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'{{short description|Extinct tiger population in Sunda Island Java}} {{Subspeciesbox | fossil_range = [[Late Pleistocene]] - [[Holocene]] | name = Javan tiger | status = EX | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |publisher=[[IUCN]] |author=Goodrich, J. |author2 = Lynam, A. |author3=Miquelle, D. |author4=Wibisono, H. |author5=Kawanishi, K. |author6=Pattanavibool, A. |author7=Htun, S. |author8=Tempa, T. |author9=Karki, J. |author10=Jhala, Y. & Karanth, U. |title=''Panthera tigris'' |page=e.T15955A50659951 |date=2015 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T15955A50659951.en |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15955/50659951}}</ref> | image = Panthera tigris sondaica 01.jpg | image_caption = Javan tiger photographed by [[Andries Hoogerwerf]] in [[Ujung Kulon National Park]], 1938<ref name="seidensticker1987"/> | genus = Panthera | species = tigris | subspecies = sondaica | species_link = Tiger | authority = ([[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]], 1844) | range_map = | range_map_caption = }} The '''Javan tiger''' was a ''[[Panthera tigris sondaica]]'' population, which lived in the [[Indonesia]]n island of [[Java]] until the mid 1970s.<ref name=catsg/><ref name=iucn_old>{{cite iucn |publisher=[[IUCN]] |authors=Jackson, P.; Nowell, K. |date=2008 |title=''Panthera tigris'' ssp. ''sondaica'' |page=e.T41681A10509194 |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41681/10509194 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T41681A10509194.en}}</ref> It was hunted to extinction and its [[natural habitat]] converted for human use.<ref name="seidensticker1987"/> It was one of the three [[tiger]] populations in the [[Sunda Islands]].<ref name=mazak06>{{cite journal |author=Mazák, J. H. |author2=Groves, C. P. |year=2006 |title=A taxonomic revision of the tigers (''Panthera tigris'') |journal=Mammalian Biology 71 |issue=5 |pages=268–287 |url=http://arts.anu.edu.au/grovco/tiger%20SEAsia%20Mazak.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906122850/http://arts.anu.edu.au/grovco/tiger%20SEAsia%20Mazak.pdf |archivedate=2007-09-06|doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2006.02.007 }}</ref> Formerly, it was regarded as a distinct tiger [[subspecies]], which had been assessed as extinct on the [[IUCN Red List]] in 2008.<ref name=iucn_old/> In 2017, felid [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] was revised and the Javan tiger subordinated to ''P. t. sondaica'', which also includes the still surviving [[Sumatran tiger]].<ref name=catsg/> Results of [[mtDNA]] analysis of 23 tiger samples from museum collections indicate that tigers colonized the Sunda Islands throughout the [[last glacial period]] 110,000–12,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |author1-last=Xue |author1-first=H.R.|author2-last=Yamaguchi|author2-first=N.|author3-last=Driscoll|author3-first=C.A.|author4-last=Han|author4-first=Y.|author5-last=Bar-Gal|author5-first=G.K.|author6-last=Zhuang|author6-first=Y.|author7-last=Mazak|author7-first=J.H.|author8-last=Macdonald|author8-first=D.W.|author9-last=O’Brien|author9-first=S.J.|author10-last=Luo|author10-first=S.J. |year=2015 |title=Genetic ancestry of the extinct Javan and Bali tigers |journal=Journal of Heredity |volume=106 |issue=3 |pages=247–257|pmc=4406268|pmid=25754539|doi=10.1093/jhered/esv002}}</ref> The conclusion that the Javan Tiger has reached extinction is not based on scientific investigation. After Forrest Ballante's research and investigation on the islands he has the belief that the Javan Tiger is not extinct. Which can be seen on Extinct or Alive. ==Taxonomy== In 1844, [[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]] gave the [[scientific name]] ''Felis tigris sondaicus'' to the Javan tiger.<ref name=Temminck>{{cite book |author=Temminck, C. J. |year=1844 |chapter=Aperçu général et spécifique sur les mammifères qui habitent le Japon et les iles qui en dépendent |title=Fauna Japonica sive Descriptio animalium, quae in itinere per Japoniam, jussu et auspiciis superiorum, qui summum in India Batava imperium tenent, suscepto, annis 1825 - 1830 collegit, notis, observationibus et adumbrationibus illustravit Ph. Fr. de Siebold. Mammalia |editor1=von Siebold, F. |editor2=Temminck, C. J. |editor3=Schlegel, H |editor4=de Haan, W. |editor5=Kiichi Nakazawa |editor6=Shigeho Tanaka |editor7=Nagamichi Kuroda |editor8=Yaichirō Okada |location=Lugduni Batavorum |publisher=Arnz et Socius |chapterurl=https://archive.org/stream/faunajaponicasi00sieb#page/n9/mode/2up |pages=1–59}}</ref> In 1929, the British taxonomist [[Reginald Innes Pocock]] subordinated the tiger under the genus ''[[Panthera]]'' using the scientific name ''Panthera tigris''.