Tigers are basically a single nocturnal animal, but in some protected areas far away from humans, these guys also come out for a walk during the day. Tigers living in the cold north sometimes have to go out to hunt during the day. They usually prey on large mammals, including all kinds of wild deer, sheep, bison and wild boar. Sometimes they catch all kinds of small animals, such as birds, monkeys, fish and so on. It is said that they even eat insects and berries, and occasionally eat grass to help digestion. Sometimes hungry tigers will prey on human livestock and even kill people (human-eating tigers are often poor guys who are old, weak, sick and unable to deal with healthy animals, and this tragedy usually only happens after humans enter the tiger's territory), so they are hated by some humans. If the food can't be eaten, they will also hide the rest, usually in a place not far from the water source, and come back to eat in a few days.
Although tigers live alone and have their own territory, male tigers may often stay with their spouses and children. Adult tigers, especially brothers and sisters, are likely to cooperate with each other for a period of time (whether long-term or not) and enjoy the harvest. Tigers divide their territories by scratching and spraying dung on tree trunks. A male tiger may have more than one female tiger's territory, but the territories between the female tigers may not overlap. The male tiger strictly defends his territory. The territory is too large, and it is inevitable that some people will want to take advantage. In the face of shameless invaders, Xionghu usually pursues the policy of killing without forgiveness, which can also reduce his future competitors. Tigress is generally not so boring. Even if her neighbor dies, she may not explore this field.
Tigers don't like hot weather because they lack sweat glands. When summer comes, they always look for shade to hide. Because of their superb swimming skills, they love swimming very much, and tigers in hot areas especially like to bathe and play in ponds. However, their tree climbing skills are far behind their swimming skills. It is estimated that this is caused by being too big and too heavy. ...
Tigers have no fixed breeding period, but they often look for their sweetheart from June 165438+ 10 to April of the following year. At this time, the tigress may have several suitors. Of course, only the winner can win the love of beauty. The pregnant period of a tigress is about 93 ~ 1 12 days. Generally, it gives birth to 2 ~ 3 babies at a time, and at most it may give birth to 7 babies! Babies usually open their eyes after 6 ~ 14 days, learn to walk in about 20 days, wean from 5 ~ 6 months, and can hunt with their mothers when they are one year old. Although they can be self-reliant, children usually stay with their mothers until they are about 2 years old. Siberian tigers may grow slowly, and even have a record of children staying with their mothers for four years. Generally, when a mother has another group of babies, these older children will leave her mother. Of course, there are a few guys who may still be reluctant to leave. Young female tigers generally mature in 36 ~ 48 months, and male tigers need 48 ~ 60 months. In captive records, the longest-lived tiger lived for 26 years.
So far, eight tiger subspecies have been identified, but three species have become extinct:
Bengal tiger: distributed in Indochina Peninsula, with an estimated number of about 3060 to 4735.
West Asian tiger: distributed in Turkey, Central Asia and West Asia, extinct in1970s.
Northeast Tiger (also known as Northeast Tiger): It is distributed in Heilongjiang and North Korea along the Sino-Soviet border, with an estimated number of about 437 to 506.
Java tiger: distributed in Java Island, Indonesia, extinct in1980s.
South China tigers: distributed in the south of Central China, with an estimated number of about 20 to 30.
Bali Lake: distributed in Bali, Indonesia, 1940s extinct.
Sumatran tiger: distributed in Sumatra, Indonesia, with an estimated number of about 400 to 500.
Southeast Asian tigers: distributed in the Southeast Asian continent, the estimated number is about 1 180 to 1790. & lt/p
The other five tigers are distributed in India, Southeast Asia, China, Northeast China and the Russian Far East. Generally speaking, tigers are forest animals. As long as they are not far away from water, they can also adapt to swamps and grasslands on the edge of woodland. In China, there are four subspecies of tigers, namely Bengal tigers, which are mainly distributed in southern Tibet and western Yunnan; Indosinian tiger, mainly distributed in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan and southwest Guangxi; South China Tiger, a subspecies endemic to China, also called South China Tiger, is distributed in the south of China. After the shocking tiger killing movement in the 1950s and 1960s, it was basically extinct. Northeast Tiger in Hunchun County, Jilin Province.
