This is the amusing moment a Siberian tiger cub's tongue was stuck to a freezing-cold metal fence in sub-zero temperatures.

The endangered animal, native to the Russian Far East, Northeastern China, and North Korea, can be seen approaching the metal fence covering the outer part of its enclosure at a zoo in Heilongjiang, China.

But in a failed attempt to pick up a few frozen pieces of meat hanging from the fence, the cub had its tongue stuck to the frozen metal for several seconds before finally pulling away and saving itself.

Confused over what had just happened, it then backed away and rejoined the rest of its group at the zoo.

The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), is the largest felid in the world and is listed as 'endangered' on IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.

It was reportedly on the brink of extinction with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild in the 1940s. However, the most recent IUCN Red List assessment estimated there are up to 486 individuals in the Russian Far East, with a small number ranging across the border into China and North Korea.