Bali Tiger
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| Bali Tiger | ||||||||||||||||
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| Panthera tigris balica (Schwarz, 1912) |
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The Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica), also called the Balinese tiger, is an extinct subspecies of tiger found solely on the small Indonesian island of Bali. The tiger was one of three sub-species of tiger found in Indonesia along with the Javan tiger (also extinct) and Sumatran tiger (severely endangered).
It was the smallest of the tiger sub-species; the last tiger to be shot was in 1925, and the sub-species was declared extinct on September 27, 1937. Given the small size of the island, and limited forest cover, the original population could never have been large, and it is considered unlikely that any survive today.
The subspecies became extinct due to habitat loss and hunting.[1]
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[edit] Characteristics
[edit] Weight
- The weight of a male tiger was usually 90-100 kg (198-221 pounds).
- Females weighed in at 65-80 kg (142-175 pounds).
[edit] Length
- A male Bali tiger's length was around 7'-4" to 7'-7".
- A female's length would have been 6'-3" to 6'-5".
[edit] Appearance
Bali tigers had short fur that was deep orange colored and darker, fewer stripes than other tiger sub-species. Occasionally, between the stripes, there were small black spots. Bali tigers also had unusual bar-shaped patterns on the head.
[edit] Life
Balinese tigers lived up to approximently 8-10 years of age.
[edit] Prey/Predators
The only known predators of Bali tigers were humans. Like all tigers, the Bali tigers were carnivore/carnivorous. The Bali tigers preyed upon most mammals that lived within their habitat.
[edit] Cubs
Female Bali tigers, after mating, had a gestation period of 103 days on average. They begat two or three cubs each mating, and the cubs weighed two or three pounds at birth. They were born blind. Cubs became weaned at around one year of age, and were fully independent at 18 months to two years of age. Sometimes the cubs stayed with their mother for another year.[citation needed]
[edit] Relationship to the Javan tiger
There are two common theories regarding the relationship of Balinese and Javan tigers. The first idea suggests that the two subspecies were once of the one type, but during the Ice Age Bali became isolated from Java by the Bali Strait. This split the tigers into two groups which then went on to develop independently.
The second option considers that the tiger swam the narrow channel from one island to colonize the other. The Bali Strait is only 2.4 kilometers wide, making it well within the swimming ability of the average tiger. Whichever it was, the two went on to become quite different.
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