<ref name=pocock1929>{{cite journal |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1929 |title=Tigers |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=33 |issue= |pages=505–541 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/154233}}</ref><ref name=pocock1939>{{cite book |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1939 |title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia: Volume 1 |location=London |publisher=T. Taylor and Francis, Ltd. |pages=197–210 |chapter=''Panthera tigris'' |chapterurl=https://archive.org/stream/PocockMammalia1/pocock1#page/n247/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=Mazak1981>{{cite journal |author=Mazák, V. |year=1981 |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-152-01-0001.pdf |title=''Panthera tigris'' |journal= Mammalian Species |volume=152 |issue=152 |pages= 1–8 |doi=10.2307/3504004|jstor=3504004}}</ref> In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the [[IUCN Species Survival Commission#Cat Specialist Group|Cat Specialist Group]] revised felid taxonomy and now recognizes the living and extinct tiger [[population]]s in Indonesia as ''P. t. sondaica''.<ref name=catsg>{{cite journal |authors=Kitchener, A. C., Breitenmoser-Würsten, C., Eizirik, E., Gentry, A., Werdelin, L., Wilting A., Yamaguchi, N., Abramov, A. V., Christiansen, P., Driscoll, C., Duckworth, J. W., Johnson, W., Luo, S.-J., Meijaard, E., O’Donoghue, P., Sanderson, J., Seymour, K., Bruford, M., Groves, C., Hoffmann, M., Nowell, K., Timmons, Z. & Tobe, S. |year=2017 |title= A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group |journal=Cat News |volume=Special Issue 11 |url=http://www.catsg.org/fileadmin/filesharing/5.Cat_News/5.3._Special_Issues/5.3.10._SI_11/CN_Special_Issue_11_Revised_taxonomy_of_the_Felidae.pdf}}</ref> ==Characteristics== {{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image2=Panthera tigris sondaica 02 MWNH 106d.jpg |caption2=Tiger [[skull]] from Java in the collection of the [[Museum Wiesbaden]] |image1=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een jager poseert bij de huid van een geschoten tijger bij Kalitapakdoewoer TMnr 10024166.jpg |caption1=Skin of a Javan tiger in the collection of the [[Tropenmuseum]], 1915 }} The Javan tiger was small compared to other subspecies of the [[Asia]]n mainland, but larger than the [[Bali tiger]], and similar in size to the [[Sumatran tiger]].<ref name=Mazak1981/> It usually had long and thin stripes, which were slightly more numerous than those of the Sumatran tiger. Its nose was long and narrow, [[occipital plane]] remarkably narrow and [[carnassial]]s relatively long. Based on these [[Cranial bones|cranial]] differences, the Javan tiger was proposed to be assigned to a distinct species, with the [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic]] name ''Panthera sondaica''.<ref name=mazak06/> Males had a mean body length of {{convert|248|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weighed between {{convert|100|and|141|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Females were smaller than males and weighed between {{convert|75|and|115|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Mazak1981/> The smaller body size of the Javan tiger is attributed to [[Bergmann’s rule]] and the size of the available prey species in Java, which are smaller than the [[Deer|cervid]] and [[bovid]] species on the Asian mainland. However, the diameter of its tracks are larger than those of [[Bengal tiger]] in [[Bangladesh]], [[India]], and [[Nepal]].<ref name="seidensticker1986">{{cite book |author=Seidensticker, J. |year=1986 |chapter=Large Carnivores and the Consequences of Habitat Insularization: ecology and conservation of Tigers in Indonesia and Bangladesh |pages=1−41 |title=Cats of the world: biology, conservation and management |editor1-last=Miller |editor1-first=S. D. |editor2-last=Everett |editor2-first=D. D. |publisher=National Wildlife Federation |location=Washington DC |chapterurl=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/8206/71440cc3-e3f8-487f-981f-2c9a3309783e.pdf}}</ref> [[Charles Frederick Partington]] wrote that Javan and Sumatran tigers were strong enough to break legs of horses or [[Water buffalo|buffalo]]es with their paws, even though they were not as heavy as Bengal tigers.<ref name=Partington1835>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DThEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA718 |title=The British cyclopæedia of natural history |author=Charles Frederick Partington |chapter=''Felis'', the cat tribe |publisher=Orr & Smith |year=1835}}</ref> ==Habitat and ecology== {{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=Tembadau 01.jpg |caption1=[[Banteng]]: bulls of the Javan subspecies ''Bos javanicus javanicus'' are black. |width1= |image2=Rusa Deer (C. Timorensis).jpg |caption2=Rusa deer from the islands offshore Ujung Kulon have been resettled in Meru Betiri.