Tiger head and body length: 1.4 to 2.8 meters; Tail length: 0.6 to 0.9 meters. The Siberian tiger is the largest cat in existence: the male weighs about 180 to 306 kg, and the female weighs about 100 to 167 kg. The habitats of tigers are diverse, and dense vegetation, enough prey and water are the most important living conditions for tigers.
Tigers are carnivores. Hunting all kinds of animals for food, generally used for hunting from dawn to sunset, mainly feeding on large mammals such as pigs, deer, antelopes, buffaloes and Indian bison. Tigers can prey on prey bigger than themselves. A tiger weighing about 100 to 250kg can kill an Indian bison weighing 900kg. Wild pagoda tigers can eat 40 kilograms of meat at a time. Without being disturbed, they usually return to the hunting ground to enjoy the rest of the food within three to six days after catching the prey until the food is exhausted.
Tigers are hunting experts. When they meet prey, they will squat down, seek cover and slowly dive in. When prey comes within the attack range, they will suddenly jump out and attack the back. This is to avoid being hurt by the resistance of measures. The tiger will scratch its prey's back with its claws, drag it to the ground, then bite its throat with sharp canine teeth to suffocate it, or bite off its cervical vertebra until its prey dies. This attack mode is also the most typical attack mode of cats.
Tigers often miss 90% of their prey, which shows that under natural conditions, tigers will not lead to the extinction of prey, nor will they have any important impact on the number of prey communities. However, as human beings continue to destroy the tiger's habitat, cut down and burn plants, and kill animals that tigers depend on for their livelihood, the survival of tigers is threatened.
The distribution range of tigers can be different according to the habitat and prey distribution. Take India as an example, the distribution area is about 500 ~ 1000 square kilometers, and the largest distribution area is located in eastern Siberia, about 10500 square kilometers.
Tigers are different from other cats because they are good at swimming. In the past, a tiger was recorded to swim 29 kilometers.
At the beginning of this century, people thought that there were100000 tigers in Asia, but since then, the number has decreased by tens of percent. So far, there are less than 7,000 wild tigers left to kill tigers for commercial purposes. Their food loss and habitat loss are the main threats facing tigers. The future of tigers depends on whether the existing habitats can be preserved and whether humans can completely curb the crisis of illegal hunting.
Hunters hunt tigers to collect tiger skins, make specimens and decorations, and some people also develop Chinese herbal medicines from tiger body parts. /kloc-at the end of 0/9th century and the beginning of this century, tiger hunting became a sport. 19 1 1 year, in Nepal, 39 tigers were shot and killed by the same people in just 1 1 day. In China, tigers are regarded as "pests" and can even be rewarded with "exterminating pests". During the 30 years from 1940s to 1970s, 3,000 South China tigers were hunted. In the past, obtaining tiger skin was the main reason for killing tigers, but in recent years, killing tigers is to obtain tiger bones, and the problem of killing tigers and taking bones has attracted much attention.
In the past, the Chinese medicine community thought that all parts of the tiger's body could also be used as medicine for medical purposes, but now most of the medicinal uses are out of fashion. In recent years, Chinese medicine mainly uses tiger bone as a medicine to treat rheumatism, and at the same time, it can be pounded into powder to make pills, plasters or soaked in tiger bone medicinal liquor. Starting from 1993, China Pharmacopoeia deleted tiger bone as medicine. However, drugs containing tiger bones are still widely sold in many Asian, European and North American countries.
1997 65438+In February, WWF sponsored a breakthrough conference, during which traditional East Asian pharmaceutical professionals, drug dealers and researchers gathered to discuss with environmentalists the use of other animal bones instead of tiger bones in East Asian pharmaceutical industry. At the meeting, the researchers explained the efficacy of tiger bones in many wild and cultured species, and hoped that China could replace tiger bones with other materials as soon as possible. However, the replaced materials must avoid endangering another wildlife.
The most effective way to combat illegal trade in tiger body parts is to raise users' awareness of protection. Once users are aware of trade restrictions, they must abide by relevant laws. First of all, let them know about tigers and encourage them to join the ranks of tiger rescue, including prohibiting the use of tiger body parts and derivatives.
