Tamaraw
Tamaraw | |
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In the Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park , Philippines
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Bovidae |
Subfamily: | Bovinae |
Genus: | Bubalus |
Species: | B. mindorensis
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Binomial name | |
Bubalus mindorensis (Heude, 1888)
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Range map in green |
The tamaraw or Mindoro dwarf buffalo (Bubalus mindorensis) is a small buffalo belonging to the family
Contrary to common belief and past classification, the tamaraw is not a subspecies of the
Evolutionary history
The presence of B. mindorensis on the island of Mindoro, coupled with the discovery of fossil bubalids in other islands around the archipelago, indicates that the family was once widespread throughout the Philippines.[5][6] In fact, fossil finds in the 20th century have shown that B. mindorensis was once found on the northern Philippine island of Luzon during the Pleistocene.[7]
As a member of the family Bovidae, the tamaraw's close affinity to the water buffalo (B. bubalis) has been validated many times in the past. It was once considered a subspecies of B. bubalis (as Anoa bubalis), Anoa bubalis mindorensis.[8] Recent genetic analysis studies of the family members further strengthen this view.[9]
Etymology and taxonomic history
The tamaraw was originally described as Anoa mindorensis by French
Later research and analyses of relationships determined the genus Anoa to be a part of the genus Bubalus. The tamaraw's scientific name was updated into its present form, Bubalus mindorensis (sometimes referred to as Bubalus (Bubalus) mindorensis).[11]
The name tamaraw has other variants, such as tamarau, tamarou, and tamarao. The term tamaraw may have come from tamadaw, which is a probable alternative name for the banteng (Bos javanicus).[12]
Anatomy and morphology
B. mindorensis has the appearance of a typical member of its family. It has a compact, heavyset, bovine body, four legs that end in cloven hooves, and a small, horned head at the end of a short neck. It is smaller and stockier compared to the water buffalo (B. bubalis). Little sexual dimorphism is seen in the species, although males are reported to have thicker necks.[13] The tamaraw has a typical shoulder height of 100–105 cm (39–41 in). The length of the body is 2.2 m (7.2 ft), while the tail adds a further 60 cm (24 in). Reported weights have ranged from 180 to 300 kg (400 to 660 lb).[14]
Adults have a dark brown to grayish color and more hair than B. bubalis. The limbs are short and stocky. White markings are seen in the hooves and the inner lower fore legs. These markings are similar to those of the anoa (B. depressicornis). The face is the same color as the body. Most of the members of the species also have a pair of gray-white strips that begins from the inner corner of the eye to the horns. The nose and lips have black skin. The ears are 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long from notch to tip with white markings on the insides.[15]
Both sexes grows short, black horns in a V-shaped manner compared to C-shaped horns of B. bubalis. The horns have flat surfaces and are triangular at their base. Due to the regular rubbing, the tamaraw's horns have a worn outer surface, but with rough inner sides. The horns are reported to be 35.5 to 51.0 cm (14.0 to 20.1 in) long.[15]
Distribution
The tamaraw was first documented in 1888 on the island of Mindoro. Before 1900, most people avoided settling on Mindoro due to a virulent strain of
Initial estimates of the B. mindorensis population on Mindoro was placed at around 10,000 individuals in the early 1900s. Less than 50 years later in 1949, the population had dwindled to around 1000 individuals. By 1953, fewer than 250 animals were estimated to be alive.[17] These population estimates continually grew smaller until the International Union for Conservation of Nature publication of their 1969 Red Data Book, where the tamaraw population was noted to be an alarmingly low 100 head.[18] This head count rose to 120 animals in 1975.[19] Current estimates place the wild tamaraw population from 30 to 200 individuals.[1]
Ecology and life history
As a rare, endemic mammal on a relatively secluded island, the ecology of the tamaraw is largely unknown. Individuals of the species are reclusive and shy away from humans. In addition, the small sizes of the species' subpopulations, already spread thin throughout their fragmented range (in 1986, about 51 individuals were found in a 20-km2 area[citation needed]), make contact with any more than a solitary individual a rarity.[20]
Habitat
B. mindorensis prefers tropical highland forested areas. It is typically found in thick brush, near open-canopied glades, where it may feed on grasses. Since human habitation and subsequent forest fragmentation of their home island of Mindoro, the habitat preferences of the tamaraw have somewhat expanded to lower-altitude grassy plains. Within their mountainous environment, tamaraws will usually be found not far from sources of water.[1][16]
