Amur Tigers

[Apex Titan]

@GreenGrolar 

Quote:Firstly thanks for posting these articles. I have been thinking about this for a while: my belief, the tiger is the strongest full time predator in its area. Just as the cave lion is the strongest full time predator in its area. The Ussuri brown bear is not a full time hunter and biologist in my opinion generally call a full time predator as an apex predator. Lions and the atlas bears also used to coexist in the past yet the former is known as king of the beast even though the latter is larger and stronger. The golden eagle is also called an apex predator among the avian family yet it gets robbed by a larger Eurasian black vulture.

Full time carnivores are also considered the predator even if its prey item is 1.1% to 2.2% in its diet. I am also interested in your take.

Here's the big difference though, tigers, especially in summer and autumn, actively prey on brown bears, and as scientific literature reports (and has documented), adult bears are taken frequently by male tigers. Do golden eagles prey on Eurasian black vultures like tigers hunt and kill brown bears??  We also don't know the relationship between the Barbary lion and Atlas bear, for all we know the lions could have dominated the Atlas bears. But we'll never know, so no point of using that example.

My question was why is the tiger, and not the brown bear, called "Lord, king, owner of the Ussuri taiga and Manchurian taiga by all the natives and experts, biologists?  I'm not talking about tigers being called apex predators, its common knowledge that tigers are the apex predators throughout their entire range in the wild since the Pleistocene. But why is the tiger widely regarded as the 'Lord' and supreme ruler of the taiga, even though they co-exist with one of the largest subspecies of brown bears on earth??

The tiger is called 'Lord' or 'King of the taiga' because its an apex predator that hunts and kills bears. To some extent, tigers even regulate bear numbers in Primorye and Northeast China. And they take on and kill bears (brown & Himalayan black bears) around their own size and even heavier.

Sergey Aramilev said that the tiger REGULATES the population of bears, wolves and other predators that fall victim to tiger predation:

"It is also important that the tiger regulates the number of other predators - wolves, bears and others who fall under its paw." - commented Sergey Aramilev , general director of the Amur Tiger Center.

http://amur-tiger.ru/ru/press_center/news/1460/

Name me another extant apex predator that deliberately (and regularly) hunts and kills another large and dangerous terrestrial carnivore of similar-size, like tigers hunt bears?

Besides the tiger, name me another extant predator that also habitually hunts and kills another large, powerful similar-sized terrestrial carnivore?

The Amur tiger, overall, dominates the Ussuri brown bear as a species because its the main natural enemy and predator of brown bears. In fact, Seryodkin and Pikunov reported that tiger predation is the main natural cause of brown bear mortality. In Northeast China, tigers have significantly depressed the populations of both brown bears and black bears in the Taipinggou Nature Reserve. This is the Amur tigers dominance as the apex predator of the taiga.

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://news-chinaxiaokang-com.translate...r_hl=en-GB


As the Amur-Ussuri regions/Northeast China's apex predator at the top of the food-chain, the Amur tiger dominates the ecosystem. Hence why it is viewed as the undisputed lord and owner of the taiga.

Quote:John Valliant does mention that tigers prey on bears and did mention that an Amur tiger's sense of superiority and dominance over his realm is absolute, however, the only force a male tiger will submit too will be a stronger tiger and large brown bear (referring to a male): 

Some bear posters twist John Vaillant's statement. Vaillant very clearly states: "OCCASIONALLY, a large brown bear."  Which means INFREQUENTLY. The only force a male tiger will typically submit to is a stronger tiger, thats all. His statement is clear-cut, and yet some bear fanboyz (I'm not saying you) deliberately twist Vaillants statement and try make it out that the male tiger "regularly" or in "general" will submit to a large male brown bear. This is clearly wrong.

Its the same thing when some bear posters deliberately twisted Batalov's words about tigers avoiding conflict with large male brown bears only in the MATING season. I also posted evidence (Matyushkin) that tigers usually dominate adult brown bears at kill-sites.

Vaillant also stated that even though Ussuri brown bears can reach 1000 lb in weight, they have been known to flee at the sight of a tiger. He also mentions that tigers will even pick fights with brown bears, and tear the bears apart, limb from limb and scatter their appendages across the battle ground. 

Now note, right after that, Vaillant mentions that such scenes and descriptions could explain why indigenous peoples refer to the tiger - not the larger brown bear - as the 'Czar of the forest'.

*This image is copyright of its original author

He also mentions that most predators will abandon a contested kill, rather than risk injury, but tigers are different. The male Amur tiger is a vicious, shrewd and vindictive beast, and based on the observations of hunters and biologists, tigers will even kill bears solely on principle:

*This image is copyright of its original author

Here's a video of John Vaillant talking about the tigers dominance over the Ussuri brown bear. He's asked about tigers vs big Russian bears/Grizzly bears, and he states the following: 

"The tiger has a inborn sense of total dominance over its domain. Russian brown bears are the equivalent of our Grizzly, the tiger attacks, kills and eats them on a regular basis. I've seen video of a tiger charging a helicopter. So they have this inborn sense that there's nothing out there, thats bigger and badder then me and they act on that"..

Go to the 11:29 mark:

Here's the follow up information:

Tiger rituals and beliefs in shamanic Tungus-Manchu cultures

The Oroch, Udeghe, and Nanai consider tigers to be masters of the taiga with power over all other animals: they can command an animal to dress in its expensive “coat” and rush into the trap of a hunter. The Negidals, Ulchi, and Nivkh also believe that tigers, the masters of the taiga, order animals to reveal their most vulnerable spots to hunters for a well-aimed shot (Skorinov 2005, p. 97). If a hunter loses his way in the taiga, he can call upon the master of tigers, who will come to him in the form of a tiger and show him the way out (Bereznitskii 2005, p. 194). As the master of the taiga, the tiger is believed to be the highest judge: it teaches people the laws and partly instructs them about the order of the bear feast and blood sacrifice.

