Animal World

chordata

Vertebrate subfamily

mammal

Subclasses of animals

The real beast went down to the classroom.

Carnivora

Cat suborder (Cat superfamily; Cat super family)

felid

subspecies

tiger

Subspecies: (8 subspecies)

Page (abbreviation of page) Tigris Bengal subspecies

Page (abbreviation of page) Altai tiger-Far East subspecies (Siberian tiger)

Page (abbreviation of page) t. corbetti- Indian Genna subspecies (Indian zhina Tiger)

Page (abbreviation of page) Sumatran tiger-Sumatra subspecies

Page (abbreviation of page) Trypanosoma Xiamen subspecies of South China

Page (abbreviation of page) t. sondaica-Java subspecies

Page (abbreviation of page) Baltic t. baltica- Bali subspecies

Page (abbreviation of page) Virginia tiger-Caspian subspecies (Xinjiang tiger)

Appear: unknown

Extinction: Bali subspecies became extinct in the 1920s.

Java subspecies became extinct in the 1950s.

Caspian subspecies became extinct in 1970s.

At present, there are only five subspecies in the world, namely Bengal tiger, Indian zhina tiger, Northeast tiger, Sumatra tiger and South China tiger. Among the existing five subspecies, China has four subspecies (Northeast Tiger, South China Tiger, Bengal Tiger and Southeast Asian Tiger), but the total number ranks at the bottom of the world.

[Edit this paragraph] Four kinds of tigers in China

Siberian tiger

Northeast Tiger refers to all tigers that are produced in China, Russian Far East and North Korea. Originally distributed in Siberia, Far East, Korean Peninsula, Northeast Plain and North China Plain. At present, China is only distributed in Jilin Province and Heilongjiang Province, but the range of habitats is already very small. In the wild, they mainly live in forests, jungles and overgrown places, especially in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests. There is no fixed nest. I like living alone. Every tiger has a certain place. Night activities, good at swimming, 6 ~ 8 km wide river, easy to cross. In terms of size, the Siberian tiger is the largest and most beautiful subspecies. The male tiger can reach 2.6 meters in length and 200 kilograms in weight. The whole body hair is light yellow and long, with sparse markings. The chest, abdomen and inner limbs are white hair, and the tail is thick and dotted with black rings. Hunting by sight and hearing. When hunting, wait in ambush or sneak up on the prey carefully. Then grab the prey by biting the key parts of the nape of the neck, kill it and drag it to a hidden place to eat. Wild animals mainly prey on wild boar and herbivores. Estrous mating in winter, pregnancy 105 ~ 1 10 days, 2 ~ 4 offspring per fetus, sexual maturity of 4 ~ 5 years, life span of 20 ~ 25 years. It is a national first-class protected animal.

South China tiger

South China Tiger, also known as Chinese Tiger, is a specialty of China. This subspecies is widely distributed in South China, East China, Central China, Southeast China and Southwest China, but it is rare in the wild. Living in wild mountains, bushes and overgrown places. Sex is lonely and intense. Living habits are similar to those of the Northeast Tiger. In the wild, they mainly prey on wild boar, yellow meat, deer and so on. There is no fixed breeding season. The gestation period is 100 ~ 106 days, and each fetus has 2 ~ 4 offspring. Sexually mature at 3 ~ 4 years old, with a life span of 20 years. South China tiger is smaller than Northeast tiger. Short hair; Dense patterns and dark colors; The tail has the most black spots. Belonging to the national first-class protected animals, it is now facing extinction and is one of the most endangered animals in the world.

Bengal tiger

Bengal tiger, also known as South Asian tiger, is distributed in Myanmar, India, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries. In China, it is mainly distributed in Yunnan and eastern Tibet. This kind of tiger lives in forests, mountains, hills and other natural environments. Nocturnal walking mainly feeds on ungulates such as wild boar and deer, and occasionally attacks people and livestock. There is no fixed breeding season. The gestation period is 100 ~ 106 days, and each fetus has 2 ~ 4 offspring. Sexually mature at 3 ~ 4 years old, with a life span of about 20 years. Bengal tiger is smaller than Northeast tiger, bigger than South China tiger, with short hair and narrow and dense black stripes.

Southeast Asian tiger

Indo-Chinese tigers are smaller and darker than Bengal tigers, and their stripes are short and narrow. The average length of male Indo-Chinese tiger is 2.7m from beginning to end, and its weight is about 180 kg. The female Indo-Chinese tiger is small, estimated to be about 2.4 meters long and weighs nearly 1 15 kg. Indo-Chinese tigers feed on wild boar, deer and bison. The size of this tiger's territory is unknown, but in an ideal habitat, there are usually 4 to 5 adult tigers per 100 square kilometer. There is a small distribution in China, which is a national first-class protected animal.

