There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
07-18-2014, 09:28 AM( This post was last modified: 07-18-2014, 09:34 AM by peter )
Based on the skulls I saw, my guess is Amur tigers are closer to Pleistocene tigers. I don't see a connection between Amur tigers and South-China tigers, but tigers in Central-China (referring to the photographs in V. Mazak's book 'Der Tiger') seem more related to Amur tigers than to other subspecies. Both inhabited elevated regions, whereas the habitat of tigers in south-east China was different.
I tend to agree with the observations of V.H. Mazak on 'old' (South-China and Indonesia) and 'new' tigers (other regional types), but think there could have been another group that survived the Tadoba eruption. This group could have spread to southern Siberia, Mongolia, the Caspian region and south-east Russia. Maybe they disappeared from southern Siberia and Mongolia during the last glacial maximum, but they, judging from Kitchener and Dugmore (1999), could have survived in the most western and eastern parts (the Caspian region and eastern Russia and Korea) as well as in parts of Manchuria. When conditions improved after the last glacial maximum, tigers again moved east (from the Caspian region) and west (from Russia). Manchurian tigers then only spread north and east (to Russia and Korea).
I hope to read an article on fossils and skulls found in central and northern parts of China soon.