Bornean tiger

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bornean tiger
Painting of a tiger at a Buddhist temple in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Painting of a tiger at a Buddhist temple in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species:
P. tigris

Population: Bornean tiger

The Bornean tiger or Borneo tiger is possibly an

prehistoric times.[1][2]
A live Bornean tiger has not been conclusively recorded, but the indigenous Dayak people believe in its existence, and occasionally report sightings.[3][4]

Characteristics

In

Ille Cave on the island of Palawan in the Philippines were identified as being of a tiger. One fragment is a full basal phalanx bone of the second digit of the left manus measuring 46.44 mm (1.828 in); the other is the distal portion of a subterminal phalanx of the same digit and manus measuring 16.04 mm (0.631 in). These lengths are similar to those of living tigers from the Malay Peninsula and India.[6]

The Bornean tiger is considered to have been rather small in size.[7] According to the native people, it is bigger than a Bornean clouded leopard, and largely brown in colour with faint stripes.[3]

Behaviour and ecology

The Borneo tiger is thought to have preyed on ungulate species such as the Bornean bearded pig, the Bornean yellow muntjac and the sambar deer. According to the local Dayak, the tiger did not climb trees.[3]

Archaeological records

Entrance of the Great Cave of Niah in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

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 island of Palawan. Archaeologists considered it unlikely that these fragments were traded between different regions during the Pleistocene.[6]

Borneo might have been connected to Palawan during the penultimate and previous glacial periods, judging from the molecular phylogeny of murids in the area.[8] Tiger parts were commonly used as amulets in South and Southeast Asia, so it is possible that the tiger parts found in Palawan were imported from elsewhere.[8][9]

It is also possible that the tiger crossed the

Middle Pleistocene, about 420,000–620,000 years ago, when the distance between Borneo and Palawan was shorter, and the sea level was lower, than today.[6] During this period, the relative sea level decreased to about −130 m (−430 ft) due to the expansion of ice sheets.[10][11][12] To date, no evidence exists for the tiger surviving in Palawan beyond 12,000 years ago.[6]

Alleged records

In 1975,

roar, and that they were able to distinguish between a tiger's roar and vocalisations of other animals.[3]

In culture

A Dayak man in Kalimantan in traditional attire
Coat of arms of East Kalimantan, featuring tiger stripes

Natives of Borneo keep the memory of the tiger alive in their culture by treating its body parts as

Kayanic languages.[14]
Tiger motifs are also seen depicted in traditional, ceremonial and modern carvings; additionally, tigers can be seen on weaved fabrics, such as mats and clothing, like the Iban pua kumbu.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b 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. Vol. 7. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.
  3. ^ a b c d e Meijaard, E. (1999). "The Bornean Tiger; Speculation on its existence". Cat News (30): 12–15.
  4. ISBN 978-0-8155-1570-8
    .
  5. ^ a b Piper, P. J.; R. J. Rabett, Earl of Cranbrook (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. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.04.003
    .
  7. ISBN 0521648351
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 9781444391282
    .
  9. ISBN 978-9-4024-1106-5
    .
  10. S2CID 4421184
    .
  11. doi:10.1016/S0277-3791(01)00101-9
    .
  12. S2CID 4347450
    .
  13. ^ a b Gersi, D. (1975). Dans la jungle de Bornéo (in French). Paris: Éditions G. P.
  14. ^ a b Sellato, B. (2019). The Other Tiger: History, Beliefs, and Rituals in Borneo. Temasek Working Paper No. 1. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies / Yusof Ishak Institute, Temasek History Research Center.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bornean_tiger&oldid=1211747390"