1980, pp. 123-124).

Some male Caspian tigers reached 360,00 mm. and just over in greatest total skull length, The skull from the Lenkoran tiger was 365,76 mm. when measured by Pocock (1929, pp. 523) and 362,00 mm. in greatest length when measured by Mazak half a century later. The report on a tiger with a skull length of 385,00 mm. in Heptner and Sludskij (1980, pp. 124) most probably is incorrect. This male, shot on January 10, 1954 near Sumbar (Kopet-Dag), allegedly was 225 cm. in head and body length. As the information on the condylobasal length (305,00 mm.) and zygomatic width (205,00 mm., which seems very unlikely) didn't match the skull length, V. Mazak contacted those who knew more. He found out the tiger was not a very large individual. The animal was exhibited in the Aschabad Natural History Museum, which was destroyed during an earthquake in the late fifties of the last century (pp. 191-192). The skull of the tiger was lost:        

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10 - The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica).

The top of the left page (a continuation of the paragraph on the Caspian tiger) has a comparison between the occiput of a northern China tiger (left), a Caspian tiger shot in Turkmenistan (center) and a Manchurian Amur tiger (right).

As to Amur tigers. Temminck (1844) was the first who used the name Felis tigris altaicus (now Panthera tigris altaica). The skin he described was bought by Von Siebold in Japan. The origin was Korea. The typical location for this subspecies, therefore, is Korea.

V. Mazak concluded that the skull of old male Amur tigers in particular is very robust. The elevated and quite flat face and the very wide rostrum are typical for many male Amur tiger skulls. The sagittal crest is elevated, strong and, compared to those of Caspian tigers, quite horizontal. I can confirm Amur tigers usually have long and elevated skulls and wide rostrums, but concluded they are generally not as robust and heavy as those of male Indian tigers. However, I have to add that I only saw skulls of captive Amur tigers.

What is seen in skulls is roughly confirmed in fysical appearance in that captive Amur tigers usually are taller and longer than captive Indian tigers. The captive tigress below was 178 cm. in head and body length (tail 88 cm. and total length 266 cm.), whereas the male, at 319 cm. in total length (head and body length 220 cm.) is the second longest measured by a biologist (the longest, at 320 cm., is the Duisburg Zoo tiger). Both animals were measured 'between pegs'. The male tiger, wildcaught, was 337 cm. in total length 'over curves'. When standing, he was 104-105 cm. at the shoulder:

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11 - The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) - continuation of 10

The difference between summer and winter coat usually is more pronounced than in Caspian tigers. The coat has more white than in other subspecies, especially near the eyes and on the (inside of the) legs. Skins of Amur tigers show more variation than all other subspecies. The number of black rings on the tail is limited to 6-7. Near the insertion, the tail has no rings but stripes (typical for many Amur tigers).

The tiger on the bottom left was wildcaught (near Chabarowsk). The photograph was taken in the Moscow Zoo. At 104-106 cm. when standing, he was the second tallest in Mazak's table on the size of captive tigers when standing (pp. 180). Male tiger 'Ulan' from the Prague Zoo (right), at 104-105 cm., was similar in size:

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12 - The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) - continuation of 11

Tigress 'Tapka' (Prague Zoo, top left) was 171 cm. in head and body length (tail 86 cm. and total length 257 cm.) and 85-86 cm. at the shoulder when standing. The giant male on the right right (he too was called 'Amur') is one of the largest I know of. This tiger was transported from Rotterdam to Duisburg when he was young. This tiger was 210 cm. in head and body length (tail 110 cm. and total length 'between pegs' 320 cm.). He was never weighed, but experts thought he was 280-300 kg. in his prime. When standing, he was 110 cm. at the shoulder:

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13 - The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) - continuation of 12

In Mazak's day, Amur tigers had completely disappeared in the southwestern (Manchuria), western (Altai) and northern parts of the territory they once occupied. They were only seen in Sichote-Alin and parts of North-Korea.

Mazak's table with skull measurements is incomplete and a bit misleading. Incomplete because the skulls of the two male tigers captured during the Mordon-Graves expedition were not included. Both tigers, although heavy (480 and 550 pounds), had short skulls. Was Mazak not aware of the paper written by G.G. Goodwin? Yes, he was ('Der Tiger', V. Mazak, pp. 188). This means it is more than likely he knew about the skulls of both tigers. I don't know why they were not included in the table. If they would have been, the minimum would have dropped to just over 330,00 mm. (greatest total skull length). Misleading, because Mazak, probably as a result of a small sample, mixed skulls of wild and captive animals.

