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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
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 (03-25-2015, 02:35 AM)'Amnon242' Wrote:(03-25-2015, 02:01 AM)'peter' Wrote: As the incident happened in Johore, my guess is the croc probably was a saltwater crocodile: It was probably a large male Malayan tiger and an average male saltie. But it was still a quite of an achievement for a big cat of being capable to tackle against a crocodilian which was heavier than himself. Tiger and Jaguar are probably the most successful big cat species scored against the crocodilians. 
A Suggested Protocol for Radio-Telemetry Studies on Tiger (Panthera tigris L.)
By Dr Aniruddha Majumder & Mr S.P. Yadav 2014 -INTRODUCTION "Tiger (Panthera tigris L.) is the largest of all the felids found in diverse habitat types and show remarkable tolerance to variation in altitude, temperature and rainfall regimes (Sunquist et al. 1999). They can potentially hunt prey varying from small mammals to large bovids (Sunquist 1981; Majumder et al. 2013). They are territorial and wide ranging and the effective size of the territory is a function of density and biomass of prey species in its habitat (Smith et al. 1987a; Smith et al. 1987b; Majumder et al. 2012). Therefore studies undertaken to address these issues on tiger are important because it can provide a better insight of tiger ecology and behavior. Radio-telemetry is such a method that has been effectively used to address these questions (Quigley et al. 1989; Smith et al. 1987a; Sunquist 2010; Barlow et al. 2010; Goodrich et al. 2010; Sharma et al. 2010; Majumder et al. 2012). Radio-tracking is the technique of determining information about an animal through the use of radio signals from or to a device carried by the animal and the first functional telemetry system created by Cochran and Lord (1963). “Telemetry” is the transmission of information through the atmosphere usually by radio waves, so radio-tracking involves telemetry, and there is much overlap between the two concepts (Mech and Barber 2002). The basic components of a radio- tracking system are (1) a transmitting subsystem consisting of a radio transmitter, a power source and a propagating antenna, and (2) a receiving subsystem including a “pick-up” antenna, a signal receiver with reception indicator (speaker and/or display) and a power source. Most radio tracking systems involve transmitters tuned to different frequencies (analogous to different AM/FM radio stations) that allow individual identification. Three distinct types of radio-tracking are mainly in use today: (1) Very High Frequency (VHF) radio tracking, (2) satellite tracking, and (3) Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking (Mech and Barber 2002). VHF radio-tracking is the standard technique in use since 1963. An animal wearing a VHF transmitter can be tracked by a person on the ground or in the air with a special receiver and directional antenna. Briefly, the advantages of VHF tracking are relatively low cost, reasonable 2 accuracy for most purposes, and long life; disadvantages are that it is labor-intensive and can be weather-dependent if aircraft-based. Nevertheless, VHF radio-tracking is by far the most useful and versatile type of radio-tracking, for not only does it yield location data, but it also allows investigators to gather a variety of other types of information (Mech 1974, 1980, 1983). Satellite tracking employs a much higher-powered transmitter attached to an animal. The signal is received by satellites and the animal‟s calculated location is sent to a researcher‟s computer. Satellite tracking requires a much higher initial cost and is much less accurate (mean accuracy = 480 meters [Fancy et al. 1989]) and, for most species, is shorter-lived than VHF systems. If only animal locations and gross movements are of interest to a study, such as a dispersal path, satellite tracking is advantageous because it requires no personnel in the field once the tracking device is placed on the animal. It is especially useful for monitoring long-range movements. However, most wildlife studies also require a variety of other information that satellite tracking does not provide, including number of companions, individual productivity, behavior, and population size and trend. For carnivores, information about predatory habits, such as rates, location, species, age, sex, and condition of their kills, cannot be obtained by satellite tracking. GPS tracking of animals is the latest major development in wildlife telemetry. It uses a GPS receiver in an animal collar to calculate and record the animal‟s location, time, and date at programmed intervals, based on signals received from a special set of satellites. GPS tracking is based on a radio receiver (rather than a transmitter) in an animal‟s collar. The receiver picks up signals from a special set of satellites and uses an attached computer to calculate and store the animal‟s locations periodically (e.g. once/15 minutes, once per hour, etc.). Depending on collar