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

[Wolverine]

Sysoev-IV

In the forests of Ussuriland beside the mighty brown bears (Ursus arctos) roam also a much smaller Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus). While the average weight of adult male Ussuri brown bear is 270 kg, the average adult male black bear is 130-135 kg, half of the former. Black bears seems to be regularly hunted by Amur tigers.Hunting a male black bear for tiger is probably equal challenge as hunting of female brown bear (145 kg) .

Here Sysoev describes how Amur tigress is pulling out a hibernating black bear from the den:

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"...when the nose of the tigress got the smell of the Asiatic black bear she stop walking: black bears always has been a favorite food for the tigers. Firstly Rigma (the tigress) looked at the surroundings and arrived to conclusion that the bear after didn't find any suitable hole in a tree dig under the roots of Tilia tree growing on steep slope and here entered into winter hibernation. Approaching the tilia she decided to get the bear. Bu how? When after widening of the exit she tried to pull out the bear the tigress met the grinned canines and long claws of the bear. The narrow exit didnt allow her to penetrate in the den; to pull out stacked and desperately biting "housekeeper" proved to be impossible.

Then Rigma accepted more tricky and smart way. She dig a bit from the side opposite to the den's exit, catched the bear's buttock and wrested a piece of skin with black hair. The bear turned around with roar. Wherever direction bear turned around from one of the exits was visible some vulnerable part of his body. Seeing that can not hide anymore the bear decided to save his life by running away, but in the moment he show up his head and shoulders from the den Rigma bite him for the nape and killed him. Then she drag out already softened bear's body from the den and pulling it aside started her dinner.
The weight of the bear was 100+ kg. " Reply