In nature, the tiger is undoubtedly a beast at the top of the food chain. In its habitat, most herbivores and some carnivores are its prey. However, the world is full of miracles. In the animal world, although there are few animals at the same level as tigers, it is not without them, such as lions and brown bears.
Siberian tiger
Today, tigers and lions no longer exist in the same field, but brown bears. In the Russian Far East, there is still a great overlap with tigers. In fact, there have been incidents in which tigers preyed on brown bears and brown bears hurt tigers. Today we will focus on Siberia and discuss the confrontation between the two hegemonic classes to see who is better.
Because many international scientists, including experts from the Russian Academy of Sciences, have done a lot of research in the Russian Far East, which has given us many authoritative reference materials.
The Siberian tiger is a very extensive area, but its distribution is limited to the southeast corner, so it has its scientific name? Northeast tiger? Not so accurate, because it sounds like the whole of Siberia. In fact, the distribution of Siberian tigers has never been all over Siberia, whether in the historical stage or in the present era.
The ancients called it? Northeast tiger? Like the South China Tiger, it is a unique tiger species in China. However, when the Qing Dynasty ceded a large amount of land in Outer Manchuria to Russia in 1858, the Siberian tiger was also called a creature that existed in both China and Russia.
Brown bears living in the habitat of Siberian tigers are mainly brown bears/Ussuri brown bears in Kloc-0/7 subspecies. They are huge, some brown bears weigh more than 230 kilograms, and more can reach six or seven hundred kilograms. This monster makes the Northeast Tiger fear the existence of three points.
A research report published in the international wildlife magazine 1973 recorded at least 12 incidents in which brown bears killed tigers and ate them, including many adult male Siberian tigers. If there is any animal in the habitat of the Northeast Tiger that can be regarded as a tough opponent, there is no doubt that there is only a brown bear.
Ussuri brown bear
There is no doubt that the number and physique of contemporary Siberian tigers are not as good as before. In 2005, a group of scientists from the United States, Russia and India jointly published a comparative analysis report on the weight of the contemporary Siberian tiger and its historical period, which caused great repercussions around the world. The experimental individual data they used included tigers over 35 months old, and they were all measured in the presence of the author, so the conclusion is still representative.
It is reported that the weight of the Siberian tiger after 1970 is much smaller than that before the first half of the 20th century. In history, the average weight of male wild Siberian tigers was 2 15.3kg, while that of contemporary wild Siberian tigers was only 176.4kg; in history, the average weight of female wild Siberian tigers was 137.5 kg, while that of female wild Siberian tigers was only1/7.9 kg.
Siberian tiger
Historically, the Siberian tiger was widely distributed, from the whole northeast of China along the Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers to Siberia. In the snowy forest, the Siberian tiger lives freely.
However, since the end of 19, the fate of the Siberian tiger has taken a big turn. With the killing of it by Russia and China, the population of Siberian tigers has declined again and again. So far, there are only more than 700 wild tigers.
In fact, the main reason for the large reduction of the Northeast Tiger is that people kill it at will. For example, in Russia in the early 1990s, 60-70 Siberian tigers were still poached every year.
Nowadays, with the efforts of all parties, the population development of Siberian tiger tends to be stable. More than 95% of the Siberian tigers in the world live in the forests of the Russian Far East, and the number of wild Siberian tigers in China is very small. World Tiger Day? At that time, the academic circles in China published a number: 27! Is the number of wild Siberian tigers in China.
Due to a series of hunting ban measures and environmental protection policies, not only the number of Siberian tigers is on the rise, but also the level of prey in the whole territory is constantly improving. Although there have been many incidents of tigers hunting livestock down the mountain in recent years, it does not mean that tigers lack wild prey.
Northeast tiger distribution area
Wusuli brown bear is mainly a northeast Asian species from Waixing 'anling to northern Liaoning. There are about 500- 1500 wusuli brown bears living in the whole Heilongjiang river basin. Because some parts of their bodies are of great economic value, they are inevitably the targets of illegal poachers.
