ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR IN BY

AMUR TIGERS NICOLE ROSADO.

 GENERAL INFORMATION
• LARGEST CATS IN THE WORLD.
• SOLITARY ANIMALS FOUND IN SMALL REGIONS IN SOUTHEAST RUSSIA, AND OCCASIONALLY
IN CHINA AND NORTH KOREA (THE AMUR RIVER VALLEY).
• THEY CAN REACH LENGTHS OF 6-9 FEET. SOME 11 FOOT TIGERS HAVE BEEN RECORDED.
• AVERAGE WEIGHT FOR FEMALES IS 260-300 POUNDS. AVERAGE WEIGHT FOR MALES IS
AROUND 400-500 POUNDS.
• DIET: ELK, DEAR, BOAR, AND EVEN BLACK AND BROWN BEARS.
• LIFE SPAN IS USUALLY 15-20 IN THE WILD, AND UP TO 25 IN ZOOS.
• ENDANGERED WITH ABOUT 500 IN THE WILD, WITH ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT IN CAPTIVITY.
• WE HAVE 4 TIGERS.
 SUBJECTS

Koosaka Demetri Wiz

 HOW I STUDIED THEM
• OBSERVATIONAL AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH
• 1-2 HOURS PER DAY
• NOTED BEHAVIOR EVERY 10 MINUTES IN ETHOGRAM
• NOTED OTHER BEHAVIORS AND NUMBER OF TIMES
REPEATED (SWIMMING, VOCALIZATIONS, SPRAYING,
ENRICHMENT, ETC).
 BACKGROUNDS
• KOOSAKA (11)
• OUR OLDEST TIGER AND OUR ONLY FEMALE
• BORN AT THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO ON MAY 24TH, 2007.
• MATING PARTNERS WITH GROM.
• BIRTHED A LITTER OF 5 ON JULY 10TH, 2017.

• DMITRI AND WIZ (6)

• TWINS, OUR YOUNGEST TIGERS.
• DEMETRI- BORN BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON JUNE 28TH, 2012
• WIZ- BORN AFTER MIDNIGHT ON JUNE 29TH, 2012
• ARRIVED ON JUNE 10TH, 2014 FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO.
 OBSERVED…

• KOOSAKA’S BEHAVIOR AND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM THE BOY’S

• DMITRI AND WIZ’S BEHAVIOR
• HOW THEY INTERACTS WITH KOOSAKA’S PRESENCE

• HOW WEATHER EFFECTS THEIR BEHAVIORS

 HYPOTHESES

• KOOSAKA WILL ACT NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT THAN THE BOYS.

• THE BOYS WILL INTERACT WITH KOOSAKA’S PRESENCE (SCENT).
• THEY WILL BE MUCH MORE ACTIVE WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS COOLER AND RAINY.
OBSERVATIONS
 BREAKDOWN OF KOOSAKA
• ON AVERAGE, SPRAYED MORE THAN THE BOYS
• AVG SPRAY FOR BOYS: 3-4X
• AVG SPRAY FOR KOOSKA: 5-7X, SOMETIMES
REACHING UP TO 18X
• SPRAYED ON SAME PLACE MULTIPLE TIMES
• PACED A LOT LESS, WANDERED MORE.
• MORE LAID BACK THAN THE BOYS
• BECAME VERY TERRITORIAL WHEN OTHER CATS PASSED
OVER IN 360
• GRASS EATER
• HELPS INDIGESTION
18x
 SPRAY
• FORM OF COMMUNICATION AND TERRITORY MARKING
• URINE MIXED WITH GLANDULAR SECRETIONS
• FEMALES WILL SPRAY MORE OFTEN WHEN GOING THROUGH ESTRUS
• OCCURS EVERY 3-9 WEEKS

• KOOSAKA COULD HAVE BEEN GOING

THROUGH ESTRUS ON THE DAYS SHE
SPRAYED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE
 BREAKDOWN OF DMETRI & WIZ

• PACERS
• WILL INITIALLY MARK TERRITORY WITH URINE MORE THAN
SPRAY
• LIVE THEIR SPERATE LIVES, TOGETHER
• DON’T INTERACT MUCH

• WIZ SEEMS TO BE THE MORE DOMINANT/INQUISITIVE MALE

• PACES THE TERRITORY
• USUALLY THE ONE WHO PURSUES DMETRI FIRST
• CHASES/INSTIGATES KOOSAKA WHEN SHE’S UP IN THE TRAIL
Video Credit: Bree Ferrell
Video Credit: Bree Ferrell
5x
 360 ACTIVITY

