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

[Apex Titan]

(02-17-2025, 07:10 AM)peter Wrote:

(02-14-2025, 06:14 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: @peter 

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ussuri brown bears roaming the taiga during winter in November or December, doesn't necessarily mean the bear is a 'schatun' in weak condition. I've seen numerous camera trap photos of large and healthy adult Ussuri brown bears walking the forest during the winter months. It all depends on the harvest of food.

During the first snow-falls of winter (November - early December), the bears do not go into hibernation, they continue to accumulate fat for the long winter ahead, and usually go into hibernation around mid December.

Here's a good example of a healthy, well-fed adult Ussuri brown bear in great condition, still roaming the taiga in the winter of November 13, 2023:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XdXvmGlGfi8

A well-fed Ussuri brown bear in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

"It is believed that on December 13, bears finally settle down in their dens for winter hibernation".

Another healthy, well-fed Ussuri brown bear in good shape, roaming the forest in winter (Northeast China):

A non-hibernating Ussuri brown bear in excellent condition in winter: (Sikhote-Alin)

A bear in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve organized a winter disco. The brown bear was caught on surveillance cameras and surprised experts - instead of sleeping peacefully in his den, the clubfoot started "dancing".

https://zhizn.ru/p/5356

 A healthy Ussuri brown bear in good condition roaming the taiga in winter (Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve):

*This image is copyright of its original author

In Primorye, a large and well-fed male Ussuri brown bear did not go into hibernation:

*This image is copyright of its original author

"Now the hunting inspectorate has joined the search for the predator - from the tracks it was possible to determine that the individual was quite large and well-fed."

https://zhizn.ru/p/5734

These are just a few of numerous pictures/videos I've seen of healthy and well-fed Ussuri brown bears still walking the taiga during the winter months.

Its safe to say, that whenever a tiger hunts and kills a non-hibernating brown bear in winter, it doesn't necessarily mean the bear was a 'schatun' in bad condition. Its very likely that the bear was in great condition and well-fed, and plans to hibernate later on. The account of Odyr hunting and killing a non-hibernating, but large, healthy adult male brown bear in late November is a good example of this. 

Also, in general, Amur tigers strongly prefer to hunt and eat healthy, well-fed bears that have gained weight. A skinny, weakened, and underweight 'schatun' brown bear does not make an enticing and calorie-rich meal for a hungry tiger. This is why cases of Amur tigers killing and eating unhealthy 'schatun' brown bears are rare.

In fact, I've never seen a single modern day account (last 35 years) of a tiger killing and eating a 'schatun' brown bear. There are countless modern day cases of Amur tigers hunting and killing adult brown bears, and in all cases, tigers deliberately targeted and killed healthy, well-fed adult brown bears, primarily during the peak seasons - summer and autumn. That says it all.

APEX

Interesting post. Much appreciated. The videos you posted show adult male Ussuri brown bears, as you said, roam the taiga until late December. They roughly confirm the findings in this article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...n_Far_East

a - Scans

Here's a few scans from 'Denning ecology of brown bears and Asiatic black bears in the Russian Far East', Seryodkin (IV) et al, in: 'Ursus', 14(2): 153-161 (2003)

a1 - Title page and summary: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

a2 - Study area ('Sichote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik', 1993-2002):

*This image is copyright of its original author

a3 - Characteristics of den sites used by Asiatic black bears and brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

a4 - Den entry and emerging dates for Asiatic black bears and brown bears:

*This image is copyright of its original author

b - Conclusions

Ussuri male brown bears (averages from Table 3) entered their den on December 20 and emerged on April 4, meaning they hibernated for 126 days. Himalayan male black bears entered their den on November 23 and also emerged on April 4, meaning they hibernated for 136 days. Himalayan female black bears hibernated for 153 days, whereas Usssuri female brown bears hibernated for 169 days. One could conclude Ussuri brown bears in general are more prolific sleepers and be close, but male Ussuri brown bears, for some reason, are quite moderate in the hibernation department.

Himalayan black bears used " ... a greater variation of den types than did brown bears ... " (pp. 157) and " ... most often denned in cavity trees. Tree dens likely provide greater thermal protection, particularly in in areas where snow is less likely to provide insulation cover, and they may provide greater protection from predation ... " (pp. 158). Both Ussuri brown bears and Amur tigers hunt Himalayan black bears, but " ... neither tigers nor brown bears are proficient tree climbers ... " (pp. 158). 

