A motorist spotted a magnificent Siberian tiger in his headlights and followed it down the road before it disappeared into the bushes.

The man was travelling at night time along the national highway on the outskirts of Dongning, which is a county-level city in Heilongjiang, China, on June 28.

But he slammed on the brakes when he realised it was a wild Siberian tiger walking in front of the car, and instead of being scared, it carried on going.

The excited driver, identified only as Mr Ran, followed the big cat and grabbed his mobile phone in order to record the rare moment.

He said it happened on National Highway 331 and at first, he thought it was a young cow before he moved closer and realised it was a tiger, which he had only ever seen in the zoo before.

Experts warned that the man should have been more careful highlighting an example of the tiger known as 'Wandashan No. 1' that even before fully grown managed to shatter a car window with a single blow from its paws.

They added that if the tiger saw the light from the telephone and realised someone was inside the car, it could easily have decided to make that person into lunch.

The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Amur tiger, is the largest and most powerful subspecies of tiger.

It is native to the forests of eastern Russia, particularly the Amur region and parts of China and North Korea. Known for its thick, luxurious fur that helps it withstand harsh cold climates, the Siberian tiger can weigh up to 700 lbs and measure over 10 feet in length, including its tail.

It is an apex predator, primarily hunting large mammals like deer and boar.

Due to habitat loss and poaching, it is currently classified as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.