Investigators find hunting tiger killed Amur leopard in NE China national park

Adult male Amur tigers can weigh over 200 kilograms, while male Amur leopards weigh only 50 to 80 kg, with the huge difference in weight and strength making the Amur leopard potential prey for the Amur tiger.

"However, through a long process of natural evolution, the Amur leopard has learned survival skills within the territory of the Amur tiger, enabling coexistence," Feng said. "For example, their activity times do not overlap, and their activity areas do not intersect. The Amur tiger mainly operates at lower altitudes, while the Amur leopard mainly operates at higher altitudes."

The investigation team found that the remains of the Amur leopard, discovered last week in the snow, exhibited bite marks on the head, abdomen and hindquarters.

Yu Hongxun, deputy director of the national park's Hunchun branch, said that after arriving at the scene, the team followed drag marks and found the paw prints of another species of cat.

"There were obvious signs of a fight about 160 meters south, which should be the first scene of the hunt," Yu said. "The police confirmed that the leopard had been killed and eaten only a few hours earlier, and the body was not yet stiff."

Paw print measurements, analysis of fight marks and predation habits helped the team determine that the Amur leopard was killed by an adult male Amur tiger. Pattern comparison confirmed that the Amur leopard was a member of the leopard group in the national park.