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Russia's Tigers

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Background Info
Questions
Fast Facts
Vocabulary

Background Info

The Siberian tiger is the world's largest cat. But with only 400 left in the wild, this rare giant is in danger of extinction due to poaching and habitat loss. Join Wild Chronicles on an expedition to Russia, where researchers have the rare opportunity to study this elusive species up close at a wildlife sanctuary. Hopefully their work will help protect these mighty giants.

Questions

Why does the Siberian tiger have a thicker coat than other tigers in southern Asia?

Why are these Siberian tigers difficult to study in the wild?

Besides poaching the tigers, how else are poachers harming these tigers?

Why do you think it so important to protect and save the Siberian tiger?

Fast Facts

- No two Siberian tigers have exactly the same stripes on their coats.
- A Siberian tiger's diet consists of prey like elk and wild boar. The Siberian tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds in one day.
- Siberian tiger cubs cannot hunt until they are about 18 months old, and cubs stay with their mothers for two to three years.
- During the winter, the high temperature in Siberia can reach -12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) and the low temperature can reach -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Vocabulary

Term	Part of Speech	Definition
Siberian tiger	noun	endangered species native to far eastern Siberia.
tiger	noun	large cat native to Asia.
endangered species	noun	organism threatened with extinction.
sanctuary	noun	protected area where wildlife can live and breed without threat from hunting.
Siberia	noun	region of land stretching across Russia from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.