<ref name="seidensticker1986" /> |width2= }} At the end of the 19th century, the Javan tiger inhabited most of Java. Around 1850, people living in rural areas still considered it a plague. By 1940, tigers had retreated to remote mountainous and forested areas. Around 1970, the only known tigers lived in the region of [[Meru Betiri National Park|Mount Betiri]], with an altitude of {{convert|1192|m|ft|abbr=on}}, the highest mountain in Java's southeast, which had not been settled because of the rugged and sloping terrain. In 1972, the {{convert|500|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} area was gazetted as wildlife reserve. The last tigers were sighted there in 1976.<ref name="seidensticker1987">{{cite book |author=Seidensticker, J. |year=1987 |chapter=Bearing witness: observations on the extinction of ''Panthera tigris balica'' and ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' |chapterurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=YdC-wfyZwZEC&lpg=PA1&ots=YHBRTiebpA&lr&pg=PA1#v=onepage&f=false |pages=1–8 |title=Tigers of the world: the biology, biopolitics, management, and conservation of an endangered species |editor1-last=Tilson |editor1-first=R. L. |editor2-last=Seal |editor2-first=U. S. |publisher=Noyes Publications |location=New Jersey}}</ref><ref>Treep, L. (1973). ''On the Tiger in Indonesia (with special reference to its status and conservation).'' Report no. 164, Department of Nature Conservation and Nature Management, Wageningen, The Netherlands.</ref> Javan tigers preyed on [[rusa deer]], [[banteng]], and [[wild boar]], less often on [[water fowl]] and [[reptile]]s. Nothing is known about their gestation period or life span in the wild or captivity. Up to [[World War II]], Javan tigers were kept in some Indonesian zoos, but these were closed during the war. After the war, they were so rare that it was easier to instead obtain Sumatran tigers.<ref name="seidensticker1986" /> ==Extirpation== {{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een tijgergevecht TMnr 60025896.jpg |caption1=A tiger fight in Java, 1870 - 1892. |width1= |image2=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een groep mannen en kinderen poseert bij een pas geschoten tijger te Malingping in Bantam West-Java TMnr 10006636.jpg |caption2=A group of men and children poses with a killed tiger in Malingping in Banten, West Java, 1941. |width2= |image3=Rampog macan in Kediri 1900.jpg |caption3=A tiger killed along with seven [[Javan leopard|leopard]]s during [[Rampokan]] in Kediri, East Java, ''circa'' 1900. |width3= }} At the beginning of the 20th century, 28 million people lived on the island of Java. The annual production of [[rice]] was insufficient to adequately supply the growing human population, so that within 15 years, 150% more land was cleared for rice fields. In 1938, natural forest covered 23% of the island. By 1975, only 8% forest stand remained, and the human population had increased to 85 million people.<ref name="seidensticker1986" /> In this human-dominated landscape, the extirpation of the Javan tiger was intensified by the conjunction of several circumstances and events:<ref name="seidensticker1987" /> * Tigers and their prey were poisoned in many places during the period when their habitat was rapidly being reduced. * Natural forests were increasingly fragmented after World War II for plantations of [[teak]], [[Coffea|coffee]], and [[Para rubber tree|rubber]], which were unsuitable habitat for wildlife. * [[Javan rusa|Rusa deer]], the tiger's most important prey species, was lost to disease in several reserves and forests during the 1960s. * During the period of civil unrest after 1965, armed groups retreated to reserves, where they killed the remaining tigers. ===Last efforts=== Until the mid-1960s, tigers survived in three protected areas that had been established during the 1920s–1930s: Leuweng Sancang Nature Reserve and [[Ujung Kulon National Park|Ujung Kulon]] and [[Baluran National Park]]s. Following the period of civil unrest, however, no tigers were sighted there. In 1971, an older female was shot in a plantation near Mount Betiri in Java's southeast. Since then, not a single cub has been recorded. The area was upgraded to a wildlife reserve in 1972, at which time a small guard force was established and four habitat management projects were initiated. The reserve was severely disrupted by two large plantations in the major river valleys, occupying the most suitable habitat for the tiger and its prey. In 1976, tracks were found in the eastern part of the reserve, suggesting the presence of three to five tigers. Only a few [[banteng]] survived close to the plantations, but tracks of rusa deer, the preferred prey of the Javan tiger, were not sighted.