Species of the week: Siberian tiger

Species of the week:
Siberian Tiger also known as Amur tiger ( Panthera tigris altaica)

1. It's a tiger subspecies usually found in small mountain ranges in the Russian Far East.
2. It is the largest tiger and in fact the largest cat species and it stands 112 to 120 cm tall and weigh from  118 kg (females) to 177 kg (males) with the heaviest recorded to be 222 kg.
3. A key habitat for the tigers are the Korean pine broadleaf forests and can be usually found in a mixture of decideous-coniferous and boreal forests.
4. They mostly feed on deer but will feed on smaller species such as salmon,rabbits hares and pikas.
5. They have been known to hunt bear as well when the ungulate population declines. Bears constitute about 5-8% of the Siberian tiger's diet.
6. Siberian tigers are also known for suppressing wolf numbers to the point of wolf numbers being very low or even extinct.
7. Mating occurs throughout the year and gestation period lasts 90-105 days.
8. Although litter size is 1-6 cubs usually 2-4 cubs are born.
9. Female cubs stay with their mother and will either share the territory or get some next to their mother, while males will disperse to find mates.
10. Siberian tigers are listed as "Endangered"on the IUCN Red List.