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Study

Spatial structure of Amur (Siberian) tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) on Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik, Russia

Goodrich, J. M.; Miquelle, D. G.; Smirnov, E. N.; Kerley, L. L.; Quigley, H. B.; Hornocker, M. G.

Journal of Mammalogy, 2010

Peer-reviewedlongitudinal studywild

What they did

Amur tigers were radio-collared and monitored over fourteen years in the Russian Far East, and their range sizes, overlap and tenure compared directly with the published Nepalese figures.

Studied in
Panthera tigris
Sample size
radio-collared Amur tigers monitored over 14 years

What they found

The same land-tenure structure appears in a habitat with a fraction of the prey density, but at a completely different scale: female ranges are an order of magnitude larger than in Chitwan, and male ranges larger still. Ranges overlap more than the exclusive-territory model predicts, particularly between females.

What it means

The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.

How the authors put it

Amur tiger spatial organisation follows the same rules as tropical populations with range size set by prey density, and overlap between neighbouring females is greater than previously assumed.

How NatureHQ reads it

Having the same system measured at both ends of the species’ range is what turns Chitwan from a local description into a general one. It also punctures a specific number: there is no such thing as the size of a tiger’s territory. The same animal needs ten times the ground in Russia that it needs in Nepal, and the difference is entirely how much there is to eat.

Limitations

  • Collar failures and poaching removed individuals from the sample, biasing tenure estimates.
  • A protected reserve; ranges in the surrounding managed forest differ.
  • Range estimates depend on the method used to draw them, which complicates comparison across studies.

What this study is used for on NatureHQ

One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.

Finding the paper

Published by: University press journalsPublished in a university press journal.

doi.org/10.1644/09-mamm-a-293.1

This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.

NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-11.