weight, some GPS collars store the data and drop off the animal when expired to allow data retrieval; others transmit the data to another set of satellites that relay it to the researchers; and still others send the data on a programmed schedule (e.g., daily) to biologists who must be in the field to receive them. GPS tracking also has high initial costs and at present is relatively short- lived and applicable to mammals the size of a wolf or larger, or to birds on which solar cells can be used. GPS tracking is highly accurate and especially suited to studies where intensive and frequent data many locations/day) are needed or useful. Depending on several variables, GPS tracking may or may not require frequent field visits (Mech and Barber 2002). Though in recent days, radio-collared with inbuilt cameras have been used in various studies, it is not suggested in case of tiger, as it is too bulky with too short a battery life to justify the whole 3 effort and risk associated with this type of collar (Kaustubh Sharma pers comms). However, the pace at this technology is developing and will soon become practical. Along with knowledge on various tools used for radio-telemetry study, it is also important to have practical understanding while handling an immobilized tiger at the time of fitting radio collar. The Global Tiger Forum (GTF)-mandated to conserve tiger in the wild, had compared various literatures on radio-telemetry studies and suggested a Protocol on Radio-Telemetry studies on tiger for manager and biologists of Tiger Range Countries (TRCs). This will help to augment the domain knowledge on the tools and technologies used for radio-telemetry studies on tiger and can be also used by TRCs to study ecological and management studies of tiger movement, behavior, habitat use, survival, and productivity assessments." Important steps to be followed once the tiger is darted 1) Carefully observe the sedated animal from a safe distance (left picture), whether it is completely sedated or not. A stick can be bitten on the ground for making soft sound. Animals panic when distressed and will flee from the source of disturbance until they are exhausted and can die of resultant heart failure, termed capture myopathy (Ebedes et al. 2002). For this reason, the stress imposed on wild animals during capture and handling should be kept to a minimum and loud noises and movement should be avoided. 2) If the animal under complete sleep, dart need to be removed. Blindfolding to protect the cornea from direct sunlight, dust and injury (above pictures). Fig 11a and 11b. Ideal animal position after sedation 3) Ensuring proper animal positioning (sternal or lateral recumbancy) to maintain patent airways and ensure normal breathing and circulation (Fig 11a and 11b). 4) Assessing the status of animal, the degree of muscle relaxation and the rate and depth of respiration. 5) Assessment of anesthesia should be done using following methods: i) Monitor tissue perfusion: Anesthetic drugs frequently depress the contractile force of the heart and vasodilatation results in decreased tissue perfusion. ii) Evaluation of tissue perfusion should be done by observation, auscultation, palpation and capillary refill time. iii) Monitor gas exchange: Respiratory rates are highly variable during anesthesia. iv) Quality of respiration should be evaluated by observing animal‟s chest movement. v) Monitor level of CNS depression by assessing the muscle tone-jaw tone and eye reflexes. vi) Monitor vital signs such as respiration, heart rate and body temperature. vii) Examine animal for any wound or injuries (including status of canines and claws). Tigers sedated  *This image is copyright of its original author Tiger measurements and weighing  *This image is copyright of its original author Data sheet for collecting tiger measurements, weight, condition, etc...  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Source: Dr Aniruddha Majumder & Mr S.P. Yadav (2014) http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&e...4112,d.eXY https://www.google.ca/#q=A+Suggested+Pro...a+tigris+L. 
DATA ON INDIAN TIGERS (Panthera tigris tigris)
The data sheet Pod posted shows that every sedated wild Indian tiger was measured and weighed. According to Guate (this thread), the tigers were measured in the correct way ('between pegs'). After seeing the photographs, I agree. Now that we know the data are there, the question is what happened to them. I never read anything in a peer-reviewed document about Indian tigers. The only reliable information is from Royal Chitwan, Nepal (Sunquist) and the Western Ghats in south-west India (Ullas Karanth) and it shows Indian tigers more or less compare to their relatives in Russia for length. The difference between both is in weight. In contrast to Nepal and India, adult male Amur tigers seldom exceed 200 kg. Returning to data. The question is who can be contacted in order to find out more. Is there an institution where information collected by biologists is preserved? My guess is Apollo and Sanjay should perhaps be able to find out a bit more.
