| Bornean tiger | |
|---|---|
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| Painting of a tiger at a Buddhist temple inKuching,Sarawak,Malaysia | |
Scientific 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 |
TheBornean tiger orBorneo tiger is possibly anextincttigerpopulation that lived on the island ofBorneo inprehistoric times.[1][2][3]
Two partial bone fragments suggest that the tiger was certainly present in Borneo during theLate Pleistocene.[4] A live Bornean tiger has not been conclusively recorded.[3][5][6]
As of 2021, only two specimens are confirmed as definitiveLate Pleistocene fossil records of Bornean tigers. The first specimen, reported in 2007, is ametacarpal bone fragment of a young tiger dated to approximately 13,000 years ago.[7] The second specimen, reported in 2021, is a partialmandible of a large tiger dated to approximately 22,000 years ago.[4]Archaeological excavations also produced an uppercanine tooth and anavicular of a tiger, with the latter dated between 10,500 and 3,000 yearsBP, and thus the tiger was likely present in Borneo during thelate Pleistocene andHolocene.[7]
A bone fragment was also found in the Philippine island of Palawan, though archaeologists considered it unlikely that these fragments were traded between different regions during the Pleistocene.[8] Twofossil bone fragments excavated at theIlle Cave on theisland of Palawan in thePhilippines were identified as being of a tiger. One fragment is a full basalphalanx bone of the second digit of the leftmanus 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 theMalay Peninsula andIndia.[8]
Borneo might have been connected toPalawan during thepenultimate and previousglacial periods, judging from themolecular phylogeny ofmurids in the area.[9] Tiger parts were commonly used asamulets inSouth andSoutheast Asia, so it is possible that the tiger parts found in Palawan were imported from elsewhere.[9][10]
It is also possible that the tiger crossed theBalabac Strait in theMiddle 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.[8] During this period, the relative sea level decreased to about −130 m (−430 ft) due to the expansion of ice sheets.[11][12][13] To date, no evidence exists for the tiger surviving in Palawan beyond 12,000 years ago.[8]
In 1975,Douchan Gersi claimed to have seen a tiger inEast Kalimantan,Indonesia. He took two photographs of the animal.[14] These photos depict a tiger, but the authenticity of the photographs was doubted,[1] and its origin remains unclear.[5] It might have been an escaped captive animal.[14] In 1995, native people inCentral Kalimantan claimed to have heard a tigerroar, and that they were able to distinguish between a tiger's roar and vocalisations of other animals.[5]
The Bornean tiger is considered to have been rather small in size.[15] The native people suggest that it is bigger than aBornean clouded leopard, as big as the Sumatran tiger, and largely brown in colour with faint stripes. The tiger is thought to have preyed onungulate species such as theBornean bearded pig, theBornean yellow muntjac and thesambar deer. According to the local Dayak, the tiger did notclimb trees.[5]
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Natives of Borneo keep the memory of the tiger alive in their culture by treating its body parts asheirlooms; therefore, it has been suggested that the Bornean tiger survived longer than prehistoric times.[3][8] Tiger claws were used as protectiveamulets among theKenyah,Ngaju andIban peoples, possibly for important ceremonies or to be worn by individuals of prominent status; vocabulary referring to the animal's presence (but also inavoidance speech) is also attested, such asaso for 'dog' orbuang /bohang for 'bear', as a replacement inKayanic languages. 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 Ibanpua kumbu.[16]