Male Himalayan black bears (629 meters above sea level) and, in particular, male Ussuri brown bears (872 meters above sea level), more so than females, denned at high elevations. Ussuri brown bears often selected steep slopes, whereas Himalayan black bears avoided slopes. They preferred river bottoms at lower elevations, where "  ... the probability of finding potential tree dens likely was greater ... " (pp. 158).  

I'm not too sure about the remark regarding tigers and their ability to climb trees. One radio-collared male Himalayan black bear (see above) was taken out of a tree by a male tiger. I posted a video of a male tiger climbing a tree to inspect a cavity in winter some time ago. Here's another video showing the remains of a male Himalayan black bear, not a small animal, killed and eaten by a male tiger in winter. The bear was a bit sloppy regarding the tree he selected:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkdhfRnfR8o

According to the study you posted, adult brown bears prefer to den at high elevations on steep slopes to avoid predation by tigers. In general, hibernating brown bears are not accessible to tigers during the winter months, hence why most adult brown bears are hunted and killed by tigers in summer and autumn, and, in some cases, during early winter before they hibernate.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Here's another report I found about the Amur tigers regularly hunting bears in northeastern China. 

Tigers preying on bears offers new ecological insight

https://media.bastillepost.com/wp-conten..._music.mp4

A recent wildlife survey in a national park in northeast China reveals that tigers preying on bears is not a rare phenomenon within the park, offering fresh perspectives on predator relationships in the region.

The survey, led by Beijing Normal University and supported by multiple research teams and institutions, is being conducted in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) and marks the launch of its first systematic baseline survey on wildlife resources.

The park, which spans Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, is home to around 70 wild Siberian tigers, 80 wild Amur leopards, along with brown bears, Asian black bears, and other large carnivores. Officially established in 2021, the park is an important biodiversity hub.

Cameras captured a remarkable scene of a Siberian tiger steadily pursuing a large brown bear, which, despite its typically bulky build and slow movements, displayed surprising agility.

Feng Limin, a professor at the College of Life Sciences of Beijing Normal University, explained that the tiger's steady pursuit was likely due to its youth and inexperience in hunting bears.

DNA analysis of tiger and leopard scat samples has revealed that bears -- traditionally considered apex predators with no natural enemies -- make up a notable portion of the Siberian tiger's diet.

"Based on our initial analysis, we've made some surprising discoveries. For example, we further know that in addition to medium and large herbivores like wild boars and sika deer, tigers also prey on large carnivores, such as bears. We've found that bears make up 10 percent of the Siberian tiger's diet year round. Infrared camera footage has previously recorded tigers chasing bears, " Feng said.

Typically, large carnivores are seen as apex predators with no natural enemies, often avoiding direct confrontations by adjusting their activity patterns. However, increasing reports of tigers preying on both leopards and bears are providing new insights into the complex relationships and food webs within the park's ecosystem.

"This helps us gain a deeper understanding of the ecological processes and complex relationships within the ecosystem of the NCTLNP, contributing invaluable data for the future conservation of its biodiversity," the professor added.

https://www.bastillepost.com/global/arti...al-insight

Peter, although sloth bears are significantly smaller and weaker than Ussuri brown bears, the Amur tiger hunts and kills the larger brown bear, far more often than the Bengal tiger hunts and kills the smaller sloth bears. This says something about Amur tigers. This proves, that we simply cannot compare the relationships between Amur tigers and bears to Bengal tigers and sloth bears. There's no comparison. The Amur tiger is far more "bear-thirsty" than its Indian counterpart.

I've seen countless reports and accounts of Bengal tigers killing and eating adult sloth bears throughout history, even numerous recent cases. But still, the amount of reports and accounts I've seen of Amur tigers hunting and killing adult brown bears, is far more.

Even when wild boar and red deer populations are thriving, Amur tigers will still actively prey on both black and brown bears, and will often develop into bear specialists. And this new scientific field research and studies in Northeast China confirms this.

A young adult tigress was filmed hunting and pursuing a large male brown bear on Feng Limin's drone camera. Now, imagine an adult male tiger, who's an experienced bear-killer, what kind of bears he'll take on and kill. No wonder I've read numerous accounts of large male brown bears killed and eaten by tigers. Reply