With the increase of population in tiger habitat, housing, agriculture and other human activities have led to the decrease of tiger habitat. Not only has the area shrunk, but even the wild areas in the past have become fragmented and difficult to be used as tiger habitats. At present, 5000-7000 tigers are scattered in more than 60 small communities in/kloc-0. Some distribution areas have been destroyed by human chopping wood and hunting tigers' prey, which may lead to a decrease in the number of tigers and their inability to reproduce. At present, the habitats of South China tigers are scattered. Although there have been some active rescue plans to connect some small habitats into large protected areas, I am afraid they have not been successfully implemented before these tiger subspecies are completely extinct.
The killing of wild animals by human beings leads to the reduction of food for tigers, which poses a serious threat to tigers, and the situation in large protected areas is no exception. Studies have shown that if the number of prey per square kilometer is less than the standard of 2 ~ 5 animals, it is difficult for tigers to breed successfully. 199 1, the World Wide Fund for Nature sponsored a study on the South China Tiger. The results showed that although no tigers were killed in the nature reserve, killing pigs and deer in the nature reserve threatened the survival of tigers. The reduction of tiger food is also an important problem in other protected areas. At the same time, grazing livestock in the reserve not only leads to competition between livestock and wild animals for food, but also greatly reduces the vegetation where tigers and prey hide, and these livestock may also be indirectly infected with diseases and wild animals. With the decrease of tiger food, the distribution of tigers will become more and more dispersed, and the number of tigers will also decrease because human activities affect the ecology of protected areas and adjacent areas.
To protect tigers, it is necessary to completely stop the trade of hunting tigers and their body parts and preserve the existing tiger reserves. In order to ensure that these beautiful creatures can continue to reproduce, it is necessary to expand the action of protecting tigers. Determining a large-scale "tiger sanctuary", including main habitats and complete prey communities, is the first step to effectively implement the protection work. After that, innovative management planning is needed to balance the contradiction between residents' needs and tigers in the region. These are all major challenges that mankind must face when it enters the 2 1 century.
Tigers are extremely unlucky in modern times. People covet products such as tiger bones and skins, and are disgusted with them because they prey on domestic animals (few tigers eat people). In the past, humans didn't have much ability to "change" nature, especially not many powerful destructive weapons, so tigers lived in peace with other animals in the world. In modern times, when humans claim to be the masters of nature, everything changes ... Here is a brief introduction to the number of five surviving subspecies.
South China tiger
Xiamen Tiger, also known as South China Tiger, is a subspecies endemic to China, and is a national first-class protected animal. It was originally the most widely distributed tiger species in China, with the largest number, the smallest size and the oldest qualification. There is only one kind of tiger in the world, both of which are produced in Asia. /kloc-There were eight subspecies of Bengal tiger, Northeast tiger, Java tiger, South China tiger, Li Haihu, Balihu tiger and Sumatra tiger in the 0/9th century, but the last three subspecies became extinct one after another. China's Xinjiang tiger (which subspecies is unknown) became extinct in the early 20th century.
Modern tiger fossils first appeared in Gonggongling, Lantian, Shaanxi. The estimated time is the early Middle Pleistocene, that is, about 600,000 years ago. 1998 Academician Qiu Yuxiang of the Institute of vertebrate paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of Chinese Academy of Sciences thinks that the earliest tiger fossil found in China may be the ancient Chinese tiger (Pantheratigrispalaeosinensis) about 2 million years ago (including red soil). Pantheratigrispalaeosinensis was built by Swedish paleontologist Danschi in 1924. This specimen was unearthed at No.38 site in Langou, Mianchi, Henan Province, and a new specimen was recently unearthed in Gansu Province. At present, there are only three skulls in the world, one is abroad and the other two are in Beijing. From 65438 to 0967, a famous feline scientist, Professor Hemmer of Gutenberg University in Germany, wrote a paper and discussed the nature of this species in detail. After a very detailed study, Professor Hemmer thinks that most of the features are close to tigers, but some of them are also unique to leopards. He also thinks that the tiger in ancient China should be a subspecies of tiger.