• KOOSAKA IN TRAIL, BOYS IN THE EXHIBIT BELOW

• STILL SPRAYED OFTEN
• KOOSAKA STAYED IN A VERY SMALL REGION
ABOVE THE EXHIBIT AND BEHIND (INSIDE BCF SIDE).
• TENDED TO NOT GO ANY FURTHER
• BOYS WOULD PACE FENCE BELOW HER
• WIZ WAS MOST INTERACTIVE WITH HER
• CHASING, ROARING, STARING, INSTIGATING, ETC.
 360 ACTIVITY
• KIRA IN TRAIL, KOOSAKA IN EXHIBIT BELOW
• HYPERAWARE
• BECAME VERY DEFENSIVE WHEN KIRA PASSED ABOVE TRAIL
• SPRAYED OFTEN
• IN ONE OBSERVATION SESSION, SHE VOCALIZED/GROANED AT LEAST 25 TIMES
• KIRA WOULD OFTEN STAND ABOVE KOOSAKA’S EXHIBIT AND GRUNT
 POST-PRESENCE INTERACTIONS

• FIRST: MARKED TERRITORY WITH URINE

• SECOND: BOYS WOULD SMELL/LICK/RUB IN HER SPRAY
• THIRD: FLEHMEN RESPONSE
• FOURTH: PACE EXHIBIT AND COVER HER SPRAY WITH THEIR OWN SPRAY
 FLEHMEN RESPONSE
• TOOL TO “SMELL WITH THEIR MOUTHS”
• OPENS JACOBSON’S ORGAN TO DETECT AND ANALYZE CHEMICAL PHEROMONES IN URINE,
FECES AND SPRAY
• ORGAN THAT IS LOCATED ON THE ROOF OF THEIR MOUTHS

• CAN DETECT:
• WHETHER THEY KNOW THE TIGER
• MALE OR FEMALE
• FOR MALES, IT HELPS DETECT WHETHER A
FEMALE IN ESTRUS (HEAT), READY TO MATE,
OR IF SHE’S PREGNANT.
 WEATHER
• ON AVERAGE, TIGERS WERE THE LEAST ACTIVE ON HOT DAYS
• SPENT DAYS:
• COOLING OFF IN POOL
• SLEEPING IN SHADE

• MOST ACTIVE TIMES WERE IN THE MORNING AND LATE EVENING, WHEN IT IS
COOLEST, OR RAINY/CLOUDY DAYS

Time Spent on Hot Days Time Spent on Cool Days

3%

13% 13%
22%
7% 34%

19%

33%
43% 13%

laying sleeping pacing swimming playing laying sleeping pacing swimming playing
 SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS
• KOOSAKA IS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT THAN THEY BOYS IN THE FACT THAT SHE:
• SPRAYS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THEM
• PACES LESS, BUT SHOWS HER TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR IN OTHER WAYS SUCH AS VOCALIZATIONS,
SPRAYING AND DEFENSIVE STANCES
• EATS MORE GRASS
• IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ON THE DAYS KOOSAKA SPRAYED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT, SHE
COULD HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH HEAT.
• WIZ SEEMS TO BE THE MORE DOMINANT MALE.
• THE BOYS INTERACTED WITH KOOSAKA’S PRESENCE THROUGH FLEHMEN RESPONSE AND RE-
SCENT MARKING
• ON AVERAGE, THEY WERE THE LEAST ACTIVE ON HOT DAYS, AND THE MOST ACTIVE ON RAINY
DAYS
 CONSERVATION EFFORTS

• SAY NO TO PALM OIL

• CHOOSE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED COFFEE
• CHOOSE FSC/ RECYCLED PAPER PRODUCTS
• SUPPORT AZA CREDITED ZOOS, SANCTUARIES, ETC
• CAPTIVE BREEDING

• REDUCING HUMAN IMPACTS

• MONITORING POPULATIONS
• “ADOPTING”
• EDUCATING!
 SOURCES
• HTTPS://WWW.TIGERS.ORG.ZA/TIGERS-DIET.HTML

• HTTP://WWW.LAIRWEB.ORG.NZ/TIGER/TAIL.HTML

• HTTPS://EN.CLIMATE-DATA.ORG/LOCATION/475386/

• HTTP://WWW.LAIRWEB.ORG.NZ/TIGER/FLEHMAN.HTML

• HTTPS://WWW.CATSBEST.EU/CATSBEST_EN/ABOUT-CATS/POSTS/CATS-AND-HEAT.PHP

• HTTPS://BIGCATRESCUE.ORG/CATEGORY/ARTICLES-ABOUT-BCR/NEWS-WORLD/?AMP

• HTTPS://WWW.CATSTER.COM/LIFESTYLE/HELP-SAVE-TIPS-BIG-CATS-WILD-TIGERS