Where are they found?
The Amur tiger (previously know as the Siberian tiger) are found in Korea, China and the east coast of Russia to the edge of Siberia. It is probably extinct in Korea and nearly so in China. A thriving population of wild Siberian Tigers remain in Ussuriland, Russia and along the Sikhoteb Alin Mountain Range. Tigers are territorial animals, requiring a large home range of 500-620 square miles. They like to live in mixed deciduous and coniferous forests preferably in mountain areas.

What are they?
A Mammal. Largest of the living cat related animals.

What do they look like?
The Siberian Tiger has a length of 8-10 feet. It weighs 500-700 pounds (the males are larger). Their coat is long, thick and yellowish. It is reddish in summer, without any red in the winter. It has a white belly and its tail is white and black. The ears are black with white spots on the inside.

How long do they live? The average life span is 15 years, although this is generally more in captivity. What do they eat? As carnivores, Tigers will eat whatever they can catch. Wild boar makes up more than half the diet. Other prey includes Sika Deer and Elk. A solitary ambush hunter, it uses dense forest tracking down prey in deep snow. Tigers have been spotted prowling coastal beaches when deep snow forces hungry Elk to feed on Ocean Kelp.

Breeding
Mating between Siberian Tigers is restricted to winter months. With a gestation period about 3 and a half months. They have 3-4 cubs, weighing about 2 and a quarter pounds. They are born blind. They follow the mother, and after about 8 weeks can hunt independently. The cubs disperse at 18 months and mature at 3-4 years.

Are they rare?
They are endangered. Commercial trade is prohibited by international law. However, logging laws in Russia is resulting in a huge loss of habitat for these amazing creatures, so extinction is possible.

Did you Know?
The Tiger's striped coat disrupts the outline of its body in dense wooded areas, which makes it an excellent hunter. It has loose belly skin, which allows the animal to remain uninjured if it is kicked by its prey in the stomach.

The Siberian Tiger has a rough tongue designed to peel skin of animal prey away and rasp flesh from bone.