Pantheratigrisamoyensis was named by German zoologist Hilzheimer in 1905 according to five tiger skull specimens in Hankou (present-day Wuhan). The name amoyensis is the Latin term for amoy (Xiamen), because the South China Tiger was first discovered by an American biologist in Xiamen Island. The skull of South China tiger is obviously smaller than that of Northeast tiger and Indian tiger, and the average length of male tiger's skull is only 318 mm. ..
South China Tiger lives in the south-central part of China, and it is the smallest subspecies of tiger. The male South China Tiger is about 2.5 meters long and weighs about 149 ~ 225 kg, while the female is smaller, about 2.3 meters long and weighs about 90 ~ 120 kg. Compared with Bengal tiger and Northeast tiger, the spacing between short and wide stripes of South China tiger is larger. The pregnant period of the female South China tiger is about 103 days, and she can give birth to two or three cubs at a time on average. Tigers can learn to hunt in less than two years old, and they can reproduce at the age of three or four. South China tigers are in an endangered state, with about 20 wild tigers distributed on isolated islands and few prey. 1996, the south China tiger was listed as one of the "endangered" and extremely endangered ten species in the IUCN Red Book.
The reason why the South China tiger is on the verge of extinction is the killing in the 1950s and the "extermination" campaign in the 1960s. /kloc-in the winter of 0/956, Fujian troops and militia killed 530 butch and leopard. In this campaign, more than 50 tigers/kloc-0 were killed in Nanchang, Jiujiang, Ji 'an and Fuzhou. /kloc-in the winter of 0/959, more than 30 butch and leopard were killed in Guizhou. 1963 killed 17 tigers in northern Guangdong, killed 17 tigers in Leizhou Peninsula. From 1953 to 1963, a professional tiger team killed more than 130 butch in eastern Guangdong, western Fujian and southern Jiangxi. As a "pest", tigers are a fatal blow to South China tigers.
Compared with the Northeast Tiger, the fate of the South China Tiger is much worse. 1In February, 959, the Ministry of Forestry issued an order to list the South China tiger as a pest similar to bears, leopards and wolves, and called on hunters to "go all out to kill"; Siberian tigers are listed as protected animals like pandas, golden monkeys and gibbons. They can be captured alive, but they cannot be killed.
1In September, 1962, the State Council issued instructions on the protection and rational utilization of wildlife resources, and listed 19 species of animals as prohibited hunting and hunting animals, which were protected in some areas. The South China Tiger was once again excluded. 1In May, 973, the Ministry of Agriculture banned the hunting of Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers, but allowed the South China tigers to hunt in an annual quota. The quantity controlled every year is based on the principle of "ensuring the continuous growth of quantity in a planned way" by the local agricultural department. However, the number of South China tigers has not increased, but has continued to decrease. 1977 revised the regulations, putting the Siberian tiger at the top of the protected species, and listing the South China tiger and Bengal tiger as the second category of prohibited fishing. However, due to the lack of supporting measures, this regulation cannot be strictly enforced, so that the South China Tiger is on the verge of extinction.
On September 25th, 1998, three South China tigers from Suzhou Dongyuan Management Office Zoo were airlifted to Xiamen, and then all the dust was transported to Meihua Mountain, a national A-level nature reserve in western Fujian, which opened the prelude for China to save this endangered tiger species.
It is generally believed that the wild South China tiger has become extinct in the world. However, an expert group headed by Professor karl koller from the university of idaho Institute of Zoology in the United States, after visiting the Hu Ping Mountain in recent years, was pleasantly surprised to find traces of frequent activities of the wild South China tiger, such as hanging claws, tiger dung, tiger hair, etc., and confirmed that one of the footprints was the footprints of the wild South China tiger.
In their research report, they said that the wild South China tiger population still exists in this primitive forest area, and Hu Ping is the most suitable habitat for the South China tiger. Mr Liao and other protectors in China have made "great contributions".
Hu Ping is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, with its main peak nearly 2 100 meters above sea level. It is less affected by the tertiary seawater immersion and the Quaternary glacial movement of the earth, and it is an ideal "refuge" for terrestrial organisms in central and southern China. Up to now, there are 140 kinds of rare animals and plants here, including clouded leopard, leopard, water deer, roe deer, black bear and so on.