In habitat selection, Ussuri brown bear and Siberian tiger have the same preference, and they prefer low-altitude forest areas, so there are many conflicts between bears and tigers in the whole habitat. During the period of 1944- 1959, people recorded 32 incidents of Ussuri brown bear being attacked by Northeast Tiger in the Russian Far East.
Due to the difference of micro-habitats, brown bears are more likely to occur with tigers. Encounter? Although in the reported events and people's impressions, most of the people killed by the Siberian tiger were black bears, which is what we often call blind bears. In fact, in terms of probability, brown bears and tigers? Meeting opportunities? Much bigger than a black bear, and more likely to have sex with a Siberian tiger? Encounter? .
Why is this happening? This is related to their micro-habitat. In the whole environment, three species are distributed in the same domain and have a high degree of overlap. However, from their habitat selection, that is, micro-habitat, the preferences of black bears, brown bears and Siberian tigers are inconsistent.
Simply put, black bears prefer woodlands with higher altitudes, while brown bears and tigers prefer to move in forests with lower altitudes. Are they alike? Bunk bed? But compared with the obvious relationship between snow leopard and giant panda? Bunk bed? In terms of relationship, the altitude distribution boundaries of black bear, Siberian tiger and brown bear are much blurred.
In addition, tigers catch bears mostly in autumn and winter for two reasons:
First, in autumn, bears are busy growing autumn pounds. In order to find food, they will make a scene in the forest and attract the attention of tigers. Second, winter is the season when species hibernate, and hibernating bears are more likely to be killed by tigers. Micro-habitat Selection of Black Bear, Brown Bear and Northeast Tiger
In addition, hibernating brown bears are more vulnerable to tiger attacks than black bears, because brown bears like to live in a wider forest environment, and their heavy bodies can't climb trees to avoid attacks.
Secondly, as far as the hole is concerned, black bears are small in size and narrow in entrance, and some big tigers can't get in, while most brown bears are either bigger or similar to tigers. Ussuri brown bear, which is smaller than the Siberian tiger, is not common, so there is no problem that the tiger can't get into the brown bear hole.
Brown bears are more likely to meet tigers, not only because of the differences in micro-habitats, but also because they are more afraid of tigers than black bears. Because the black bear is small in size and poor in fighting capacity, it will be very vigilant once it finds the trace of the tiger, and it will take a detour when it sees the Siberian tiger from a distance.
Although most brown bears are also afraid of tigers, a small number of heavier bears are not afraid of tigers. For example, during the research of Russian Academy of Sciences 1970- 1973, researchers nikolayev and Yudakov recorded an incident in which a brown bear was not afraid of the Siberian tiger in the central and western areas of the Xihot-Alin Mountains. Although they know that there are Siberian tigers and brown bears still haven't changed their course of action, but
From the analysis of prey preference, tigers have little chance to prey on brown bears. Although bears are caught by tigers in Northeast China, especially in autumn and winter, judging from their diet structure, bears are obviously not the main food source for tigers.
There are many ungulates living in the habitat of the Northeast Tiger, such as red deer, wild boar, sika deer, fragrant roe, Siberian impala and so on. In a survey on the population relationship between Siberian tigers and wolves, there is an analysis on the preference of Siberian tigers for prey. This study shows that red deer is the biggest source of prey for tigers, followed by wild boar.
The researchers also found that their distribution range is closely related to the distribution of red deer in the eastern part of the West Hoth-Alin Mountains.
Predation preference of Siberian tigers and wolves
Tigers are forest predators, with huge size and huge appetite. A three-year study of Siberian tigers found that even in summer, the average daily food intake of Siberian tigers reached 7.89 kilograms, and they preyed on prey every 7.4 days. In winter, the data increased, the average daily food intake increased to 10.3kg, and the predation frequency increased to 5.7 days.