<ref name="seidensticker1980">{{cite book |author=Seidensticker, J. |author2=Suyono, I. |year=1980 |title=The Javan Tiger and the Meri-Betiri Reserve, a plan for management |publisher=Gland: International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources}}</ref> After 1979, there were no more confirmed sightings of tigers in [[Meru Betiri National Park]]. In 1980, Seidensticker and Suyono recommended extending the wildlife reserve and completely eliminating the disruptive influence of humans on the fragile [[ecosystem]]. The Indonesian Nature Conservation Authority implemented these recommendations in 1982 by gazetting the reserve as a national park. These measures were, however, too late to save the few remaining tigers in the region.<ref name="seidensticker1987" /> In 1987, a group of 30 students of [[Bogor Agricultural University]] (''Institut Pertanian Bogor'') conducted an expedition to Meru Betiri. In groups of five, they searched the area and found tiger scat and tracks.<ref name="zgap1991">Istiadi, Y., Panekenan, N., Priatna, D., Novendri, Y., Mathys, A., Mathys, Y. (1991). ''Untersuchung über die Carnivoren des Gunung Halimun Naturschutzgebietes''. Zoologische Gesellschaft für Arten- und Populationsschutz e.V. Mitteilungen 7 (2): 3–5.</ref> In the west of Java lies the Halimun Reserve, today integrated into the [[Mount Halimun Salak National Park]]. In 1984, a tiger was killed there; and in 1989, pugmarks were found that were the size of a tiger's. However, an expedition of six biologists conducted in 1990 did not yield any definite, direct evidence for the existence of tigers.<ref name="zgap1991" /> A subsequent survey was planned in the Meru Betiri National Park in autumn 1992 with the support of WWF Indonesia, deploying [[camera trap]]s for the first time. From March 1993 to March 1994, cameras were positioned at nineteen sites, but the cameras did not yield a single picture of a tiger. During this period, no tracks indicating the presence of tigers were discovered.<ref>Rafiastanto, A. (1994). ''Camera trapping survey of Javan tiger and other wild animals in Meru Betiri National Park''. WWF-IP Project ID 0084-02</ref> After the final report of this survey had been published, the Javan tiger was declared extinct.<ref>Jackson, P., Kemf, E. (1994). ''Wanted alive! Tigers in the wild: 1994 WWF species status report''. WWF, Gland.</ref> Rumours and indications of the possible presence of tigers in the Meru Betiri National Park prompted the park's Chief Warden Indra Arinal to initiate another search. With support of the ''Sumatran Tiger Project'', twelve members of the park staff were trained in autumn 1999 to set up camera traps and map their observations. The Canadian ''The Tiger Foundation'' provided [[infrared]] cameras.<ref>Tilson, R. (1999). [http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=8714&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm ''Sumatran Tiger Project Report No. 17 & 18: July − December 1999''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716145733/http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=8714&TEMPLATE=%2FCM%2FContentDisplay.cfm |date=2011-07-16 }} Grant number 1998-0093-059. Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Steering Committee, Jakarta.</ref> Despite a year of work, they photographed no tigers, few prey, and many poachers.<ref>Breining, G. (2002). [http://www.tigers.ca/home/Zoostory.pdf ''What's Our Zoo Got to Do With It?''] Minnesota Conservation Volunteer.</ref> ==Cultural significance== In 1890, Dutch author Jan Gerhard ten Bokkel noted how the fear of tigers brought the people to use superstitious language: "A Javan will never speak about a tiger without calling him 'Mister', it's always: Mr. Tiger. The beast might hear him once, and take revenge at him for merely saying tiger in a familiar way!"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bokkel, ten |first=J. G. |year=1890 |title=Dominee, pastoor of rabbi? Populaire kritiek. |url=http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/zoom/index/&language=indonesie_onafhankelijk_-_fotos_1947-1953&i=http%3A%2F%2Fresolver.kb.nl%2Fresolve%3Furn%3Durn%3Agvn%3AMULM01%3ABr-A-1890-D1%26count%3D164 |location=Amsterdam |publisher=[[De Vrije Gedachte|De Dageraad]] |page=13 |accessdate=20 June 2016 |language=nl}}</ref> ==Alleged sightings== Occasional, unofficial reports of Javan tigers surface from enthusiasts who believe the tiger still exists in Java.