Trophic ecology
The tamaraw is a grazer that feeds on grasses and young bamboo shoots, although it is known to prefer cogon grass and wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum). They are naturally diurnal, feeding during the daytime hours; however, daytime human activities have recently forced select B. mindorensis individuals to be nocturnal to avoid human contact.[4]
Life history
The tamaraw is known to live for about 20 years, with an estimated lifespan of about 25. The adult female tamaraw gives birth to one offspring after a gestation period around 300 days.[21] There is an interbirth interval of two years, although one female has been sighted with three juveniles. The calf stays for 2–4 years with its mother before becoming independent.[4]
Behavioral ecology
Unlike the closely related water buffalo, B. mindorensis is a solitary creature. Adults of the species do not occur in herds or smaller packs, and are often encountered alone. Only juveniles exhibit the typical bovine herding behavior and clan hierarchy often seen in water buffalo.[22] Males and females are known to associate all year round, but this interaction lasts only a few hours. This solitary behavior may be an adaptation to its forest environment.[4] Adult males are often solitary and apparently aggressive, while adult females can be alone, accompanied by a bull, or their young of different ages.[20]
Similar to other bovines the tamaraw wallows in mud pits, maybe to avoid biting insects.[23]
Reports of aggression when cornered are unsubstantiated. Tamaraw Threat posture involves lowering the head, and shifting its horns into a vertical position, accompanied by head shaking.[15]
Conservation
Being an entirely
Many factors have contributed to the decline of the tamaraw population. Over the course of the century, the increase of the human population on Mindoro has exposed the island's sole tamaraw population to severe
Due to the decline of the B. mindorensis population, various Philippine laws and organizations have been created towards the conservation of the species. In 1936, Commonwealth Act No. 73 was enacted by the then-
In 1979, an executive order was signed creating a committee specifically geared towards the conservation of the tamaraw; it was referred to as a "source of national pride" in the said order.[31] The Tamaraw Conservation Project was also established in 1979. The organization has successfully bred a tamaraw, nicknamed "Kali", in captivity in 1999.[4] In 2001, Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act was enacted to protect the tamaraw and other endemic species from hunting and sale.[32] During the 1970s, a gene pool was established to preserve the tamaraw's numbers. However, the project was not successful, as only one offspring, named "Kali", was produced. As of 2011, Kali is the only surviving animal in the gene pooling project. The project was also not improved as the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau showed that the tamaraws were already breeding in the wild. Cloning was not implemented for conservation as the Department of Environment and Natural Resource argued that such measures would diminish the genetic diversity of the species.[33]
A small subpopulation of tamaraws has been found within the confines of the
As of May 2007, B. mindorensis is on Appendix I of the
The 2002 Presidential Proclamation 273 set October as a "Special Month for the Conservation and Protection of the Tamaraw in Mindoro.".[36][37]
As of April 2019, according to June Pineda, Tamaraw Conservation Program coordinator of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the latest count at Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park in Occidental Mindoro showed 466 to 494 tamaraws, lower than 2018’s 523 animals.[38]
Importance to humans
Economical and commercial value
While not as heavily exploited as other large, endangered mammals, the tamaraw population was subject to some harvesting pressure from subsistence hunters before conservation efforts were spurred towards the latter half of the 20th century. The IUCN has described this as still going on in their 2006 Red List report.[1]
In Philippine culture
Though the national animal of the Philippines is the
In 2004, Proclamation No. 692 was enacted to make October 1 a special working holiday in the province of Occidental Mindoro. In line with the Tamaraw Conservation Month, the proclamation aimed to remind the people of Mindoro the importance of the conservation of the tamaraw and its environment.[41]
During the wake of the Asian utility popularity in the 1990s,
References
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- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Bubalus mindorensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Fuentes, Art (February 21, 2005). "The Tamaraw: Mindoro's endangered treasure". Haribon. Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
- .
