Wanhsien tiger ~

[peter]

(08-08-2016, 12:30 PM)brotherbear Wrote: 227 kg - a 500 pound cat is no little kitty. Consider Andre the Giant or 'The Big Show'; we are talking about a huge cat. If 227 kg was their average weight, consider what might be their normal max!

Over the years, I saw hundreds of captive big cats. In my eyes, an adult male lion or tiger of 400 pounds is an impressive animal. A 500-pound animal is very big. This is tiger Saetao (John Varty), who tipped the scale at 229 kg. (506 pounds):

*This image is copyright of its original author

Wild big cats not often exceed 500 pounds. A century ago, an average Amur male ranged between 475-490 pounds. Today, 420-430 pounds is closer to the mark. The heaviest wild big cats today are Indian tigers. Males probably average 440-460 pounds, but Nepal tigers could be as heavy as wild Amur tigers a century ago. The two heaviest males captured by researchers both exceeded 600-pound scales.

Although nothing is known about Ngorogoro, Kazirangha and a few other hotspots, an average adult male most probably would struggle to exceed 500 pounds in these regions as well. Mature males (6 years and over), however, are another story. In leopards, the differences between young adults and mature animals was significant. I expect an even more outspoken difference in lions and tigers.

This picture was posted by Eagle Raptor (AVA) some years ago. The male Amur tiger (in a facility in Blackpool, I thought) just exceeded 600 pounds: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

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