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

[Greatearth]

peter

Thank you for good information. It was a great information. 
We need more information like the morphology and size of the North China tiger, Central China tiger, South China tiger, Indochinese tiger, Malayan tiger, Sumatran tiger, Javan tiger, and Bali tiger.

1. Siberian tiger size

My opinion is gene is probably 2nd factor. The loss of size of Siberian tiger is definitely has to do with the prey. The last Korean tiger captured alive in North Korea. She was only 99 kg when she came to the South Korea. She was not properly feed in North Korea since it is very poor country. She reached 160 kg when she taken cared properly in South Korea.

The Korean tiger was not always smaller. Some males were around 330 to 360 cm long. It is also impossible to know the size of the Korean tiger from more than 200 years ago. Majority size records were from the 19 to 20th century. Government of the Joseon dynasty frequently offering the tiger hunt since mid 1400 because tiger caused so much human death through history. This may have been affect their size. And the most important one was that the prey depletion in Korea because of japanese. Since Korea and china educated japanese to survive thousands years ago, japan also believed traditional medicine on deer (like deer horn is using as medicine). japan over hunted and killed every livestock and wild animals in Korea. Even extremely adaptable animal like red fox couldn't survive in South Korea. They just killed everything and it was impossible for tiger to reach normal weight compared to other tigers in Asia. 330 cm long male Korean tiger and 3 meters long male Korean tiger were the same/smaller weight than large South China tiger like caught in Zhangjiajie.

About gene. There is a documentary of searching 6 meters long crocodile. Herpetologist was talking about one reason was massive trophy hunting in 20th century may have been lost gene pool to grow huge crocodile today. This may have been the same for the Siberian tiger, if it is talking about the Manchurian tiger and tiger in Sikhote-Alin since their population in Russia was like 30-50 in 1960s. However, the Bengal tiger and Indochinese tiger was also highly hunted by british, french, amercan, and other westerner (mostly western euro) in 20th century. Their average weight (Bengal) is even bigger today, this may have been tiger is living in good area where other herbivores are also protected. There is not much information of the tiger size from Manchuria by hunter and zoologist in 20th century. Captive Siberian tiger growing big as other huge wild tigers. So my opinion is that number 1 reason is probably prey depletion in Russia. There may have been lost of giant gene from tiger lived in Manchuria. But they won't grow massive size (weight) if they are living in today's Russia. You have to eat and increase weight along with muscle. If you couldn't eat, then your weight will decreasing no matter how big you are.



2. About subspecies. 
I don't know all of those prehistoric subspecies like Washein tiger or P. tigris acutidens and Wanhsien tigers to make conclusion like residual population of the Wanhsien tigers. So far I know is that the tiger was endangered animals just like rhino, orangutan, and cheetah after the Toba eruption. Then they were widespread in entire Asia again from remaining population in China. 

I don't know how the Siberian tiger and Caspian tiger should distinguished as a single subspecies. Tiger is iconic animals in entire Asia due to their power and magnificent appearance. It is the number 1 animal frequently appearing in Asian culture where the tiger occurred (It is the same as the lion in Africa and the jaguar in Americas). Tiger is appearing in every culture and tradition in Korea. This is the same as in india and china. My friend from vietnam, indonesia, nepal, and thailand also told me tiger is the number 1 animal appearing in their culture. However, tiger is not really appearing in culture of Mongolia and other Central Asian countries. So far I know, there is no culture and traditional of dealing with tiger in Mongolia while they have many legends of animals like wolf and bear. I don't know how did the Siberian tiger and Caspian tiger actually lived together in these areas to view those 2 as the same subspecies. It is just a hypothesis with digging a few numbers of fossils or studying some numbers of bone. I think the Siberian tiger and Caspian tiger range maps were once connected just like other tigers in mainland Asia. But they were separated like a thousands years ago and separated/evolved to different subspecies. While a few individuals may have met each other in Central Asia.
There is still debating on the closest family relative of the lion, jaguar, and leopard. Some studies says that DNA or genomic analysis shows the jaguar and lion are the closet family. While some studies says that the genomic/DNA studies shows the leopard and lion are the closest family. Thus, I don't see how to view them as those 2 tigers as the same subspecies. There is no absolute evidences of the Siberian tiger and Caspian tiger are the same subspecies. Or tiger subspecies has to be two. This will be change every time as someone is doing research on big cat genome.

The Siberian tiger lived in outer place of Greater Khingan mountains was probably genetically very closer from the Caspian tiger lived in the Altai mountains, Tian shan mountains or other central Asia like Balkhash lake. However, how is it possible that the Siberian tiger in Sikhote-Alin and Korea was the same subspecies as the Capsian tiger in Caucasian mountains and area near the Caspian sea? This is even further distance than India/Malaysia from Manchuria. If Malayan tiger and Indochinese tiger are the 2 different subspecies, then there is no way that the Siberian tiger and Caspian tiger was the same subspecies. Again, this is what biologists are still debating on today that how to distinguish the subspecies. That is why IUCN cat specialist people declared nonsense like tiger subspecies has to be 2: Sunda tiger and Asian tiger. It is okay with me (even though I personally don't trust IUCN cat specialist people since majority of paper written by them were mainly from tiger murder countries in 1800 to 1900), but a problem is zoo. Zoo probably mixed breed all of different captive tiger subspecies in future. Because I spoke with one zookeeper dealing with the Asiatic elephant. A group of Asiatic elephants were from Indochina, but one member was Sri Lanka elephant. They are not the same subspecies, but her answer was they are the same subspecies far s they know. A problem is Sri Lanka elephant was evolved to different subspecies in island for a long time. It makes more sense to cross breed with Indian elephant, rather than the elephant from Thailand. And future of captive breeding tiger? I don't think their future would be okay to preserve pure tiger subspecies. Just I wrote about Minnesota zoo lied and sent hybrid tiger to the Korean zoo and ruined all of the captive Siberian tiger in entire Northeast Asian zoo. Was it because of no DNA test in 1980? I read a lot in Korean website where people speak about tiger. Many of them are still wondering why did these criminals in Minnesota lied about hybrid tigers are pure Siberian tiger. Some extreme people think there should be a punishment like Minnesota zoo should never involve in a tiger conservation in Asia unless they are going to pay a billion dollars to fix their mistake (I am totally fine with this since I am planning to conserve the Siberian tiger and Amur leopard).

I spoke with one person working in Panther walking on cheetah, she was absolutely denying of introducing the African cheetah in Iran where the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah habitat since these 2 evolved to different subspecies in variety habitat for a long time. She was also not agreeing to view the same subspecies of the tiger in Asia. I feel like more biodiversity will be destroyed in future since every animals were evolved in a different habitat for a long time.

The most concern that I have is I hope anyone involving in Amur leopard reintroduction or captive breeding program. I hope these people do their job seriously to not release hybrid leopard in wild to ruin pure breed Amur leopard. And they should do their job seriously to conserve pure Amur leopard, instead of keep mixing hybrid leopard.

And is it the bengal tiger in dudhwa national park is really not pure breed bengal tiger? I read the twycross zoo also lied and sent hybrid tiger to reintroduce in wild in 1976 just like the Minnesota zoo. I hope it was a pure breed Bengal tiger. Reply