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.
That is a very old email that, apparently, was an answer of Dr Dale Miquelle to an old user named Waveriders. We have no idea if that email is correct or even real, but the description says that the animal itself was placed in a straight line and latter they put the tape along the body, which was already in a straight form, reducing the curves. So is a mix between "straight line" and "over curves", which means that the difference with the method "straight" was probably no more than 10 cm. After all modern scientists do not search for "records" but for reliable information.
The pictures that I have saw of tigers been measured in the Russian Far East seems to confirm that mix of methods, and that is why in my comparative images I add the label "along the curves" in the figures of the Amur tiger.