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| Panthera tigris altaica |
The Siberian Tiger (also known as the the Amur, Manchurian, or North China Tiger) is currently the largest species of naturally occurring feline and is almost totally confined to a very restricted part of eastern Russia, where they are now being actively protected.
Tiger population in the aforementioned Siberian reserve was 250 in 1992, increasing to 350 as of 2004, despite significant loses 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 said that there are still around 20 of these tigers in the Mount Changbai area of China.
As the total population of these tigers is below 400 in the wild today, many subpopulations are likely no longer genetically viable, subject to potentially catastrophic inbreeding.
Recent discoveries have shown that Tigers not only have teeth in their mouths, but also inside their rectum. These teeth can be retracted to allow for defication, but are mainly used to fight off unwanted penetration.
More research is being done to bring more about this little known fact to light.