Mr. Liao is the director of Hupingshan Natural Resources Management Office. Growing up here, he witnessed Hu Ping from tiger leopard to endangered. "Tigers seldom hurt people. When people meet the tiger, the tiger goes first. However, they suffer from the endless development of mankind. We can't watch the South China Tiger go extinct. "
"The tiger's life span is only 30 to 40 years. If the population had not formed, the last batch of South China tigers would have been extinct long ago, and it is impossible to see them often in recent years, "he said. "According to my observation and investigation, there are 6 to 0 tigers in Hu Ping alone."
Siberian tiger
Alias: Northeast Tiger, Northeast Tiger, Northeast Tiger.
The Siberian tiger is the largest cat in existence, with an average body length 1.8 ~ 2.8m, a tail length of 0.9m, a weight of 227 ~ 272kg, and a maximum recorded weight of over 300kg. It is distributed in the northeast of China and also found in Siberia abroad. Living in forests, shrubs and weeds. Living alone, not settling down, territorial behavior, nocturnal. Keen senses, intense sex, quick action and good swimming. Predate large and medium-sized mammals and occasionally eat small mammals and birds.
Wild Siberian tiger cubs should live with their mothers for 2-3 years, learn hunting skills and then live independently. In winter, the reproductive period is 98 ~ 1 10 days, and each fetus gives birth to 2 ~ 4 animals. They are sexually mature at the age of 3 ~ 4 and have a life span of 20 ~ 25 years.
There are only over 400 wild Siberian tigers, most of which are distributed in Russian, and the number in China is less than 20. There is no trace of the Siberian tiger on the Korean peninsula.
Indo-Chinese tiger: It lives in parts of Southeast Asia and China. Because there are several borders crossing the deep forests where Indo-Chinese tigers live, it is relatively difficult to get in and out of their habitats, which protects their existence. It is speculated that there may be 1 180 ~ 1790 Indochina tigers in the wild.
Bengal tiger (Indian tiger)
Their number is the largest among the other five subspecies. The foresight and outstanding efforts of the Indian government in protecting Indian tigers are admirable. In the 1970s, they formulated a tiger protection plan for India, so they established dozens of nature reserves and put them into practice. Today, there are about 3,500 to 4,000 wild Indian tigers, accounting for about half of the global tiger population. Now the biggest harm to Indian tigers is poachers.
The Sumatran tiger
Living in Sumatra, Indonesia, the current number may be 400 ~ 500.
Because of commercial interests, crazy poaching and the constant destruction of wildlife habitats are the main factors threatening the survival of tigers. In the past few decades, they have suffered a devastating blow and paid the price of their lives for some absurd behaviors of us human beings. The future of tigers is in people's hands. Whether to continue to be short-sighted and greedy and let it die, or to abandon ignorance and try our best to achieve harmony between man and animals, depends entirely on our own choice. You know, as a member of the ecological circle, protecting animals is actually protecting ourselves. The destruction of nature and the extinction of species are like opening Pandora's box. Can human beings bear such a price? ...
Tigers are an extremely important part of China's cultural tradition. For a long time, it has been regarded as a symbol of power and strength and has been revered by people. Tiger is ranked second among the 12 Zodiacs in China, and is regarded as the ruler of all animals in the world. People born in the Year of the Tiger are considered brave, optimistic, tolerant and generous. They live a long life and are good at leading rather than obeying.
The pattern on the tiger's forehead constitutes the word "king" of China. In fact, China's word "king" comes from the tiger. The tiger is the king of the forest, so China people skillfully use the pattern on its forehead as Chinese characters, which means ruler. Today, this word has become one of hundreds of surnames. Tiger is a very masculine animal. It is brave and dignified, and is also considered as the king of mountains. It is said that it can drive away all evil. During the war, soldiers painted tiger heads on their shields to deter the enemy.
