Amur Tigers

[Shadow]

(08-08-2019, 10:06 PM)Shadow Wrote: With brief checking easy to find multiple sources mentioning, that Amur tigers get fat layer especially on their flanks and belly, 5-6 cm thick (a bit over 2 inches). Then again more difficult to find more specific information about it, what kind of variation in weight there is normally. From Harbin zoo (China) can be found statement, that their tigers gain about 10% more weight for winter. So there we are easily talking about 18-25 kg (males).  But that was now only one place and there we are talking about captive tigers.

Surprisingly difficult to find good and clear information about weight changes of Amur tigers during the year. Pretty much all sites, which give overall information about them, give that same basic information about fat layer on belly and flanks as insulation against cold. 

When knowing, that mammals up north usually gain weight (fat) in autumn in order to survive winter, it is self evident, that tigers have to do the same. That is also confirmed at least by Mammals of the Soviet Union.

Quote:"The Amur tiger is quite well adapted to low temperatures; it has a
luxuriant, dense pelage and fattens by autumn. Cubs have been recovered
which had spent the entire night in the forest at temperature of -40°C, but
without apparent ill effects."

Another quote: "In connection with the fact that tigers sometimes sustain prolonged
hunger, in favorable seasons a large accumulation of fat reserves is found
in the abdomen, groins, and body cavities in layers 4.0 to 5.0 cm thick."

It feels odd to think, that under skin would be thick layer of fat in summer, but it isn´t easy to find good information about changes in fat layer.

One more quote: "Fat layers are also found between the muscles. A young three-year-old male
caught on February 16, 1940 in Sikhote-Alin yielded 30 kg fat (Kaplanov,
1948); a female caught on March 30, 1950 on the Pyandzha yielded 10.5
kg fat and the layer in her abdominal cavity was 40 to 50 mm thick
(Chemyshev, 1958). Thanks to fat reserves constituting 20% of overall body
weight, tigers which have eaten nothing for even five to ten days remain
content. Evidently they can withstand even longer periods of starvation."


This part then again gives one clear number, 20% of overall body weight. But problem with this is, that last two quotes weren´t related in any clear way only to winter. And fat layer is relevant, not only as insulation against cold, but as nutrition reserve too. So does fat percentage of overall body weight variate for instance between 5-20 % during summer and increase even up to... let´s say 30% in autumn? Or is that 20% like upper limit in wild, difficult to find good information.

I think, that it can be considered to be clear, that in autumn healthy Amur tiger, as all other animals up north, gain weight in order to survive winter time and that weight is extra fat. Is that 10% like Harkin zoo (China) representative said in article (when looking at those tigers, first number in mind is 50% ), or is that maybe more would be interesting to find out. Maybe @tigerluver you have seen some study, which isn´t public? Reply