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- ^ Beyer, H. O. (1957). "New finds of fossil mammals from the Pleistocene strata of the Philippines". Bulletin of the National Research Council of the Philippines. 41. National Research Council of the Philippines: 220–238.
- ^ a b Bohlken, H. (1958). "Vergleichende Untersuchungen an Wildrinden (Tribus Bovini Simpson, 1945)". Zoologische Jahrbücher (Physiologie). 68: 113–202.
- JSTOR 1382056.
- ^ Groves, C. P. (1969). "Systematics of the anoa (Mammalia, Bovidae)". Beaufortia. 223: 1–12.
- ^ "Bubalus mindorensis". Mammal Species of the World (MSW). Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 1993. Archived from the original on October 19, 1996. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
- S2CID 145547822.
- ^ "Tamaraw bubalus mindorensis Heude, 1888". wildcattleconservation.org. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
- JSTOR 3504276. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ^ Huffman, Brent (January 2, 2007). "Bubalus mindorensis: Tamaraw". www.ultimateungulate.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ a b c Massicot, Paul (March 5, 2005). "Animal Info - Tamaraw". Animal Info. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
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- International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources(1969). 1969 IUCN 1969 Red Data Book. Vol. 1 - Mammalia. Morges, Switzerland: IUCN.
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- ^ Groombridge, B.; Baillie, J. (1996). 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
- ^ Hilton-Taylor, C. (2000). 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.: IUCN.
- ^ "An act to prohibiting the killing, hunting, wounding or taking away of Bubalus mindorensis, commonly known as tamaraw". Commonwealth Act No. 73. National Assembly of the Philippines. October 23, 1936. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
- ^ Marcos, Ferdinand E. (July 9, 1979). "Creating a presidential committee for the conservation of the tamaraw, defining its powers and for other purposes". Executive Order No. 544. Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
- ^ "Republic Act No. 9147". Retrieved March 5, 2007.
- ^ "Philippines : Endangered Tamaraws breed in the wilds again". Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
- ^ CITES (May 3, 2007). "Appendices". Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. Archived from the original (shtml) on July 9, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
- UNEP-WCMC. "Bubalus mindorensis". UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre. A-119.009.004.003. Archived from the originalon September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
- ^ "Tamaraws no longer on brink of extinction, say conservationists". GMANews Online. October 3, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ^ goodnewspilipinas.com (October 11, 2008). "Saving the Tamaraws from extinction". Inquirer.net. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ^ Virola, Madonna (May 9, 2019). "Habitat loss, poaching blamed for decline in tamaraw population". Inquirer.net. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ "Philippines Independence Day Celebrations". National Symbol. 123independenceday.com. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ^ Breithaupt, Jan (April 29, 2003). "Bubalus mindorensis, Philippines". EcoPort Picture Databank. EcoPort. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ^ "Proclamation No. 692" (Press release). Government of the Republic of the Philippines. August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on August 3, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2007.
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Bibliography
- "Bubalus mindorensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
- Callo, R. A. (1991). "The tamaraw population: decreasing or increasing?". Canopy International. 16 (4): 4–9.
- JSTOR 3504276.
- Gesch, P. (2004). "Bubalus mindorensis". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
- Heaney, L. R.; J. C. Regalado Jr. (1998). Vanishing treasures of the Philippine rain forest. Chicago, Illinois: Field Museum, Chicago. ISBN 9780914868194.
- Momongan, V. G.; G. I. Walde (1993). "Behavior of the endangered tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis huede) in captivity". Asia Life Sciences. 2 (2): 241–350.
- Bittel, Jason (May 21, 2019). "The Philippines Is Rallying Behind Its Disappearing Dwarf Buffalo". Earth Island Journal.
External links