Post
by dbhguru » Wed Nov 23, 2011 9:07 am
Neil,
Thanks for posting this. The Amur (or Siberian) tiger is one of my all time favorite animals. It is an awesome predator. It is interesting to observe how often one sees the tiger as a symbol in Asian culture, from Thailand east to Japan. The species once roamed all the way west to Iran. While tigers there have long been gone there, genetic analysis has shown that the Caucasian subspecies is the same as the Siberian. The original home of the species is disputed, although China is frequently mentioned. It is fascinating to consider why stripes evolved in the tiger, whereas the lion developed a solid, tawny coat. In Asia, they often occupied the same habitat.
Interestingly, the big cats present us with another area where measuring often goes awry. Measuring for height and length and weighing big cats presents obvious challenges well beyond what we accept in NTS with trees, but the comparison is valid in terms of the propagation of misinformation. I once remember a nature show on the Asiatic lion, which is almost extinct except for a small area in India, the Gir Forest. The program was discussing the challenges to survival faced by the lions in Gir. One threat mentioned was competition with tigers. The program showed a lone tiger walking, probably a male around 375 lbs, judging by its appearance. It was lank. The narrator said that the tiger, "weighing a hundred lbs more than the lion, could easily kill the latter." Foolish statements and comparisons such as these seem to be the norm in nature shows targeted for the general public. There probably isn't much difference in the average weights for the two species in that area of India, and male lions are incredible fighting machines. I wouldn't bet money either way on the outcome of a brawl.
I still hope you'll consider stuffing us into your luggage on your next trip to the Orient. All my travels there were courtesy of Uncle Sam. Not the same thing.
Bob
Robert T. Leverett
Co-founder, Native Native Tree Society
Co-founder and President
Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest
Co-founder, National Cadre