For the first time in China! The Northeast Tiger ＂hunts＂ the Northeast Leopard! The scene is a mess-

　　Recently, the Hunchun area of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park found the wreckage of a Northeast leopard suspected of being eaten. A joint investigation team composed of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration, Hunchun Police and National Forestry and Grassland Administration Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center confirmed that this was a rare event in which the Northeast Tiger "hunted" the Northeast Leopard.

　　It is reported that the scene where the wreckage of the Northeast Leopard was found was a mess. The dead Northeast Leopard was lying in the snow, and many traces of being eaten were found on its head, abdomen and buttocks. "After arriving at the scene, we found the footprints of another cat along the trail, and there were obvious signs of fighting about 160 meters to the south. This should be the first scene of the’ crime’. At that time, the police confirmed that the leopard was hunted and eaten a few hours ago, and the body was not stiff at that time. " Yu Hongxun, deputy director of Hunchun Branch of Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, introduced.

　　Traces left by the Northeast Leopard being dragged.

　　According to the survey results, judging from the on-site footprint measurement, fighting traces and predation habits, the Northeast Leopard was killed and eaten by an adult male Northeast Tiger. Through pattern comparison, it is determined that this northeast leopard belongs to the leopard group in Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, and the number is 73. "This is an 8-year-old male leopard, which is in the prime of life. It has spread to this area and established its own territory in adulthood. It belongs to the first batch of’ aborigines’ in this area. It is the third generation of the Northeast Leopard population returning to China and has bred multiple cubs." Feng Limin, deputy director of National Forestry and Grassland Administration Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center, said.

　　"This northeast leopard has been recorded by our sky monitoring system for more than 800 times, and the latest monitoring record was in September this year. Up to this year, China has been continuously monitoring and researching tigers and leopards in the whole park for more than 18 years. Our investigation team is still doing on-site hair DNA screening and tiger print analysis to further confirm the identity of the tiger involved. "
Feng Limin, deputy director of National Forestry and Grassland Administration Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center, said.

　　Suspected footprints of Siberian tiger

　　The research shows that there is a huge difference in weight between the Northeast Tiger and the Northeast Leopard, and the objective difference in body mass makes the Northeast Leopard unable to compete with the Northeast Tiger under normal circumstances. The event of the Northeast Tiger hunting the Northeast Leopard is the first time that a tiger catches a cheetah in China. Although it is a rare natural phenomenon, it has happened many times in the world, even in India. This also provides a very good observation opportunity for our research on the protection of tigers and leopards in Northeast China and the protection and management of national parks in the future. Yang Chen, deputy director of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration, said.

　　Does the Northeast Tiger eat the Northeast Leopard?

　　Adult male Siberian tigers often weigh more than 200 kilograms, while male Siberian leopards weigh only 50-80 kilograms. There is a huge difference in weight and strength between them, so Siberian leopards are actually potential prey of Siberian tigers. However, in the process of long-term natural evolution, the Northeast Leopard learned the skills to survive in the territory of the Northeast Tiger, thus realizing coexistence with the Northeast Tiger.

　　How did the Northeast Leopard avoid meeting the Northeast Tiger?

　　Their food is different. The Northeast Tiger mainly preys on large and medium-sized prey, while the Northeast Leopard mainly preys on small and medium-sized prey. There is a dislocation in the activity time of the two. Although the peak activity time is basically concentrated in the morning and dusk, which coincides with the peak activity time of prey, the peak activity time of tiger and leopard appears dislocation in the morning and dusk. The activity areas of the two do not cross, the Siberian tiger mainly moves at low altitude, and the Siberian leopard mainly moves at high altitude. As a result, the Siberian leopard is misplaced with the Siberian tiger through its feeding niche and spatio-temporal niche, which minimizes the encounter with the Siberian tiger, but realizes coexistence in the same habitat.

　　Why did the tiger kill the leopard?

　　Although the Siberian leopard tries to avoid encountering the Siberian tiger, it is difficult to avoid it completely. If the leopard cannot escape in time, it will be killed by the tiger. On-the-spot investigation also found that the area where this incident happened was an open area, which made it difficult for the leopard to escape when the tiger and leopard met at close range.

　　With the country vigorously developing the construction of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, the ecosystem has recovered rapidly, and the herbivore population has grown and spread rapidly, thus laying the foundation for the recovery of the tiger and leopard population. The whole life history of Northeast Leopard 73 has condensed the changes of this forest in the national park where it lives. When it first settled and established its territory, there were no other Siberian leopards and tigers in this area. With the establishment of the national park and the further restoration of the ecosystem, Northeast tigers with higher requirements for the living environment began to settle in this area, including male and female tigers, and began to breed. With the growth of the tiger and leopard population, the probability of encountering each other will also increase. Although No.73 was strong enough and knew his territory well, he met another powerful predator, the Northeast Tiger, who was also familiar with the terrain. As a result, this rare natural phenomenon of tigers killing leopards occurred. However, this overlapping of territories between tigers and leopards will inevitably lead to friction and will not affect the population. After a period of adjustment, with the further spread of tiger and leopard habitats, the ecosystem will tend to be balanced.

　　Comprehensive: ring video, People’s Daily