After the ecological environment improves, we can clearly feel that the number of wild animals around us is increasing. The most direct evidence of this is that wildlife-related sightings are becoming more and more frequent.

Take wild boars as an example. In the past, it was rare to encounter them even in rural mountains and forests. Nowadays, the number of wild boars in many places is so large that it has seriously affected agricultural production, so much so that some places have even issued "killing orders". "Pig Order", a bounty hunting team carried out an ecological hunt for wild boars.

The more wild animals there are, the more likely they will appear in or around human activity areas.

Recently, a villager in Fushun, Liaoning Province discovered three unusual paw prints not far from the mountain behind his home. Judging from the shape and size of the paw prints, they were highly suspicious of large cats, so he The villagers posted the discovery online, which attracted the attention of many netizens.

This discovery quickly caused a stir Attracting the attention of local wildlife experts, local forestry staff and experts formed a team to investigate and found that there were a total of three "mysterious paw prints" left behind, all of which were shallow and highly similar in shape to those of big cats. , but due to limited conditions, it was difficult to determine what kind of animal left it for a while. The guesses of netizens and local villagers were basically Siberian tigers or Siberian leopards.

What are the chances of a tiger?

Although there are currently 4 subspecies of tigers in our country (South China tiger, Siberian tiger, Bengal tiger, Indochinese tiger), the wild population is very rare, especially the South China tiger, which has become extinct in the wild. The remaining of individuals live exclusively in artificial environments.

Currently, the Siberian tiger is the most important wild tiger species in my country, and its number has increased from 27 in 2017 to 60. In recent years, people have frequently encountered Siberian tigers in the wild.

As the name suggests, Siberian tigers mainly live in the Northeast region, so how likely is it that the three paw prints found in Fushun, Liaoning, are Siberian tigers? Judging from the current situation, this possibility is still very small.

First of all, the distribution range of Siberian tigers in our country is the Sino-Russian border area and spreads to the Sidaogou distribution area in inland China. The Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park is the area with the largest Siberian tiger population and the most frequent activities in my country. The Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park is still a little far away from Fushun.

Although there has been a lot of tiger-related news in Fushun over the years, there is basically only thunder but no raindrops, and there is no definite evidence. Some people may say that tigers areAs a large cat with high mobility and significant exploratory behavior, it cannot be ruled out that it wanders from its main activity area to Fushun. There are also relevant examples in reality.

For example, in 2019, a male Bengal tiger named "C1" in India traveled 1,300 kilometers from Tipishwar Wildlife Sanctuary to Danyang Nanga Wildlife Sanctuary. It was an epic migration. .

In fact, the hidden information behind this incident is the degree of perfection of the ecological corridors between protected areas in India. Although the northeastern region of my country is vast and sparsely populated, it is still difficult for tigers to walk from the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park to Fushun without being discovered.

In addition, tigers usually live in solitary groups and are afraid of crowds. The place where the footprints were found is located on the edge of the city, close to where people gather, and there have been no attacks on poultry, livestock or humans in the area, so comprehensively It seems that the possibility that the paw print is that of a Siberian tiger is very low.

Could it be a Siberian leopard?

We all know that among the big cats in Northeast China, in addition to the famous Siberian tiger, there is also the Siberian leopard. The Amur leopard, also called the Amur leopard, is one of the subspecies of leopard, mainly distributed in northeastern Asia.

Leopards are extremely adaptable. One of the cats, they can survive very well whether it is a forest ecosystem or a grassland ecosystem, so some places may not be suitable for tigers to survive, but they are not necessarily free of leopards.

Compared to Siberian tigers, leopards may be closer to Fushun. For example, in 2022, leopards appeared in Zhuluke Town, Jianping County, Liaoning Province.

From all aspects, the Siberian leopard is a smaller version of the Siberian tiger. Its habits and feeding habits are similar to those of tigers. In a forest ecosystem, there needs to be enough species and numbers of medium and large ungulates. to support their survival.

Although Fushun City has a relatively good ecological environment and is home to many ungulates such as wild boars and roe deer, the number of such medium and large prey in the area where paw prints were found is very rare, and even small animals such as hares and pheasants are rare. The number of prey is not large, and it does not meet the survival conditions of leopards.

Fushun is not a leopard’s regular activity area, so the possibility of leopards leaving paw prints is relatively low.

What other animal could it be?

Judging from the shape and size of the paw prints left at the scene, it is highly suspected of being a big cat. Those that can be called big cats include lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs, Jaguar, cougars, and other species, some people also call clouded leopards big cats.

The only big cats living in Northeast my country are tigers and leopards. However, based on comprehensive analysis, the possibility of a tiger or a leopard is very small. So what kind of animal left behind it? In fact, many people ignore medium-sized cats like lynx.

Lynx is a cold-loving species. The Eurasian lynx lives in the north of Eurasia. It is the largest of the four species of Lynx. It can weigh 18-30 kilograms as an adult. A proper "little tiger".

Many people may think that the paw prints at the scene are almost as big as an adult's fist. Could they be left by an animal like a lynx, which only weighs 20 to 30 kilograms, or even more than ten kilograms? It's really possible. The reason is that lynx is a very special existence in the cat family.

This is a predator that especially likes to eat rabbits, and it is a cold-loving species. In the northern regions where winter is long and covered with snow, if you want to catch rabbits, you must have the ability to move freely in the snowy environment. Therefore, during the long process of species evolution, the lynx's feet have become very wide.

It can be said that the proportions of their paws do not match their bodies. A larger Eurasian lynx can leave a paw print similar to that of a big cat.

The Eurasian lynx is widely distributed in northern Eurasia. Its population is much larger than that of tigers and leopards, and its demand for prey resources is not as high as that of tigers and leopards. Taken together, these three mysterious paw prints are more likely to be left by Siberian leopards than Siberian tigers. Perhaps they are more likely to be left by lynxes.