[Edit this paragraph] Tiger species

White tiger is a variety of Bengal tiger. Due to gene mutation, Bengal tiger hair with orange and black stripes turned into black stripes on a white background. The first wild Bengal white tiger was discovered and captured in India in 195 1 and named Mohan. Hundreds of existing white tigers in the world are their descendants.

White tiger is very popular in zoos and circuses all over the world because of its special color and high ornamental value. Siegfried and Roy, the famous performing groups in Las Vegas, are famous for their white tiger performances.

"white" gene

Bengal white tiger is often mistaken for albinism, but it is not. A truly albino tiger has no stripes. Bengal white tiger has normal black or dark brown stripes. White tiger has white hair because of gene mutation. The mutated gene is recessive, that is to say, only a pair of white tigers mate can definitely give birth to white tiger offspring. However, when a white tiger mates with a non-white tiger, the probability of giving birth to a small white tiger is only about one quarter.

It is known that only Bengal tiger has the above recessive gene, but many white tigers raised artificially at present are hybrids of Bengal tiger and Northeast tiger. Due to the limited gene pool, the offspring of a pair of white tigers often have many health problems, such as strabismus and weak resistance.

history

The first wild Bengal white tiger was found in India in 195 1 year by the local indigenous king Martan Singh, while Martan was hunting. The little white tiger was only 9 months old when it was found. Martan took this special tiger back to the palace and named it Mohan, which means "confusing". Since then, there have been some reports of witnessing white tigers in the wild, but none of them have been confirmed.

Historically, documents of China, South Korea, Nepal and some Southeast Asian countries have also recorded words about white tigers. In China, the white tiger has become a sacred object, and it will only appear when the emperor is virtuous or the world is at peace. Therefore, Chinese mainland Zoo is very keen on raising white tigers and other "auspicious animals". Among the four elephants, the white tiger corresponds to the green dragon, which represents the spirit beast of the west.

[Edit this paragraph] Tiger protection

In recent years, the number of tigers has decreased sharply, and the Siberian tiger, South China tiger and Bengal tiger made in China have reached an endangered level. According to literature reports, there are only more than 200 wild Siberian tigers in the world, and there may be only about 10 wild Siberian tigers in China at present. Plus the national zoo and breeding base, there are only more than 200. There are no more than 10 South China tigers and Bengal tigers living in the wild.

With the reduction of the number of tigers in the world, the voice of protecting tigers around the world is getting louder and louder. In 1970s, WWF began to rescue tigers, and then adopted strict protection measures in India, Siberia and China, and promulgated wildlife protection laws. All three kinds of tigers raised in zoos in China are bred under artificial conditions. Only the Northeast Tiger raised in Beijing Zoo has survived since 1950s 122.

In order to save the South China Tiger, 1995, the Chinese Zoological Society also established the South China Tiger Coordination Committee to coordinate the rescue work of the South China Tiger. At present, more than 30 South China tigers in China Zoo have been included in China's 2 1 century agenda and China's biodiversity protection action plan. From 65438 to 0996, an expert group of IUCN animal reproduction came to China, made a detailed investigation on the current situation of South China tigers in zoos in Shanghai, Chongqing and Suzhou, and adopted measures of artificial rejuvenation. As long as the whole society enhances ecological awareness and relevant departments invest corresponding manpower and funds, there is hope to save this precious species of tiger from extinction.

[Edit this paragraph] The origin of the tiger

How on earth did the tiger originate? We just talked about the leopard that appeared about 5 million years ago. Where did it originate? It originated in Asia and then radiated from Asia. It is generally believed that tigers originated in eastern Asia, especially in China. In our country, it is earlier than other members of the leopard genus, such as lions or leopards, and it first differentiated about two million years ago. China's South China Tiger is unique to China. It is considered as the ancestor of all tigers and a primitive group. Tigers are now divided into eight subspecies, three of which have unfortunately become extinct. First, briefly introduce the distribution of various subspecies: Bengal tiger, distributed in India, Myanmar, Nepal, eastern Tibet and southern Yunnan. Its body color changes greatly, including white and black. The white tiger that we will talk about later is a morphological change of this Bengal tiger. It is not the albino individual that we humans see, it is not an albino individual, but the change of its body color. Its body length is about 1.5m and its weight is 120kg. The female is slightly smaller, about 1.3 meters long and weighs 100 kg.

lion

Chordata phylum->; Vertebrate subfamily->; Mammals->; True beast subclass-> Carnivores->; Schipoda->; Cat super family->; Cat->; Leopard subfamily->; Leopard print-> Lion species