In the legend of China, people believe that tigers are extremely powerful animals, and they can drive away three disasters in the family: fire, theft and evil. Tiger paintings are often hung on the wall, facing the gate, so that demons are afraid to go in. Even in contemporary China, some children wear tiger hats and shoes to ward off evil spirits, while others sleep on tiger pillows to make themselves stronger. In the Year of the Tiger, the red word "Wang" is written on children's heads, which seems to enhance their energy and vitality. In early China, tigers were the main animal gods. People think it can drive away the drought. Others think that tigers will turn white in 500 years and then live for 65,438+0,000 years. When they die, its soul will seep into the ground and become amber. This is the origin of the word "amber", which means "the soul of a tiger". Tiger is a symbol of noble prestige, and words such as "taboo" and "silence" can be seen in the early court of China. Tiger symbol: the tiger-shaped wooden block is a symbol of the emperor's direct issuance of military orders; Ancient bandit chiefs also spread tiger skins on their seats to show their supremacy. Chinese tiger idiom: Dragon and tiger leap, tiger gives birth to power, and tiger gives birth to wings.
The image and appellation of the tiger have appeared in songs, dances and plays of past dynasties, such as the drama Tiger Head in Yuan Dynasty, the legendary tiger bag bomb in Qing Dynasty, the tiger bag bomb in Kunqu Opera, Hulao Pass in Peking Opera, Crouching Tiger Ditch and Rouge Tiger. Two of them show the most exciting people and fighting scenes. One is called Donghai Huanggong, which is a popular "corner play" near Chang 'an in Han Dynasty. Ge Hong in the Jin Dynasty recorded this in detail in Miscellanies of Xijing: "Huang Gong, a native of Dongmei, wore a red gold knife when he was young because he failed to control snakes and tigers. He tied his hair with crimson hair and made mountains and rivers, which made him tired of aging Qigong. Excessive drinking cannot restore his skills. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, a white tiger was found in the East China Sea. Huang Gong hated it and was killed by a tiger with a red knife. Sanfu people thought it was a play. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also thought that horns were horses. " It seems that there are still some scruples about the power of tigers here, because people with martial arts and spells like Huang Gong of the East China Sea still haven't hit tigers, and finally lost their lives in vain. Peking Opera adapted from the classical novel Water Margin and other local operas "Song Wu Killing Tiger" also show the struggle between man and tiger, but the result is just the opposite of "Huang Gong in the East China Sea". Song Wu killed the tiger and became a hero. China also has many derogatory terms about tigers. For example, "being a tiger" describes the ugly quality of snobs who have been harmed by tigers and driven to harm others; "Lonely and False Tiger Tiger Tiger" depicts a slave who bullies others. In China's folk fairy tales, there is also a widely circulated story of "tiger learning skills": although the tiger swaggered around in the mountains, it had one of its biggest weaknesses, that is, it could not climb trees. Because a long time ago, tigers didn't have any skills, so they could only learn all kinds of skills from cats. The enthusiastic cat soon taught it various skills such as vertical, jumping, jumping and flapping, and also discovered the fierce and cruel nature of the tiger, leaving a hand in the process of teaching. When the tiger felt that he had completely learned the cat's skills, it uncharacteristically bit off the hand that fed it, and even jumped on it, trying to eat the cat in one bite. The cat, on the other hand, jumped to the top of the tree in no hurry to avoid being blindsided. The tiger crouched under the tree, helpless, and begged the cat to teach him how to climb the tree. Cats are no longer fooled, and tigers can't learn to climb trees at last. Lu You, a great poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote in the note of "Poems on Cattle and Cats in Jiannan": "As the saying goes, cats are uncles of tigers, and tigers teach trees everything." This story satirizes those ungrateful little people who bite the hand that feeds them. As for taking the tiger as a place name, there are countless stories, legends and anecdotes. In the traditional Chinese zodiac culture of China, the Year of the Tiger is a happy festival once every 12 years. As China is one of the most influential countries in the world, its population ranks first in the world. With the continuous migration of population, China people can be found in almost every corner of the world. Wherever they go, they will more or less bring some China traditional culture. The traditional Chinese zodiac culture in China is hard to discard for most overseas Chinese who are far away from home, and it is gradually accepted by other nations in the world. Here, in recent years, this custom of naming years after twelve kinds of animals has not only had a growing influence in Asian countries and Russia, but also quietly spread to European and American countries, especially the origin and legend of the Year of the Tiger, which was widely publicized by various media, making the Year of the Tiger a veritable "Year of the Animal".