In addition, once the tigress enters lactation, the frequency of predation will be greater, and the demand for food will be more, even increasing by 50%.
Scientists studied a tigress, Vavala? Have a baby? The behavioral differences before and after calving showed that the average range of activities of the tigress was reduced from 500 square kilometers before calving to 180 square kilometers. At the same time, it moves faster, preys more frequently, and prefers large prey in prey selection.
Starting from the feeding habits of tigers, red deer, wild boar, fragrant roe and moose. In the habitat, it undoubtedly meets the requirements of the Northeast Tiger.
Behavior changes of tigress Vavala before and after delivery.
Although Ussuri brown bear is an omnivore, it is not a mainstream predator, but with its huge weight, it is a representative of Siberian Haoheng. In addition, if there is meat to eat, brown bears don't choose.
In the diet structure of Ussuri brown bear, vegetarians occupy the mainstream. In spring, they feed on branches and buds, ants and insects. In summer, they feed on berries and fish. In autumn, brown bears will increase their food intake to prepare for the next hibernation, which means that they will increase their food intake and take the initiative to hunt prey and pick up carrion more frequently. This is also autumn and winter.
Judging from the diet structure of Northeast Tiger and Wusuli Brown Bear, the huge difference makes them have little competition for survival resources. In fact, in the habitat of the Northeast Tiger, the wolf is its biggest competitor, and the Northeast Tiger will also actively inhibit the development of the wolf. Northeast tigers catch bears for two reasons. One is for? Eat? The second is to reduce the potential threat of cubs.
During the research of the Northeast Tiger Project of Russian Academy of Sciences, people recorded nine incidents in which the Northeast Tiger preyed on bears, six of which were Ussuri brown bears.
According to the analysis of the tiger's prey and feces, it was found that bears accounted for 7. 1% of the tiger's food source, and brown bears accounted for 1% of the Northeast tiger's food source, indicating that the Northeast tiger did not take the Ussuri brown bear as its main prey.
The brown bear killed the tiger and the big tiger fought back. The Siberian tiger can prey on the Ussuri brown bear. Does this mean that this is a suppression of the entire species? Obviously not. In fact, the brown bears hunted by the Northeast Tiger are mostly smaller females and cubs. Tigers will kill them and drag them out of their caves in winter, especially in the season when the number of ungulates is small, tigers tend to attack bears more frequently.
Of course, the Ussuri brown bear is not easy to mess with. As one of the largest brown bears, some large adult male brown bears are similar in size to Kodiak brown bears.
During the period of 1944- 1959, although 32 tiger attacks on Ussuri brown bear were recorded in the Russian Far East, during the same period, four incidents in which Ussuri brown bear killed mother tiger and young tiger were also observed.
In the research on the interspecific relationship among brown bear, Siberian tiger and black bear in Schott-Alin Nature Reserve, 44 conflicts between Siberian tiger and Ussuri brown bear were recorded by wireless telemetry technology, in which 22 brown bears were killed, but 12 was also killed by Northeast tiger, indicating that Ussuri brown bear has the ability to fight against Northeast tiger, especially adult male brown bear, with a weight of 30%. Big guy? Even in the confrontation with the male tiger, it is likely to be in an advantage.
Ussuri brown bear
According to a study by WCS (International Wildlife Conservation Society), Siberian tigers account for 0.5% of brown bears' diet structure, which is only half less than that of brown bears, indicating that some brown bears really have the ability to hunt tigers.
Generally speaking, tigers killed by brown bears are mostly young tigers, and some are seriously pregnant or smaller females. Tigers are solitary cats. When they are just sexually mature, they will leave the tigress and live alone. At this stage, although they are not old enough, they are still in the growth and development stage, and their survival experience is not rich enough. At this time, tigers don't have the strength to beat adult brown bears.
