Freak Specimens

[peter]

(11-30-2019, 07:22 PM)Shadow Wrote:

(11-30-2019, 02:54 PM)Apollo Wrote: Tiger

That is an excellent to watch and see how same tiger can look like enormous or "just big" depending on angle etc. Looks like to be approximately 230 cm, when standing on hind legs and stretched nicely. If assuming, that the person standing next to him is 180 cm tall. Of course depending height of that guy, that tiger could be estimated to be anything in between 220-240 cm while on hind legs. Big tiger, could be about same size as famous Igor from Odense zoo who was a 250 kg tiger or slightly more in his prime. But in his prime Igor looked to be more fit, not so much loose skin swinging under chest and belly as this one has.

The tiger in the video is tall and long, but the captive male Amur tigers discussed in the tiger extinction thread some time ago were more robust. They also had larger and heavier skulls.

This photograph (Blackpool, UK) was posted a little over a decade ago in 'Tigers I look after' at AVA (now Tapatalk). Poster 'Eagle Raptor' said the male Amur tiger was 611 lbs. (277,15 kg.). The keeper (left) is 5.10 (177,8 cm.):

*This image is copyright of its original author

  

Male Amur tiger 'Jeltzin' from the Braunschweig Zoo was 270 kg. (596-597 pounds):

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
This is the Duisburg Zoo tiger. At 320 cm. in total length (measured in a straight line) and 110 cm. at the shoulder while standing, he was a giant. Although never weighed, experts thought he was 280-300 kg. (618-662 lbs.) in his prime: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

And this is the Odense Zoo tiger 'Igor'. Although not measured or weighed, the photographs show he more or less compared to the Duisburg Zoo tiger in his prime:

*This image is copyright of its original author

This photograph was posted a long time ago by Grizzly in AVA. Grizzly said he was 770 lbs. (349,27 kg.). This tiger klilled a female in a zoo in South Korea: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

  

According to 'Eagle Raptor', the Blackpool male Amur tigers averaged 480-500 lbs. (217,73-226,80 kg.). In his opinion, they would outweigh an average wild male Amur tiger of similar size by 50-100 lbs. (22,68-45,36 kg.).  

Wild Amur tigers today are smaller than half a century ago, but the information I have suggests the situation seems to be changing.

For now, we have to make do with the info in the WCS-document published in 2005 saying 'adult' males average 389 lbs. (176,45 kg.). This average, however, is suspect for different reason discussed before.

More recent information suggests the average of healthy males of 5 years and over could be closer to 420-430 lbs. (190,51-195,05 kg.). Furthermore, I found 3 reports of wild tigers with a heel width exceeding 13 cm. Tiger 'Luk' still has the record at 212 kg. (469 lbs.), but he was a young adult and shortish. My guess is large males can reach 500-550 pounds in their prime today. 

I don't know if researchers will be able to capture and weigh them. It seems they are a bit more reluctant to use Aldrich foot snares. About 7 years ago, an article was published on a Russian forum. The authors concluded that some male tigers captured all but destroyed their teeth trying to free themselves, and two researchers have been attacked by male tigers who were able to pull the snare from its anchor. I'll do a post on the article in the tiger extinction thread soon.

Furthermore, it isn't easy to weigh a big male Amur tiger in difficult conditions. Same with big bears. This problem, just like in India and Nepal, can result in inaccurate conclusions on size. I agree records need to meet the threshold, but that doesn't mean big tigers never existed. There's no doubt that wild male tigers can exceed 600 lbs. today. Half a century ago, when the conditions were better, individuals well exceeding that mark have been shot. Would these exceptions, as some records suggest, have exceeded 700 lbs. (317,52 kg.)?. Captive Amur tigers say yes.

Anyhow. In the end, it is about the averages. Any wild big cat averaging over 400 pounds (181,44 kg.) is big. Reply