<ref>Bambang M. (2002). [http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2002/10/30/in-search-039extinct039-javan-tiger.html ''In search of 'extinct' Javan tiger.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607061138/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2002/10/30/in-search-039extinct039-javan-tiger.html |date=2011-06-07 }} The Jakarta Post, October 30, 2002.</ref> In November 2008, an unidentified body of a female mountain hiker was found in [[Mount Merbabu]] National Park, [[Central Java]], who allegedly died from a tiger attack. Villagers who discovered the body have also claimed some tiger sightings in the vicinity.<ref>[http://www.detiknews.com/read/2008/11/17/191947/1038555/10/pendaki-wanita-tewas-di-gunung-merbabu-diduga-diterkam-harimau DetikNews Nov 17, 2008: ''Pendaki Wanita Tewas di Gunung Merbabu, Diduga Diterkam Harimau'']</ref> Another alleged sighting occurred in Magetan Regency, East Java, in January 2009. Some villagers claimed to have seen a tigress with two cubs wandering near a village adjacent to Lawu Mountain. This news triggered mass panic. Local authorities found several fresh tracks in the location. However, by that time, those animals had already vanished.<ref>[http://www.jawapos.co.id/radar/index.php?act=detail&rid=60292 JawaPos 24 Januari 2009: ''Harimau Teror Warga Ringin Agung''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218023528/http://www.jawapos.co.id/radar/index.php?act=detail |date=2009-02-18 }}</ref> Following the October 2010 eruption of [[Mount Merapi]], two Indonesian villagers claimed sightings of a big cat paw print in the residual ash, which sparked rumours that a tiger or leopard was roaming abandoned farms in search of food. Personnel of the nearby national park did not think it was likely that the paw print belonged to a tiger.<ref>The Sydney Morning Herald (2010) [http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/tiger-rumours-swirl-below-indon-volcano-20101102-17ce0.html ''Tiger rumours swirl below Indon volcano''] The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 November 2010.</ref> In 2016, a Javan tiger was apparently photographed in [[Mount Arjuno]] in East Java. The photo went viral, but some were skeptical about the sighting since the forests were not in a good state. An investigation would take place and, if proven true, vigilance would be stricter as the place is favored by hunters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.profauna.net/en/content/hot-news-sight-javan-tiger-mt-arjuno-went-viral#.WbvhwfkrKJB |title= Sight of Javan Tiger in Mount Arjuno Went Viral}}</ref> On 25 August 2017, a wildlife ranger working in [[Ujung Kulon National Park]] took a photograph of an alleged Javan tiger while it was feeding on a dead bull. A research team later set out on a ten-day expedition to validate the existence of the tiger. The representative of the research team later said that it will take up to two months to get a strong conclusion.<ref>[https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3640860/dibilang-punah-harimau-jawa-terpotret-di-ujung-kulon Dibilang Punah, Harimau Jawa Terpotret di Ujung Kulon] DetikNews, 13 September 2017.</ref><ref>[http://regional.liputan6.com/read/3091664/aneh-harimau-jawa-yang-disebut-punah-kedapatan-terkam-banteng ''Aneh, Harimau Jawa yang Disebut Punah Kedapatan Terkam Banteng] Liputan 6, 12 September 2017.</ref> A tiger expert identified the animal as a [[Javan leopard]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/world/asia/indonesia-tiger-species.html|title=Tiger Species Thought Extinct Is Possibly Spotted in Indonesia|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=September 15, 2017}}</ref> ==See also== {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * [[Caspian tiger]] * [[Indochinese tiger]] * [[Malayan tiger]] * [[Siberian tiger]] * [[South China tiger]] * [[Rampokan]] {{div col end}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Wikispecies|Panthera tigris sondaica}} * Species portrait [http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=124 ''Panthera tigris''] and short portrait [http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=570 ''P. t. sondaica'']; IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group * [http://www.tigers.ca/Foundation%20overview/program/javan/javan.htm The Tiger Foundation (Canada): ''Javan Tigers in Meru Betiri National Park''] * [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39276106 West Javan tiger statue] {{Taxonbar|from=Q200381}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiger, Javan}} [[Category:Extinct animals of Indonesia]] [[Category:Extinct mammals of Asia]] [[Category:Extinct carnivorans]] [[Category:Mammal extinctions since 1500]] [[Category:Species made extinct by human activities]] [[Category:Tigers|Javan tiger]]'