The lion is the only hermaphrodite cat. The lion is very big. According to comprehensive statistics, the average weight of African lions is 185 kg, with a total length of 2.7 meters. They are the most famous cats. Among them, the average male lion in Zimbabwe Nature Reserve 193.3kg, the average female lion 188.4kg, the average female lion 139.8kg, the average male lion 187.5kg and the average female lion 124.2kg in Kruger Park. The average weight of a lioness is 1 19.5 kg, and the weight of a larger male lion in the wild can reach 270 kg. The lion's shoulder height and skull size are the highest among cats. The lion's hair is very short and its body color is light gray, yellow or brown. The difference is that male lions also have long manes, such as light brown, dark brown and black, which extend to the shoulders and chest. The longer the mane, the darker the color. Maybe those guys are handsome and brave in the eyes of the lioness and often attract the attention of' ladies'. The lion has a huge head, a wide face, long nasal bones and a black nose. Lions have short ears and round ears (I noticed that some people confuse a puma with a lioness because they both have the word "lion" in their names. In fact, it can be distinguished from the appearance. The ears of a lioness seem to be short semicircles, while those of a cougar are longer and sharper. In addition, lions belong to leopard subfamily in cats, while cougars belong to cat subfamily, which is very different. The lion's forelimbs are stronger than its hind limbs, and its claws are wide. The lion has a long tail with a bunch of long black hair at the end.

Lions living at the north and south ends of the African continent have more developed manes, extending to the back and abdomen, and are also the largest. However, under the special care of human shotguns, these two subspecies have become extinct one after another. Asian lions in India are smaller and have shorter manes than their African brothers. They are also on the verge of extinction.

Lions used to live in southeast Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. Lions living in Europe were extinct due to human activities around 1 century, while lions living in Asia, especially India, were almost hunted down by British colonists who conquered India at the beginning of the 20th century (completely showing the lewdness of human beings after the poor became rich)! Fortunately, Indians, who have always regarded lions as sacred animals, finally saved them and placed them in Gil National Forest Park in Gujarat, northwest India. There are about 300-400 lions now. After the extinction of Asian lions living in West Asia due to poaching, Jill National Forest became the last habitat of Asian lions. ...

Lions living in Africa are now scattered on the continent from sub-Saharan Africa to northern South Africa. They live in vast grasslands, open woodlands and semi-desert areas, and are also found in mountainous areas with an altitude of 5000 meters in Kenya.

There are many subspecies of lions, and anthropologists have made different classifications of lion subspecies. At present, this site is subject to the domain (1) 13-level classification of Lioncrusher. At present, human beings have extinct two subspecies:

P.l.leo: Barbary lion, living in North Africa, became extinct in 1922.

P.l.melanochaita: The Cape Lion or Cape Lion, living in Cape Province, South Africa, became extinct in 1865.

Unlike other cats, lions are social animals. A lion group usually consists of 4- 12 related lionesses, their children and 1-6 lions. These lions are often related by blood, such as brothers. The size of a lion depends on its habitat and the number of prey. Lions in East Africa tend to be bigger because there is plenty of food there. The largest lion may gather 30 or more members, but most lions maintain about 15 members, and smaller lions are also common. Members of the lions don't always stay together, but they enjoy their territory and get along well with each other. For example, lionesses lick each other's fur, nurse and look after their children, and of course, hunt together.

Hunting in lions is basically done by female members. They can attack no matter day or night, but the success rate is higher at night, especially in windy and dark nights ... Wind generally has little effect on lion hunting, but if there is wind, they may take advantage of it, because the noise made by wind and grass will cover up the sound of these female hunters approaching. These heroines always cooperate with each other, especially when the prey is big. These ladies always quietly surround their prey from all sides and gradually narrow the encirclement. Some of them are responsible for driving away their prey, while others are waiting for an ambush. Although this trick looks very powerful, in fact, their success rate is only about 20%. If the hunting grounds are easier to hide, they will be more likely to succeed. If they are full, they don't have to hunt in five or six days.

Men in lions rarely take part in hunting, but of course they are basically only responsible for "eating". This can't blame their male chauvinism and laziness. On the open grassland, it is not easy to hide exaggerated manes and huge heads. Instead of letting them scare their prey around outside, it is better to go home and be idle. I have a different opinion. On average, a lioness has to have sex hundreds of times to get pregnant, and only one or two eggs are discharged at a time. The male lion will sting the lioness with hooked sex organs. It is conceivable that in order to continue the lion population, how can the male lion be called the glory of Africa except doing nothing from morning till night? )

However, although they don't have children, the lion is still respected by the lioness, so the trophy gained from hunting is usually enjoyed by the lion first, and the lioness with the highest status is the last one.

