Lesser+Siberian+Tiger




 * __Prehistoric/Extinct Animal: // Smilodon --- 10,000 to 1 million year period- -> Modern Animal: Siberian Tiger < ---1,000 years Future Animal: Lesser Siberian Tiger // __**

//Muscatura Fatala, // meaning Fatal Bite in Greek is a category of cats originating from the Felidae family. It is a lesser subspecies of the Siberian Tiger and has developed into a whole new species due to changes in its environment.


 * **Scientific Group** || // Taxonomy // || // Description // ||
 * **Kingdom** || // Animalia // || // Species of animal // ||
 * **Phylum** || // Chordata // || // Organisms with spinal chords // ||
 * **Class** || // Mammalia // || // Mammals nurtured with mammary glands // ||
 * **Order** || // Carnivora // || // Species that consumes meat primarily as their diet // ||
 * **Family** || // Felidae // || // Biological family of cats // ||
 * **Genus** || // Muscatura // || // A category of medium sized cats with long canine teeth // ||
 * **Species** || // P. tigris // || // Scientific name given to tigers // ||

__ Habitat - __

This area of Mongolia has a relatively stable climate where day temperatures were generally hot and stayed at an average temperature of 25-35**°**C throughout the day and reached 10-15**°**C at night.
 * Climate- **

In a time period of a millennium, the Siberian Tiger will have evolved into the Lesser Desert Tiger and would be geographically located to the North-East region of the Mongolian Desert. This region of Mongolia consists of valleys and little known water sources. This zone of the Earth also had low atmospheric pressure meaning that there is little winds to keep the environment air circulated, also meaning that this area can get really hot in summer seasons.
 * Geographical Location **–

The landscape of North Eastern Mongolia has numerous large grass fields with the familiar growth of buffalo grass, but lacked trees that could provide shelter. This expanse of land can be used as the hunting grounds for the //Muscatura Fatala// because it offers enough camouflage to set up an ambush as well as setting up a home. There are over 500 species of fauna in this area but only a couple belong in the diet of the //Muscatura Fatala//, several of these preys include sheep, deer’s, and[| fox’s]. Similar to the //Smilodon// and Siberian Tiger, the //Muscatura Fatala// sits at the top of the food chain as only a small portion of animals in this area are carnivores or omnivores.
 * Flora and Fauna **




 * Adaptations **



In the environment of North-Eastern Mongolia, the fact that the prey of the //Muscatura Fatala//, for instance the [|camel] can run at great speeds for long distances. By being able to chase after these animals, the //Muscatura Fatala// can catch these preys with ease.
 * __Structural #1 – Long sleek body __**

In comparison to the modern day, Siberian Tiger, a fully matured //Muscatura Fatala// will be elongated by about 1 to 2 metres in length and thinner in width. After this development in its body, it appears that the //Muscatura Fatala//’s body structure is similar to that of the leopard. This structural adaptation benefits the //Muscatura Fatala// by allowing it to have less wind resistance during sprints in order to chase fast-moving prey. At top speed the //Muscatura Fatala// can potentially run at speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour for over an hour.

The possible environmental pressure causing this adaptation is that referring to the ancestor of the //Muscatura Fatala//, the Siberian Tiger, the low stamina and body structure disabled the animal in running long distances after prey, of which resulted in the low chance of a successfully hunt. Hence over time and due to natural selection, the prior Felidae species developed stamina and a sleek body in order to be capable of chasing after prey to result in a higher chance of success in hunts.

As early mentioned, the day temperature could reach up to 35**°**C, could sometimes have no wind to keep the temperature cool in summer seasons and were rarely any trees to provide shelter could environmentally pressure an adaptation that enabled an effective heat transfer system that could regulate body temperature. Due to this environmental pressure the //Muscatura Fatala// has developed a light yellow toned and thin fur coat that disallows heat to be insulated and also enables less absorbed incident light from the sun to keep cool as lightly toned colours are more likely to reflect the incident light instead of absorbing it.
 * __Structural #2 – Light tone and thin fur coat __**