Natives consider tigers to be much mightier than bears:

Explaining the unusual qualities attributed to tigers, shamanists affirm that tigers (the real animals which live in the taiga) “are not just animals; instead they represent a special species of humans. This attitude is partly similar to the attitude towards bears, as bears are not considered to be animals either, but humans” (Kaplan 1949, p. 61): nevertheless, tigers are considered much mightier than bears. 

https://journals.openedition.org/emscat/3486

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...u_cultures

As I mentioned before in my previous post, in other regions of Siberia and the Far East where brown bears (Siberian & Kamchatka bears) do not co-exist with tigers, the bear is the most prominent animal and considered the 'Master of the taiga' or 'Lord of the taiga'. But this is because in these regions, Amur tigers are non-existent as their range is limited to the south of the Far East in the Amur-Ussuri regions, Khabarovsk territories and Manchurian taiga in Northeast China. In these regions and lands, the brown bear is no longer considered as the 'Lord of the taiga', this title is given to the tiger, who the natives view as a much superior, stronger and formidable animal than the brown bear.

Two types of brown bears are found in Siberia: the Siberian brown bear and Kamchatka bear (Not Ussuri brown bears). In these regions, the bear is the most prominent and worshiped animal in the indigenous peoples cultures:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Why does the bear predominately feature among indigenous cultures of Siberia and the Far East, and the tiger features less prominently? ...

Because the Amur tigers are found only in the Amur-Ussuri regions and in the Khabarovsk regions where it is commonly called: "King of the taiga". In these regions of the taiga, where the brown bear shares its range with the tiger, the bear is no longer viewed as the mightiest and most powerful animal. The tiger is, and is regarded by all the indigenous peoples, tribes and cultures as the undisputed lord and king of the taiga that reigns supreme over all animals of the forest:

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/S...frontcover


The well-known Russian zoologist, hunter and naturalist, Baikov, a man who respected the brown bears strength, stated: "In the Manchurian taiga, the tiger is master. He rules without any opposition - except that of man"...

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=eB8Z...wQ6AEIKzAA

Note, huge brown bears also live in the Manchurian taiga, but Baikov still says the tiger is the master and rules without any opposition.

In the forest, the Brown bear meets the Ussuri tiger - that mightiest beast of prey on our planet:

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=V54a...ey&f=false

"The tiger does not sleep in winter, he is the king in the Ussuri taiga."

https://vl.aif.ru/society/lyudoed_zhil_p...asnyy_zver


There's also a tiger, the King of the Ussuri taiga:

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pQ3y...ga&f=false


Like all aboriginal hunters, Dersu feared the tiger's immense strength and ferocity but also revered it as the very breath and spirit of the taiga. These Tungus peoples considered it a near-deity and sometimes addressed it as "Grandfather" or "Old Man." The indigenous Udege and Nanai tribes referred to it as "Amba" or "tiger" (it was only the white strangers—the Russians—who translated that word as "devil"). To the Manchurians, the tiger was Hu Lin, the king.

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes....igers.html

https://archive.org/details/tigersinsnow...f+the+snow

The white European Russians of the Far East also regard the tiger as 'King of the taiga':

A bronze monument to the Amur tiger, reading "To the King of the Taiga", the Amur tiger, and the caring people who guard him,” was unveiled in Vladivostok.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://programmes.putin.kremlin.ru/en/tiger/news/24914

https://www.rgo.ru/en/article/master-tai...e-who-care

"Our tiger is not just a big wild cat, but a special, almost mystical animal," says Fomenko. - It is he who rules the ball in the Far Eastern taiga, here he is the real king of nature."

https://aif.ru/society/nature/car_v_polo...aya_koshka

Li Dongwei, a Chinese forest ranger & wildlife protector states:

"I especially like Siberian tigers. They're the king in the mountains and forests. Protecting them is protecting ecology," he said.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://www.news.cn/english/2021-10/18/c_1310251310.htm


You see, wherever the tiger inhabits, its widely regarded by all the people (natives, locals, hunters, biologists, rangers, researchers etc) as the 'Lord of the forest' that dominates all other animals. Despite the sheer size, strength and power of the brown bear, the tiger is viewed as the superior and more formidable beast.

Also keep in mind, most Russian biologists and experts favour the male tiger in a fight against a very large male brown bear.

Conclusions:  Why is the tiger regarded as the Lord of the Amur-Ussuri & Manchurian taiga forests?

1) The Amur tiger is the apex predator of the taiga, at the top of the food chain and ecological pyramid.

2) Tigers regularly hunt and kill both brown bears and black bears, and adult bears are frequently taken. (Summer & autumn)

3) Tigers regulate the number of brown bears in Primorye (Russia) and Northeast China. (Taipinggou Reserve)

4) Tigers are by far the most feared beast by all animals throughout their entire range in the wild.

5) Tigers are considered by the natives & locals to be much mightier, stronger and powerful than brown bears.

6) Tigers win most head-on fights against brown bears.

7) Bears, in general, fear tigers.

Now the question is, where did the administrator of the bear forum, hear that the Ussuri brown bear is the "dominant beast" and "Boss of the woods" in the Ussuri taiga forests ??  Based on what evidence?  According to which expert, biologist or zoologist??  According to which native tribe in this region?

Or is he making stuff up again, like he always does? Reply