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

[peter]

(12-17-2016, 07:32 PM)Ngala Wrote: I have a question, about the work (see reply #1065) on the possibility to restore the Caspian tigers (P. t. virgata) in nature using Amur tigers subspecies. 

Admitting that they are different tigers, genetically as morphologically:

What is the sense to reintroduction using another subspecies, in this case the Amur tigers? I mean, virgata is extinct anyway. Only environmental factors, can bring her back to life, in the course of time?

Interesting question, but not easy to answer. The thread has a number of posts on Caspian tigers. As the thread has no index yet (I'm working on it), you have no choice but to find them yourself.

As to the remark on the differences between Panthera tigris altaica and Panthera tigris virgata. Researchers concluded they are closely related (genetics). Not a few researchers, with Kitchener as spokesman, proposed to treat all mainland tigers as one species, but they did distinguish between a northern and a southern clade.

I posted photographs of Caspian tigers and compared them to photographs of Amur tigers. There are differences, but they also overlap in many respects. One could conclude that Caspian tigers showed more regional variation, but this was also true for Amur tigers in the recent past. Korean tigers were different from the typical Amurs of today and so were Manchurian tigers.

Caspian tigers were exterminated between 1930-1970 of the last century, but there have been quite many reports about tigers in the last two decades. Afghanistan in particular is often mentioned. Most sightings no doubt refer to leopards, but central parts of Asia still have many remote and wild regions with few people. A big cat might stand a chance if protection would be taken seriously. The problem, if anything, is political stability, not a lack of wild country. Reply