This adaptation contributes to how it assists the survival of the species because in hot areas like this of Mongolia, it is essential to have a cool body temperature to avoid perspiration and cause dehydration which can result in death.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 115%;">Another factor that contributed to the unsuccessfulness of hunts was that tigers could easily be fatally wounded by simply being kicked in the fragile abdomen by prey like the [|deer]. This could possibly have been an environmental pressure that pushed the development of the hardened ribcage because it was due to this fact that the tigers could not hunt animals that could kick back.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 115%;">Structural #3 – Hardened ribcage __**

After the development of the hard ribcage, the //Muscatura Fatala//’s ribcage was three times as strong as the Siberian Tigers ribcage because the bone cells were 3 times as compacted of that of the Siberian Tiger’s ribcage bones. Through this adaptation, the //Muscatura Fatala// is more effective in hunting because it can concentrate more on the prey instead of being constantly cautious of its ribcage which could possibly lead to the longer survival of the species.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 115%;">By hunting in groups the //Muscatura Fatala// species can work together to hunt a bigger prey that one individual //Muscatura Fatala// cannot, for instance the bulk herbivore Yak that roams around the same area as the Muscatura. By having this adaptation, the species of //Muscatura Fatala// can survive longer because they learn to work together to overcome obstacles that they cannot achieve as individuals, through this adaptation, the species of //Muscatura Fatala// learns to work together in the future when any obstacles come. And similar to the hunt for the yak, it is often easier to complete tasks when there is more help.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 115%;">Behavioural #1 – Hunts in groups __**

A possible environmental pressure that caused this adaptation is similar to that of the //Smilodon// where there was a period of time where smaller sized prey (e.g sheep) were hunted excessively, resulting in a decline in population of that specific species. Hence when that species of prey was scarce, the //Smilodon// was forced to hunt bigger preys. Nevertheless, Yaks were too hard to hunt by one individual //Muscatura Fatala//, and through this event the individual //Muscatura Fatala// developed the behavioural feature to hunt with other //Muscatura Fatala//’s to achieve a mutual target.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 115%;">Resting is just as important to the //Muscatura Fatala// as it is to another other organism, resting allows the //Muscatura Fatala// to regain its energy back overnight to allow energy to hunt in the following day. One night of disturbed rest could possible result in a day without food, and without food ultimately means no survival.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 115%;">Behavioural #2 – Digging Holes __**

In the environment of the //Muscatura Fatala//, it is necessary to dig a burrow in the ground at night because temperatures can drop drastically during the night and by digging a hole. Through digging a burrow and then resting in it, the body heat of the //Muscatura Fatala// is kept within the burrow so that it can stay warm throughout the day. Another advantage of this adaptation is that the North-Eastern zone of Mongolia is heavily populated by scavengers like the fox. By having a burrow, the chances of being disturbed by one of these nocturnal scavengers is minimized.

A possible environmental factor that pressured this adaptation is obvious, and that was because scavengers kept disturbing the //Muscatura Fatala// during its resting period at night, hence they developed the technique of hiding themselves so that these nocturnal scavengers would not disturb them as often.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 115%;">Rapid urban development, poaching, and habitat fragmentation were the three major issues that led to the extinction of the Siberian Tiger. As the original land the Siberian Tiger inhabited was being eaten away by urban development and logging, resulting in forcing the Siberian Tiger to live elsewhere. Secondly poaching is regarded as the main motivation of the extinction of Siberian Tigers. These tigers were heavy sought after in the superstitious Chinese community because the bones of the tigers were thought to have ancient curative powers and were manufactured into [|pills] that could be sold for a fortune. These animal goods were sold illegally on the Asian medical black market and are believed to be responsible for 80-85% of the extinct Siberian population.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 32px; line-height: 115%;">Environmental Pressure __**




 * <span style="color: #9bbb59; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 37px; line-height: 115%;">Bibliography **

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">Selenatravel. (2010). //About Mongolia//. Retrieved June 26th, 2011 from

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">Wikipedia. (2011). //Habitat Fragmentation//. Retrieved June 26th, 2011 from

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">ExoticAnimals. (2010). //Extinction of Siberian Tigers.// June 26th, 2011 from