Bornean tiger

Painting in Kuching

The Bornean tiger is possibly an extinct tiger population that is thought to have lived in the Sunda island of Borneo in prehistoric times.[1][2] Until the late 20th century, a live Bornean tiger has not been recorded, but indigenous people believe in its existence.[3][4]

Archaeological records and cultural views

Archaeological excavations in Sarawak and Sabah produced an upper canine tooth, a navicular and a metacarpal bone that were identified as being of a tiger. It has therefore been suggested that the tiger was present in Borneo during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene.[5] A bone fragment was also found in the Philippine Palawan island. Archaeologists considered it unlikely that these fragments were traded between different regions during the Pleistocene. Natives of Borneo keep the memory of the tiger alive in their culture by treating its body parts as heirlooms. Therefore, it has been suggested that the Bornean tiger existed longer than prehistoric times.[6]

Characteristics

It has been assumed that the Bornean tiger might have been rather small in size, similar to the Sumatran tiger.[7] According to native people, this tiger is bigger than a clouded leopard, and largely brown in colour with faint stripes.[3]

Behaviour and ecology

Borneo is home to species that the tiger would prey on, such as the bearded pig, and muntjak and sambar deer. According to natives, unlike the sympatric Sunda clouded leopard, the tiger did not climb trees.[3]

Alleged records

Sightings in the late 20th century have been alleged. In 1975, Douchan Gersi claimed to have seen a tiger in East Kalimantan. He took two photographs of the animal.[8] These photos depict a tiger, but its origin remains unclear,[3] and the authenticity of the photographs was doubted.[1] It might have been an escaped captive one.[8] In 1995, native people in Central Kalimantan claimed to have heard a tiger roar, and that they were able to distinguish between a tiger's roar and vocalisations of other animals.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Medway, L. (1977). "The Niah Excavations and an Assessment of the Impact of Early Man on Mammals in Borneo" (PDF). Asian Perspectives. 20 (1): 51−69.
  2. ↑ Medway, L. (1977). Mammals of Borneo: field keys and an annotated checklist. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society No. 7.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Meijaard, E. (1999). "The Bornean Tiger; Speculation on its Existence" (PDF). Cat News. No. 30. pp. 12−15.
  4. ↑ Kitchener, A. C., Yamaguchi, N. (2010). "What is a tiger? Biogeography, Morphology, and Taxonomy". In Ronald Tilson, Philip J. Nyhus. Tigers of the world: The Science, Politics and Conservation of Panthera tigris. Cambridge: Academic Press. pp. 59–81. ISBN 9780815515708.
  5. ↑ Piper, P. J.; Earl of Cranbrook, Rabett, R. J. (2007). "Confirmation of the presence of the tiger Panthera tigris (L.) in Late Pleistocene and Holocene Borneo". Malayan Nature Journal. 59 (3): 259–267. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  6. ↑ Piper, P. J.; Ochoa, J.; Lewis, H.; Paz, V.; Ronquillo, W. P. (2008). "The first evidence for the past presence of the tiger Panthera tigris (L.) on the island of Palawan, Philippines: extinction in an island population". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 264: 123–127. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.04.003.
  7. ↑ Kitchener, A. C. (1999). "Tiger distribution, phenotypic variation and conservation issues". In Seidensticker, J.; Jackson, P.; Christie, S. Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human-Dominated Landscapes. Cambridge University Press. pp. 19−39. ISBN 0521648351.
  8. 1 2 Gersi, D. (1975). Dans la jungle de Bornéo (in French). Paris: Éditions G. P.
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