Who is the "king" of tigers? - Bengal or Amur

[peter]

TIGERS IN NEPAL AND NORTH-WEST INDIA

I read everything written by Corbett. Some of the man-eaters he shot were baited, but others were not. They were shot close to a natural kill and he stalked them. I also read 'Jungle Trails in Northern India' (Sir J. Hewett). In big beats with a lot of VIP's tigers were often lured to baits, but when he hunted without them tigers were as often shot close to a bait as not. He very often used elephants.  

If I was asked to get to an opinion, I'd say tigers in northern India were not more baited than elsewhere. In many parts of north-west India the vegetation is not as dense as a result of the climate (more alpine). No need for baiting, that is. In other parts of India, the vegetation was more dense. Wiele, in the first decade of the last century, wrote he was able to walk hundreds of miles in dense and undisturbed forests. Anyone interested in a tiger had to use a bait, as they never saw tigers.   

The photo's I saw of tigers shot in north-west India confirmed in that not many show an inflated belly. Those shot in other regions (including Cooch Behar and Assam) often were and it showed on photographs. 

Tigers in northern India, like the alleged man-eater on the elephant (referring to the photos posted by PC), often are large animals. They are different from those in other parts of India. Not shortish and massive, but long, tall and athletic. And heavy without doubt.    


THE HASINGER TIGER

Some time ago, I posted a scan of a table I made after reading the book of the Maharajah of Cooch Behar. I found the difference between gorged male tigers and others of similar size (referring to total length and other dimensions) was about 60 pounds. In Russia, according to Yudakov and Nikolaev, adult male Amur tigers seldom indulge in festivities. They don't eat a lot of the animal they kill and seldom return to kills. We are talking about the Russian winter here. Yet they florish. Could it be tigers living in tropical conditions and smallish, but densely populated reserves eat more than their relatives living in much harsher conditions because of the competition or the conditions? 

The Hasinger tiger was a large male from Uttar Pradesh. From the photograph I saw, I concluded he compared to other large male tigers (like the Bachelor). Let's assume he really was 10.7 'between pegs', of which the tail was 3.3. He was robust, but not more so than the others I mentioned. If we assume he compared to the giant shot by Smythies, he might have reached 650-700 pounds empty. If we add the 60 pounds I found for gorged Cooch Behar tigers, he might have reached 710-770 pounds gorged. But the photograph says he wasn't gorged and his skull was 14 inches in greatest total length. Definitely below par for northern India.

I remember an article about another very large male tiger shot in South-India. There was a photograph and it was clear 'Old One Eye' was long, large in every way and massive. He was exactly 11 feet 'over curves' and the circumference of his inflated belly was unsurpassed. The hunter was a well-known American officer. Let's assume those involved in the estimate (the tiger wasn't weighed) didn't want to let him down. They got to about 700 pounds gorged. Almost 200 pounds less than the (near-)empty Hasinger tiger. 


The Sauraha tiger. In this photograph, he was at least 600 pounds.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Below is the enormous Amur tiger shot by the sons of Jankowski and a Korean professional hunter in July 1943. He wasn't weighed, but estimated at about 300 kg. (660 pounds) after eating a large male brown bear he had killed. Yes, I know male tigers don't kill male brown bears, but this one did according to those who shot him and he only left his skull and paws. 

Let's assume he too, like a large Cooch Behar male tiger, was about 60 pounds heavier when he was gorged. Or a bit more. That would still leave about 600 pounds empty: very close to the utmost a very large male could reach according to the old Jankowski. This man hunted all his life. V. Mazak took him and his sons way more serious than Baikov. Look at the size of the skull.

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This is a captive male Amur tiger of similar size (280-300 kg.) and a full-grown Amur tigress (Duisburg Zoo):

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Back to India. This is the Luckvalley tiger Wiele shot in Nilgiris in the first decade of the last century. The tiger was very old (at least 20 years) and known for his attitude. In spite of his great size, he wasn't able to outfight a very large wild boar who found and guarded the gaur the tiger was after. First the gun for comparison:

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Now the Luckvalley tiger:

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The Bachelor of Powalgarh. At 10.7 'over curves' (about 10.1-10.2 'between pegs'), he was the largest Corbett saw and shot. He was the most hunted tiger in northern India in his day. Although the photograph is a little angled, it still shows a very large and massive tiger:

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A famous photograph. Assam. Twenties or thirties of the last century. I see two tigers larger than average. But not one was special,
as they would have informed us about it:

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Here's Col. Waugh and Old One-Eye. Nilgiris. This tiger was much hunted, but always escaped. Until he couldn't resist a gaur bait. He was 11 feet 'over curves' and estimated at 700 pounds:

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*This image is copyright of its original author

A male Kodiak bear (National Geographic). This is how 900 pounds compares to a human.

Compare to the Hasinger tiger and tell me what you saw that I missed:

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This post isn't about ridiculing much respected members interested in tigers and size. I want to show that 600 pounds empty is enormous in a wild big cat, even if he is enjoying good conditions. Seven hundred is possible, but there's nothing I trust on bigger animals.

They could be there, though. If there is a 313 kg. (confirmed) lion (Hectorspruit), there's a tiger of similar weight, as these two are close when it is about maximum size.

I read a few books from hunters operating in the extreme size division. They only went after giants and they found them. About similar in size to the ones I mentioned above, but possibly more massive with tales that (at the root) compared to a thigh in an adult human. These animals were never weighed, as the hunters were active in regions without humans and transport of any kind. Besides, they often were alone.

If they are there today, they probably are in Kazirangha. But darting a giant has disadvantages and it is about the survival of the species nowadays. That bad? Yes. Reply