After investigating the death of 14 tiger cubs, it was found that three of them were killed by brown bears, and the tiger cubs were completely at a disadvantage in front of the huge Wusuli brown bear.
Based on the physical data, this paper analyzes the difference of fighting power between bear and tiger, and then compares the examples and research results of Ussuri Brown Bear and Northeast Tiger. Hardware? . As far as weight is concerned, there is a great difference between male and female, whether it is brown bear or Siberian tiger. For example, the ultimate progressive value of contemporary male tigers is 222.3 kg, while the average weight of female tigers is only 1 17.9 kg, which is very different.
The individual weight difference of brown bears is more obvious. In 2003, it was reported that the smallest female bear weighed 1.20kg, and the largest male bear weighed 32 1kg. Even according to the average weight, the weight difference between male and female brown bears is about 70 kilograms, so we are making a comparison? Hardware? We must start from four dimensions: two animals and two sexes.
In terms of weight, as mentioned above, the weight of the contemporary Siberian tiger has dropped seriously. The average weight of male tiger is only 176.4kg, and that of female tiger is 1 17.9kg.
Ussuri brown bear is very important in Xiong Ke family. The average weight of male bears can reach 264kg, and that of female bears is 189kg. Although this weight can't be compared with the polar bear, Kodiak brown bear and Alaskan brown bear in Xiong Ke, it is more than enough compared with the contemporary Northeast Tiger, so the Northeast Tiger can't dominate in weight, but the weight advantage is very important in the battle of wild animals.
Comparison of some data between Siberian tiger and brown bear
Tigers have the most professional teeth and claws among carnivores. The length of canine teeth is 7.6-9. 1 cm, and the visible part is 4-6 cm. Bite quotient is 129.5438+0 kg. What concept? That is, a tiger weighing 177.8kg has a bite force of 2 164.7 Newton on its canine teeth.
Although the brown bear is an omnivore, it also has a job? Carnivorous equipment? The canine teeth are sharp and not short, and the visible part can reach 3-6 cm. But compared with tigers, brown bear's claws are not suitable for fighting, they are long and blunt, and they are more like being born for digging.
In addition, the bite force quotient of brown bear is 90.3, which is much worse than that of tiger. Even if the brown bear weighs 25 1.2 kg, the dog's bite force is only 1.894.9 Newton, which is even smaller than that of the tiger.
Ussuri brown bear is digging.
In addition, from the perspective of life habits, tigers live a life of eating and drinking blood. In the long process of evolution, tigers have honed their hunting skills to the extreme, and adopted different attack methods for different prey in order to achieve the most efficient hunting. There is no doubt that tigers are very professional in hunting prey.
Ussuri brown bear is more like a lazy opportunistic predator, with great strength, but eats some small animals such as berries and insects. Therefore, although the Northeast Tiger is not dominant in weight, it can regain many points from other hardware and combat methods.
Northeast tiger preys on wild boar
Conclusion: No matter based on facts or theoretical analysis, the suppression of Ussuri brown bear by Siberian tiger is obviously greater than that of brown bear. However, we should also know that the female tiger has no advantage in the face of the big brown bear, and even some smaller males still have no advantage in the face of the adult big brown bear, but generally speaking, the Northeast tiger has more advantage than the Ussuri brown bear in the confrontation, that is, us.
In the final analysis, as a predator standing at the top of the food chain, tigers will not allow more powerful predators to exist in their habitats. If there is, it won't be said that the tiger is a beast at the top of the food chain.
Ussuri brown bear
Although the Ussuri brown bear is tough, it is not the main predator in the Russian Far East, and its main diet is vegetarian. Even after August, the proportion of meat has increased, but the main contribution value is fish, and fishing is not a fighting skill at the table, so from this aspect alone, the tiger is even more heroic.
But as my topic says, this is a confrontation between two hegemonic levels, and the difference in strength is not obvious. The result is only within a millimeter. Generally speaking, the Siberian tiger is the kind with more than a millimeter.