I only know of one skull of a wild male Amur tiger that reached 16 inches (406,40 mm.). This skull was not accepted, but chances are the longest skulls of wild male Amur tigers will reach that length. The reason is there are a few skulls of captive male Amur tigers which exceeded 350,00 mm. in condylobasal length. As the difference between condylobasal length and greatest total length in large male tiger skulls can exceed 50,00 mm., it is likely these skulls would have been 390,00-405,00 mm. in greatest total length. As is it known that skulls of wild tigers usually are a bit longer than skulls of captive tigers, chances are some skulls of wild male Amur tigers reach or exceed 400,00 mm. as well.

This means the most likely range for wild male Amur tigers is 330,00-405,00 mm. in greatest total length. Mazak could have been right regarding the average (367,00 mm.). I  also agree with his conclusion on the effect of age. Old males, therefore, could average about 370,00 mm. in greatest total length.         

As for the morphological data. The information on page 163 (total length 'between pegs'), with the exception of the Sungari River tiger (shot by the Jankowski's in 1943), relates to captive Amur tigers. Captive male Amur tigers range between 280-320 cm. in total length, measured 'between pegs'. Wild male Amur tigers average 294 cm. in total length, but there are some questions as to the method used to measure them.

Based on what I know (Miquelle's emails), I propose to deduct 4 inches for now. This means wild males could average 284 cm. or thereabout when measured 'between pegs'. Although some of you no doubt disagree, it would make sense. There is no question that today's Amur tigers are not as heavy as a century ago. It could be possible that they also lost a bit of length. This is from Bruce Patterson ('The Lions of Tsavo', 2004, pp. 112):

" ... The ultimate physical or behavioral expression of any genotype (its phenotype) is shaped by its environment during development. Different conditions can produce remarkable variation in the absence of genetic differentiation. For example, United States men raised in the mid-twentieth century are usually four to five inches taller than their fathers, and differences in childhood nutrition alone are sufficient to explain this difference. Cold War diets were far more nourishing than Great Depression ones, and sons realized more of the potential growth afforded by their genes.

Like people, lions are long-lived, with an extended maturation period and a lifestyle even more strongly affected by boom-bust 'economics'. So it seems reasonable to expect substantial developmental variation in lions ... ".
   
Mazak wrote old (captive?) males averaged about 250 kg. in his day. The heaviest captive male Amur tiger was 676 pounds (306,63 kg.). On page 189, he mentioned the weights of 9 wild male Amur tigers. They were 245, 250, 184, 196, 217, 195, 270, 250 and 221 kg. (average 225,33 kg. or just under 497 pounds). I remember the evaluation of historic records of wild Amur tigers published some years ago. The conclusion was most records are unreliable. 

I agree captive Amur tigers are longer and heavier than all other subspecies, but the average most probably isn't 250 kg. Males in their prime could reach that weight every now and then, but the average for most would be 210-220 kg. (464-486 pounds) Today's wild males (problem tigers not included) range between 150-212 kg. (average about 190 kg. or 420 pounds).

A century ago, wild Amur tigers were heavier. Most attempts to get to a reliable average resulted in 210-225 kg. (464-496 pounds), or about similar to today's captive male Amur tigers. This means today's wild male Amur tigers, after their downfall in the thirties of the last century and their rise in the seventies and eighties, lost 20-30 kg. or, seen from today's perspective, about 10-15%. The most likely reasons are habitat destruction, prey deletion, competition (60 000 hunters) and a lack of large ungulates.

The question on maximum size is difficult to answer. There are quite many reports about wild tigers easily exceeding 300 kg. (up to 384 kg.), but not one of these records was accepted. The reason was a lack of evidence. I understand, but the photograph of the Sungari River tiger shot in July 1943 leaves no doubt that that some wild male Amur tigers reached a great size. Judging from the photograph, this tiger was bigger and heavier than the large tiger shot by Baikov near the Korean border. That male was 560 pounds. My guess is the Sungari River tiger was similar in length (both tigers well exceeded 10 feet 'between pegs') and at least 100 pounds heavier. Maybe the old hunters were not overdoing it, that is.

Judging from the size of some captive males, 700 pounds and over for an exceptional male can't be excluded out of hand. As for wild Amur tigers. If tiger 'Luke' or 'Lyuk' can get to 212 kg. (468 pounds) with 183 cm. in head and body only, chances are a larger male in his prime could reach 250 kg. (552 pounds). I wonder if they would be able to capture a tiger of that weight with a footsnare when it is known that at least one wild male Amur tiger of about 200 kg. (442 pounds) was able to pull the snare to bits.   

Anyway. This is the last scan on Amur tigers from Mazak's book. To be continued:           

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