AboutRaphael Heng Expertise Anything about Big Cats, especially Tigers. You can also ask me any questions or doubts you have about the organisation Save China's Tigers as i am a volunteer there, How the tigers affect the ecosystem in Africa etc. Questions about any feline re-wilding projects could be ask here, eg: Asiatic lion re-wilding. I can answer questions in both Chinese and English, questions on interspecies conflict regarding felines can also be answered.
Experience I am a volunteer of the Charitable Organisation, Save China's Tigers. The Organisation aims to save the South China Tiger via re-wilding training in Africa and releasing captive trained tigers back into the China's wild.
Organizations Save China's Tigers
Publications Wikipedia.
Education/Credentials Student, currently studying about Animal biology, specifically on felines.
Expert: Raphael Heng Date: 4/1/2008 Subject: sauraha male tiger
Question Hi Raphael, and thanks for all your past answers. I have a new question for you.
I was study the tiger for nearly five years, but just recently I found the tiger known like “Sauraha”. The measures stated for this big male are:
*310 cm. in total length.
*113 cm. of tail.
*140 cm. of girth of the chest.
*80 cm. of girth of the neck.
*270 Kg.
The problem is then in my country, Guatemala, don’t exist the book “Tiger Moon” in any library, public or for sale, and the information then I put here came from several Forums, so I don’t know if there are reliable.
Other problem is then in the book “Wild Cats of the World” of Mel Sunquist (the same author of Tiger Moon), is stated then the actual total length of the Sauraha tiger has 312 cm., and clarified then the real weight for this male has 261 Kg., not 270 Kg. The weight was calculated in base of a regression study, based in the measures (girth of the chest, head and body length) of seven male tigers, so the Sauraha tiger has not actually weighed. Again, I don’t have this book, so I don’t now if this other information is true and I can’t use it.
My question is: Are this data true?, and if not, please tell my which has the real size of the famous “Sauraha tiger”, possibly the largest tiger measured by scientist in recent times.
Answer Hey Arnoldo, and thanks for your question.
Well, you do know that we are talking about a tiger that has deceased, right? Thus we can't double check its size as it is dead.
Now the two books you mentioned, Wild cats of the world and Tiger Moon respectively, are both very credible and reliable books by Melvin Sunquist, however, as you know the Sauraha tiger hasn't never been weigh or actually measured so its size are actually based on estimations.
There are no right or wrong estimations, just accurate or inaccurate estimations, and in my humble opinion this particular estimation is pretty much accurate since the estimation was published on a reliable book and such sizes are not uncommon for tigers to reach.
You can of course double check by emailing Sunquist.
