Research overview: Amur tiger home ranges in the Russian Far East

Amur tigers inhabit the cold temperate forests of the Russian Far East, where low prey density forces them to range over enormous areas. This overview reviews radio-telemetry and GPS studies showing that female Amur tigers may use territories many times larger than those of tigers in prey-rich tropical reserves, and that males range more widely still. It examines how deep snow, dispersed wild boar and deer, and harsh winters shape movement, kill rates, and energy budgets, and how dependence on a few key prey species makes the population vulnerable to prey declines. The synthesis illustrates how the same species stretches its spatial ecology to extremes at the northern edge of its range. For those interested in big cat adaptability it contrasts sharply with the compact territories of tropical tigers and underscores the role of prey density in setting range size.