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

[Apex Titan]

Amur tigers actively hunt and kill brown bears in Northeast China (New field research, 2025)

Here's two new articles published 2 days ago about Amur tigers regularly hunting bears in China. In Northeast China, scientists and biologists have discovered that Siberian tigers are actively hunting and eating brown bears. Their camera traps have recorded footage of tigers pursuing even large adult brown bears.

Its a well known and documented fact, that in Russia, Amur tigers habitually hunt and kill bears, and even large male brown bears are included on their menu. Interestingly, the Amur tigers from Northeast China are also active bear-killers, and are killing and eating a lot of bears in that region. Biologists found that bears make-up 10% of the Siberian tigers' diet in Northeast China. Like in Russia, in Northeast China, the Amur tigers are also hunting, fighting, killing, and eating adult brown bears.

This information and discovery, was even reported on CBC News in America. (Watch video below).

In the video, renowned bear expert, researcher & ecologist - Chris Morgan recounts the moment when Chinese biologists discovered that Amur tigers are regularly hunting, killing, and eating brown bears. He also notes, that tigers not only attack bears, but also win the fights, and then eat the bears. 

This fact amazes him because he's extensively studied, filmed, and tracked the giant brown bears and grizzlies of Alaska and North America, as well as polar bears. And bears on every continent they inhabit. So the fact that such a massive and immensely powerful carnivore as an adult brown bear, gets dominated, hunted down, killed, and devoured by tigers, simply fascinates him.

Here's the 2 reports:

The Apex Paradox: When Siberian Tigers Hunt Brown Bears

"Deep in the forests of northeastern China, a hidden battle has been unfolding - one that scientists only recently uncovered. For years, brown bears in these remote regions feared little aside from humans. But now, camera traps and ecological studies have revealed a stunning reality: Siberian tigers, the largest big cats on Earth, are actively hunting and eating brown bears."

"When researchers analyzed the scat of wild Siberian tigers, they found an unexpected presence - brown bear remains. Further analysis revealed that up to 10% of a Siberian tiger's diet consists of bears. This was no isolated incident. Remote cameras captured chilling footage of these massive cats stalking, ambushing, and ultimately taking down bears in the dense forests of China."

"At first, the discovery seemed almost unbelievable. Brown bears are formidable predators in their own right, strong and resourceful, often out-competing other carnivores for food. But the Siberian tiger - a stealthy, 600-pound, perfectly engineered predator - has found a way to turn the tables."

"Some brown bears may put up a fight, but even they struggle against a tiger's overwhelming speed, agility, and sheer muscle."

"The tigers may not always target the largest bears, but they have been recorded hunting both adult and juvenile brown bears, proving their dominance over a species many assumed to be nearly untouchable in the wild."

What This Means for the Ecosystem

"This discovery reshapes our understanding of predator hierarchies. We tend to see tigers and bears as rivals, but this new evidence suggests a more complex interaction - one where tigers are not just competitors, but apex predators enforcing a balance in the ecosystem."

"While it may be shocking to some, predation plays a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Without tigers controlling populations of prey - and even other carnivores - certain species could overpopulate, leading to habitat degradation and food shortages."

"The fact that Siberian tigers can hunt brown bears speaks to their power and resilience. But their greatest battle isn't against bears - it's against extinction."

https://bigcatrescue.org/conservation-ne...rown-bears

Scientists Share Chilling Footage of Siberian Tigers Hunting Bears

February 14, 2025

Camera traps set up in China to help monitor and protect Siberian tigers, an endangered species, captured a startling discovery: Siberian tigers hunting and eating bears.

Most bear species in China are considered apex predators. Until recently, it was believed that their only threat would be humans hunting them or habitat loss. However, footage from China shows Siberian tigers hunting multiple species of bears, putting bears’ place on the totem pole into question.

Scientists followed up on the sightings with expert trackers to learn more about this unique situation. By analyzing the scat of the tigers, scientists determined that almost ten percent of their diet now consists of bears.

Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers (P. t. tigris), are the largest cat in the world. They display a trait called sexual dimorphism, where the females and males differ in size and weight. Males can weigh up to 675 pounds (306 kilograms), while females top out at around 370 pounds (167 kilograms).

As for their surprising prey, China is home to numerous bear species beyond the famous panda bear. Asiatic black bears and brown bears are found throughout much of China, and although Asiatic black bears aren’t as heavy as the largest Siberian tigers, brown bears can be much more imposing.

These conservation efforts led to researchers placing trail cameras to keep track of the tigers. Instead, they captured this stunning footage of Siberian tigers stalking, chasing, and ambushing both brown (Ursus arctos) and Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus).

Powerful Conflict

The question of how the tigers win over the bears is how the animals’ hunting styles vary. While bears rely on brute strength to win over their prey, tigers have a completely different approach. They use their stripes as camouflage to ambush and strike their target with speed and a precise bite of deadly force.

Over 10% of the scat found included bear remains, which reflects the tigers’ changing predation habits in China.

“The idea of a tiger attacking a bear and winning in the fight is nothing but extraordinary. So, when your research sort of reveals these relationships, how this ecosystem is operating. It’s just so exciting. It’s powerful,” The Wild podcast host, Chris Morgan, shared with CBC News.

https://petapixel.com/2025/02/14/chinese...ing-bears/

All in all, in very recent years (2015 - 2025) more and more accounts of Amur tigers hunting, chasing, fighting, and killing adult Ussuri brown bears in Russia and China keep on being discovered and reported. In 2022, a large male brown bear of impressive size, was hunted, killed and eaten by a male Amur tiger in the Khabarovsk territory, and in 2024, an adult brown bear was hunted, killed and eaten by a tiger near Yagodny in the same region. And now we have this new 2025 data and scientific information from China about tigers regularly hunting and eating brown bears. 

Its very clear, that overall, Amur tigers in Russia and China dominate brown bears. This is an undeniable fact.

Brown bears, who are usually considered as 'apex predators' throughout most of their range in the wild (North America, Europe, Alaska, etc), are no longer 'apex' in the same forests and regions as tigers. In the Far East Russian and Northeast Chinese taiga, adult brown bears are on the menu of Amur tigers and officially rank as a prey item.

Even back in 2020, Chinese researchers and biologists, after several years of monitoring, observed the Amur tigers' sheer dominance over both brown bears and black bears in the Taipinggou Nature Reserve in Northeast China. After the arrival of the tiger, the number of bears started to decrease:

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://m.news.cctv.com/2020/10/27/ARTIX...1027.shtml Reply