As we all know, there are thousands of species in the world, but they all follow this natural law: survival of the fittest. In order to continue the uniqueness of the species, the mechanism of " reproductive isolation " was developed during the evolution process. From another level, looking at the current status of species, anything in nature that violates these two laws has been directly eliminated by the earth's ecology.
However, the recent birth of three tiger cubs by a female Bengal white tiger in the Nantong Forest Wildlife Park in Jiangsu has attracted the attention of many netizens. It is reported that one of these triplets is also a white tiger , while the other two are the more rare snow tiger . According to statistics, the probability of a snow tiger being born is one in 100,000, and twin snow tigers like this one are even more rare and precious.
So, why didn't Bengal tiger be directly crossed with South China tiger to save the South China tiger? The snow tiger itself is so rare, and two more members have been added to its body. Why do experts say this is not a good thing? Let's work with Rubik's Cube to find out how special the snow tiger, a species with only single-digit numbers in the world, is.
How powerful is the Bengal tiger? Why not crossbreed with South China tiger?
Bengal tiger is the most numerous and widely distributed tiger subspecies in the world. In addition to being mainly distributed in India and Bangladesh as the " national animal ", it is also distributed in small quantities in Medog, Tibet, my country. Generally speaking, wild Bengal tigers can grow to about 400-500 kilograms, and their size is second only to the Siberian tiger. Even the South China tiger in my country is not as big as it. At the same time, the Bengal tiger is covered in brown and white fur with black stripes, and it still looks very majestic.
In terms of its combat effectiveness, the Bengal tiger is strong and has keen vision and hearing. It is an excellent dominant species among the subspecies tigers. The Bengal tiger is a super powerful top carnivore. It is not picky about its food. It hunts everything from pheasants to wild boars, "the world's largest cattle" Indian bison, Asian rock pythons , leopards , elephants, etc. And because of its broad shoulders and powerful jaws that can stretch more flexibly, it is more adaptable to the environment.
Furthermore, it will carry out multiple markings through scent marking, gouging marks, and loud tiger roars through the liquid secreted by the anal glands, achieving a home area of more than ten to hundreds of square kilometers. At the same time, the Bengal tiger also has its own deterrent power among creatures in nature. It is reported that it will attack any living creature that appears in front of it and can run at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Because the powerful bite can directly suffocate prey, even adult Asian elephants do not dare to make mistakes when eating and can only take a detour.
Statistics show that there are originally 5 species of tigers in our country. In addition to the Siberian tiger living in the northeast corner and the Bengal tiger in Tibet, there are also Indochinese tigers, Xinjiang tigers ( Caspian tiger ) and South China tigers distributed in Yunnan. However, due to various factors, Xinjiang tigers have become extinct, while the number of Bengal tigers and Indochinese tigers distributed in our country is limited. The South China tiger is generally considered extinct in the wild, ranking first among the world's top ten endangered species.
Since the Bengal tiger is so powerful, many netizens have asked why not let the South China tiger hybridize with it to achieve the best of both worlds? Indeed, Rubik's Cube also admitted that tiger subspecies can interbreed and produce offspring, and are fertile. However, as many experts object, it is obviously unrealistic to rely on the hybridization of the two to get rid of the South China tiger. Moreover, in order to preserve the genes of the South China tiger, a unique species in my country, this is not allowed.
reproductive isolation invalid? Who are Snow Tiger’s parents?
So where did this rare snow tiger come from? The first thing you need to understand is what is the relationship between Snow Tiger and White Tiger. It is reported that it originated from the white tiger and is a mutant species of the white tiger. If the white tiger has the appearance of black stripes on a white background, then the snow tiger is pure white with no black stripes at all.So, where did the white tiger come from?
The white tiger is actually an albino species of the Bengal tiger, but the strange thing is that experts say it is not albino due to disease, but a genetic mutation, which is what it is born with. Naturally, snow tigers are even rarer, because snow tigers are the result of genetic mutation of white tigers. According to statistics, the probability of this phenomenon is as low as one in 100,000. There were only 7 in the country before. Including the newly born twin snow tigers in Jiangsu, there are only 9, less than double digits.
Many netizens have a doubt, and that is about the identity of Snow Tiger’s father. Some people even suspect that reproductive isolation has failed, and that he is the offspring of a white tiger and a Bengal tiger, or a white tiger and a white tiger, or a white tiger and a snow tiger. In fact, as mentioned above, white tigers and Bengal tigers belong to the same species, and snow tigers even more so, so they do not violate reproductive isolation.
Secondly, in fact, gene mutation is a random and accidental phenomenon, and it is impossible to predict which specific type of individual it will appear in. Therefore, if you want to give birth to a snow tiger, the offspring of a white tiger must be more likely. As for whether the "tiger father" is a normal Bengal tiger or a white tiger, it is actually possible. As for the "tiger father" of the two twin snow tigers born in Jiangsu this time, perhaps only the zoo that carried out "artificial intervention" knew about it.
Thoughts: There are only 9 of them in the country but they are all concentrated in zoos! Why is this not a good thing?
It is worth noting that by checking relevant reports, we can find that the probability of white tigers appearing in the wild is actually very low. As for the many white tiger incidents that have been reported in our country, for example: a Bengal white tiger in Rongcheng City, Weihai, East China gave birth to 4 cubs, 3 of which were white tigers and one was a pure snow tiger; white tigers in wildlife parks in Shanghai, Chongqing, Wuxi and other places...etc. In fact, one striking feature can be found, that is, white tigers and even snow tigers always appear in zoos.
Is it really such a coincidence? Obviously not!
Perhaps it is because the white tiger is auspicious as one of the " four sacred beasts " in our country, or perhaps it is to attract attention. Generally speaking, the white tigers we see are almost all deformed products of inbreeding after artificial intervention. According to actual observations by experts, albino species have extremely low survivability in the wild because their white color is too conspicuous. And because inbreeding will also affect the lifespan of white tigers, they may even be prone to other diseases, such as stunted growth, high cub mortality, cross-eyes, etc.
What is even more frightening is that because they are special, they may face even more cruel situations - being trafficked in fur and organs by private individuals. And even if they are lucky enough to escape into the wild, their coat color is too conspicuous and their survival ability in the wild is weak, so they cannot escape nature's survival of the fittest. And from the root of it, the fault is not with them, but with humans. This is why many experts call for a boycott of inbreeding.