SKELETON OF A SUMATRAN TIGER
This is a link to a video of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medecine. It shows the skeleton of a captive Sumatran tiger. The skeleton will be used for teaching. Interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAkXbb6KVhY
AMUR TIGERS INFORMATION
If you're interested in Amur tigers (as well as Amur leopards and many other animals in Primorye), I would advice to visite the sites below every now and then: http://www.wwf.ru/resources/news/eng http://programmes.putin.kremlin.ru/en/tiger/news/24889
MAN-EATERS
a - Korea Yesterday, I started a thread on man-eating big cats. Some posts on man-eating tigers will be posted in this thread as well. I'll start with a link to an article I posted at AVA some years ago. It was published in 2007. If interested, I would advice to print it. You never know when it will be deleted. The article is on Korean tigers: http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=359115&rel_no=1 The first picture is from the article. The other two are not. My favorite is the second, but the third one (Kishi Naguti) is one of the most striking:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author b - Saugur Island The letter below (from Brig.-Gen. R.G. Burton) was published in the JBNHS (Vol. 27). Both incidents (in 1787 and 1792) happened on Saugur Island, which was often used by merchant ships in those days. The first incident (underlined in green) was a bit strange. The male tiger who killed and took poor Monro did so with a lot of intimidation. Rather untypical for an experienced man-eater, I thought. The men apparently disturbed a courting couple for quite some time. The place was shot over and the men made a lot of noise. At some stage, the male tiger had had enough. He ignored 4 Europeans, 8-10 natives and a blazing fire when he struck. The tiger rushed towards the forest with the young man he selected, but apparently succumbed to his wounds (he was shot on the beach as a result of sheer luck). When Monro staggered out of the forest, the men immediately left the island. When they were rowing towards the ship, the tigress, " ... almost raging mad ... ", made her appearance. The second incident (underlined in orange) happened a few years earlier (1787). This time, the tiger acted like a typical man-eater in that he struck and left with a man before the other realized what had happened. The man he took was found partly eaten next day. This tiger too ignored a fire and two armed men. Saugur Island (now Sagar Island) is about 54 nautical miles from Calcutta, in the mouth of the Ganges (Sunderbans). I don't know if it has tigers today, but it definitely had a few centuries ago. And they were anything but shy. Or small. The first male was described as a large animal. His head " ... appeared as large as an ox's ... ":  *This image is copyright of its original author Talking about large heads. One of the three below was shot in the Sunderbans. I don't know which one it was, but all three heads are quite impressive. It again shows tigers rapidly dwarfed in the Sunderbans in the last century:  *This image is copyright of its original author
GENETIC ANCESTRY OF THE EXTINCT JAVAN AND BALI TIGERS - CONCLUSIONS
1 - CONCLUSIONS A few weeks ago, I posted a summary of a new and very interesting article on the evolution of tigers ('Genetic Ancestry of the Extinct Javan and Bali Tiger', Xue et al, 2015). The most important conclusions were: 1a - Earliest fossils and common ancestor 01 - The earliest tiger fossils found in China and Java date back to the early Pleistocene (2 million years ago). 02 - Molecular genetic imputation traces all living tigers back to a common ancestor as recent as 72 000 - 108 000 years ago. 03 - The Toba eruption in Sumatra 73 500 years ago may have contributed to the recent coalescence for modern tigers. 1b - Current tiger taxonomy 04 - Current tiger taxonomy recognizes 6 living subspecies. 05 - Mainland Asia tigers parse into 5 distinct groups (P.t. tigris, P.t. altaica, P.t. amoyensis, P.t. corbetti and P.t. jacksoni). 06 - P.t. tigris is genetically distinct from the other mainland subspecies, corresponding to an early divergance. 1c - Sunda tigers 07 - Bali, Java and Sumatra tigers (P.t. balica, P.t. sondaica and P.t. sumatrae) derived from a common matrilineal genetic lineage. 08 - All 3 Sunda tiger subspecies are genetically closer to each other than to mainland Asia tiger subspecies. 09 - All 3 Sunda tiger subspecies are distinctly different from each other, indicating a restriction or lack of matrilineal gene flow among the three islands. 10 - The modern, now extinct, Javan tiger is not an autochthoneous descendant of a historic tiger population. 1d - Modern tiger evolution 11 - There once was a widespread tiger population from China (P.t. amoyensis) to the Sunda Shelf (P.t. balica, P.t. sondaica and P.t. sumatrae) that became isolated as a result of rising sea levels during interglacial periods. 12 - A second wave of expansion and divergence (P.t. tigris, P.t. corbetti, P.t. altaica, P.t. virgata and P.t. jacksoni) replaced much of the range of P.t. amoyensis and evolved into modern population in Indochina, the Indian Subcontinent, the Caucasus and the Russian Far East, where tigers fossils are only found from the Holocene. 