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

[peter]

I was aware of them tables, but thanks anyhow. The only one I consider reliable for now is the original table on Amur tigers. The reason is they knew how to measure tigers. This is from the appendix:

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I'm not that sure about the information on Indian tigers for reasons to be explained later.     
 
Length, however, is just one aspect of a big cat. There is a lot more. My take is tables should reflect the different stages big cats experience. In tigers, there are adolescents without a territory (18-36 months); young adults (37-60 months) who occupy inproductive areas; prime animals with productive territories and old animals. Displaced tigers, when they are able to evade or survive a fight, often are forced to the fringes. A century ago, many displaced tigers died of old age. Today, as a result of small reserves and intense competition (India) or difficult conditions (Russia), that's out of the question.    

In skulls, it's easy to distinguish between immatures, young adults, adults and old animals. The differences between these groups often can be expressed in measurements. One would like to see similar tables with body measurements and weights. A table that includes all categories would be inclusive, but uninforming. One has to distinguish between categories. The reason is differences between categories often can be expressed in measurements. They allow for insight in typical features of each category. In this way, one is able to connect measurements and weights to age and change and contribute to knowledge. Most unfortunately, tables of that nature, as far as I know, have not been produced. The only distinction is adult or not and mistakes are often made. The result is many tables are confusing or uninforming. A pity. Reply