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The Siberian Tiger (also known as the Amur, Manchurian, or North China Tiger) is currently the largest species of naturally occurring feline. The Siberian Tiger is almost totally confined to a very restricted part of eastern Russia, the Amur-Ussuri region of Primorski and Khabarovski, a location it shares with the Siberian leopard, where they are now being actively protected. About 10% of siberian tiger populations reside in China.
Tiger population in the Sikhote-Alin was 250 in 1992, increasing to 350 as of 2004, despite significant losses of cubs due to car accidents on the single road that crosses their territory. Illegal poaching has been brought under control thanks to frequent road inspections. It is rumoured that there are still around 20 of these tigers in the Mount Changbai area of China.
As the total population of these tigers fell to 150 in the wild, many subpopulations are possibly not genetically viable, subject to potentially catastrophic inbreeding. However, Russian conservation efforts have led to a revival of the subspecies, and the number of individuals in the Primorsky region of Russia has risen from 450 to 500 in the past decade, indicating positive growth.
The Siberian Tiger can weigh as much as 650lb (300 kg). In years past, scientists believed that these cats could weigh up to 800lb (350 kg), but that earlier range, which was based largely on the estimates of hunters, is not now generally accepted. Apart from the size, Siberian tigers are differentiated from other tigers by their paler fur and dark brown, rather than black, stripes.