Lions usually prey on larger prey, such as bison, antelopes, zebras, and even young hippos, elephants and giraffes. Of course, small mammals and birds will not let go. Sometimes they take advantage of their large size to snatch the fruits of other carnivores, such as which leopard is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and even kill each other for it. In addition, they will eat the carrion of animals.

The lioness in the pride is basically stable, and they usually stay in the same pride from birth to death. Of course, the lions will also accept the new lioness. However, lions often rotate. They usually stay in a group of lions for only two years (but there are also records as long as six years). They are either driven away by younger and more attractive men, or bored and leave home to find new relationships and families. Also, the young lion who just grew up will be driven away by the compulsory independence system of lions (I suddenly thought, Khan, irresponsible speculation, I am afraid that the young lion will be forced to be independent for a reason, not the lioness ... because the lioness is a predatory labor force among lions, no fool drives away the labor force, and too many male lions stay in the lions, which is useless except consuming more food. So we have to get rid of those idle young slackers ... well, then ... every lion comes like this, when his wife becomes a woman ... hmm ...: In this way, there will be a lot of homeless lions on the grassland, including young people who are still wet behind the ears, young adventurers who still exude charm, and old people who are defeated and driven away. Sometimes these vagrants act alone and live in the dark, and sometimes they simply form a male support group. Before one of the members conquered another group of lions, they were good buddies who shared weal and woe, wandering around the grassland and tracking the migrating prey groups. It is said that some lions are so skilled and charming that they can control other lions nearby and maintain two "homes" at the same time. Alas, this seems not very kind ... inn. ...

Of course, the male members of the pride bear half of the reproductive tasks (hum! ), but also against vagrants wandering on the grassland, which is not only related to their status in the pride, including mating rights, but also related to the lives of their descendants.

Lions' territories vary in size, such as kalahari desert (does anyone remember anything after seeing this name? The movie Gods must be crazy! ! Lions may get 1 19-275 square kilometers, while lions living in Nairobi National Park will get at most 3 1 square kilometers. The largest territory can exceed 400 square kilometers, and the border is bounded by shit. Sometimes the territories between adjacent lions sometimes overlap, but they rarely use violence to solve this problem. What a reasonable animal.

The lioness in the pride may enter the mating state at any time, and the lioness is always in sync. This strange and interesting phenomenon has not been fully understood by scientists. However, this ensures that the children in the lion group are basically the same age, and each mother can breastfeed different children. When some mothers go out hunting, the remaining mothers will be duty-bound to look after all the children. Moreover, the barren lioness will take care of the lion's children, lick their fur and play with them.

The gestation period of a lioness is usually100-19 days, and each time there may be 1-6 babies (usually 2-4). The baby was born with ochre spots, especially on the abdomen and legs. Babies begin to eat meat when they are four weeks old, which is usually half digested by their mothers. At the age of 6 or 7 months, it was basically weaned, and the spots on the body slowly disappeared. However, a few guys have been carrying this spot until adulthood, although it is not clear. Children usually grow up to about 2 years old with their mothers, and then boys face serious independence problems. But to be sexually mature, girls should be 2-3 years old and boys should be 5-6 years old. At that time, the youth independent group was mixed up for several years, and it was strong enough to fight with other lion men ~ ~ but 70%-80% of the children didn't live to be two years old. It depends on the food and, of course, the lion killer. If successful male lions want to kill their cubs over 6 months old, their mothers will try their best to take them away from the lions. Lions in captivity can live for more than 30 years.

Of course, the lion's biggest "heavenly" enemy is modern humans armed to the teeth (I'm afraid even an angry domestic cat can't beat a completely unarmed human! )。 Moreover, most of their hunting has nothing to do with survival, just to satisfy the abnormal desire to kill. It is under its impetus that two subspecies of Africa are inexplicably extinct, while Asian lions are almost extinct. Now this abnormal behavior is finally much less. However, African lions now face habitat loss and diseases. Outbreaks of grassland infectious diseases can kill thousands of animals in a short time, such as tuberculosis and feline AIDS (FIV). In my impression, the veterinary community already has a vaccine for cat AIDS, but I don't know if it can be applied and how effective it is.

Asian lions also face habitat problems. More than 300 Asian lions are crowded in the 1400 square kilometer reserve, which is really stressful. It is said that there are plans to transfer some Asian lions to other protected areas so that other lions can survive in case of disease outbreaks or other disasters. However, it is really difficult to implement such a plan in this country with huge population pressure. According to the current situation, Asian lions are listed in Appendix I of CITES, and African subspecies are listed in Appendix II.

Lions are generally carnivores.