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

[peter]

(03-17-2020, 05:01 AM)Greatearth Wrote: This is something what I found out from Chinese tigers.

I think South China tigers are normally referring to South China (Huánan, 华南). The South China tiger is calling 华南虎 (Huánanho) in Mandarin (not sure of Cantonese). So from what it sounds, I think South China tiger is tiger population or subspecies lived areas south of Yangtze River. There are many different tribes, people, langauge, and cultures in Southeast Asia even in one country. Just like tigers, clouded leopards, leopards, rhinos, and elephants, many of those people in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and others lived together with Chinese in that area before 2,000 years ago. Vietnam is notable nation that was forced out to south by Chinese. That's why Vietnam is the only country of the southeast Asia that has Chinese culture. That's why they are well known infamous primitive and uncivilized people that is eating all of endangered animals from poaching along with Chinese. Their languages are also sounds similar if you listen Cantonese and Vietnamese.

I guess that is why South China tiger is known as the second smallest tiger in mainland Asia, but there are descent male South China tigers that I know are more than 160 kg, and close to 3 m long. They also seemed different by each provinces. There is no doubt Chinese tigers were different in appearance and size just like Bengal tigers look different by different locations. I think today's South China tiger is the right tiger subspecies who lost their "giant" gene. Again, there are limited information, pictures, and other information of the South China tiger. I also don't know sizes of South China tiger in Chinese zoos. I can't be 100% sure about this.

I don't know about tigers lived north of the Yangtze river and around Huang he river. I don't really know how many Chinese tigers (I am only referring South China tiger) lived in China in the 1800s to early 1900s. I heard somewhere that India still had 40000 tigers after India gain its independence. I don't know how did China lost their tigers so easily even though mainiland China experienced more of war and human activites along with Chinese's and Vietnamese's eating behaviors. I personally believe that China was actually "Land of Tigers," not India if time setting was before 1800s. They had the highest tiger subpseices in their country. What a pity that Chinese destroyed all of their nature treasures, not just tigers.

I did two series on tigers in China; one on tigers in the southeastern part and one on tigers in central parts of China. Tigers in southeast China are gone, but a man who visited the region twice about a decade ago was convinced there were 5-10 tigers in central parts of China in 2011. 

Before 1950 or thereabout, China still had thousands of tigers. Most of them were killed during the Great Leap Forward (between 1950-1970 roughly). They were considered as vermin by the authorities. 

The information I have strongly suggests tigers in central parts of China were different from tigers in the southeastern part of China. In general, they could have been a bit larger and more robust. Some districts were known for the size of their tigers. 

Here's a table I found on the former Animal Versus Animal forum. Most unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the source.  

The table has measurements of 14 tigers of 3 subspecies: P.t. amoyensis (n=3), P.t. corbetti (n=1) and P.t. altaica (n=9). The skull and body measurements strongly suggest no. 4, 5, 9, 10, 12 and 13 were immature. My guess is no. 1, 7, 8 and 14 were wild. I'm not sure about the status of the 9 Amur tigers.   

Tiger 1 was shot in the northern part of central China in the late sixties of the previous century. He was the longest and heaviest of all and has the widest skull (262,5 mm.), but the skull of tiger 6 is slightly longer: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

Here's a photograph of a tigress from China in the Tierpark Berlin (1972):

*This image is copyright of its original author

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