2 - QUESTIONS The article is one of the best on tiger evolution I read. It answers a number of questions at a high level of abstraction in that it is now more or less clear in what period tigers and subspecies evolved. The origin of tigers can be traced back to southern China about 2 million years ago, maybe a few hundred thousand years earlier. From China, they first spread south to the Sunda Shelf. This would make sense, as a large part of central and northern Asia was still covered with ice in the Pleistocene. At the end of the Pleistocene, maybe as a result of the Toba eruption, tigers probably became extinct in the Sunda Shelf. Some time later, a second wave followed. Tigers again spread south to the Sunda Shelf. When most of the Shelf was inundated, Sunda tigers became extinct in Palawan and Borneo, but they managed to survive on Bali, Java and Sumatra. It is likely tigers reached Sumatra later, because Sumatran tigers are different from Bali and Java tigers. Many thousands of years later, just before the Holocene, tigers spread west from China to the Indian Subcontinent. Some time later, about 2 000 years, they colonized other parts of Asia. As a result of human expansion, they became extinct in most parts of mainland Asia. This happened between 1850-1980. Although the major developments are clear, some questions were not answered: 13 - Why are Sumatran tigers different from Bali and Javan tigers if all 3 inhabited a similar region? It has been confirmed that Sunda tigers became isolated from mainland Asia tigers when the Sunda Shelf was inundated. This probably happened when the ice melted at the end of the Pleistocene or the beginning of the Holocene, well after the second wave had reached the Sunda Shelf. As Bali, Javan and Sumatran tigers also are distinctly different from each other, it is likely they became isolated when the sea level rose further. One would tend to think this probably happened in the last 10 000 years, but there's reason for doubt as Sumatran tigers are quite different from Bali and Javan tigers, This, in my opinion, points towards an earlier divergence. Unresolved, I'd say. 14 - Did tigers cross the western part of the Himalayas to reach the Caspian region, did they travel west from China or were both routes used? If both routes were used, which was used first? Mainland Asia tigers evolved into 5 distinct subspecies in the last 12 000 years or so. Indian tigers are different from the 4 other mainland subspecies, because they diverged a bit earlier. If we assume those close to China (P.t. corbetti and P.t. jacksoni) evolved before the others (P.t. altaica and P.t. virgata), the question is which of the two most remote regions (the Caspian region and northeast China) was colonized first. Although some researchers think it was the Caspian region, there's reason for doubt. One reason is tigers apparently reached Japan well before the Holocene started, which points towards an early wave directed to the north. Another is northeast China is closer to southern China than the Caspian region. It's also easier to reach that region. I know Amur and Caspian tigers are one and the same, but genetic similarity doesn't answer the questions on both. J.F. Brandt (1856) wrote Amur tigers traveling west were seen well west of Lake Baikal, but he also said Caspian tigers, following a more southerly route, were seen traveling east. Those in the southern part of the route were reddish in colour as well as a bit smaller than those following a different route. Based on what I read, I'd say it is more than likely Caspian tigers expanded to the east and Amur tigers expanded to the west at about the same time. Apparently, they sometimes met and bred, especially in the northern part of the Trans-Baikal route close to the origin of rivers flowing north. As a result of the harsh climate and the lack of prey animals in winter, many of these tigers would have been wanderers by nature. Brandt wrote some followed wild boars and reindeer. In this way, they reached regions where tigers were never seen before. This happened in the 18th and 19th century. The question on how tigers reached the Caspian region is difficult to answer. Did they cross the Indus from western India and travel north and west, did they cross the western part of the Himalayas from northwest India or did China tigers travel west? Not one option can be excluded, I think. There are persistent rumours about tigers inhabiting remote and elevated regions in Afghanistan. It is also known they are able to breed at an altitude of 10 000 - 12 000 feet in Bhutan. If tigers are able to survive and breed at that altitude, one can't exclude wanderers from Kumaon and Nepal following corridors to the north. My guess is tigers also crossed the Indus River. Finally, there is no question tigers crossed the region between the Caspian Sea and Lake Baikal in both directions. Although genetically almost similar, Caspian and Amur tigers also are quite different. Caspian tigers, more than other subspecies, have quite short snouts. This was so clear, it was noticed in living animals. The Caspian tigers in the Berlin Zoo were described as short-faced tigers. In Amur tigers, however, the snout is longer and straighter than in other subspecies. Same (straighter) for the sagittal crest. Many Caspian tiger skulls have a very vaulted profile. Not so in the Amur skulls I saw. If I was asked to get to a conclusion based on the drawings I saw and skulls I measured, my guess for now would be Caspian tigers, although distinct, are closer to Indian tigers than to Amur tigers. 15 - In what way are Malayan tigers (P.t. jacksoni) different from P.t. corbetti and P.t. amoyensis? This question will be addressed in the next post. For now, I can say P.t. jacksoni is an enigma to me. Apart from size, I wonder in what respects they are different from P.t. corbetti and P.t. sumatrae. 16 - What is the reason that subspecies, without losing specific characters, change in size almost overnight (a century or less)? In what way does size affect the unique characters? This question, as far as I know, was never addressed. A pity, as it is known that tigers in some regions in mainland Asia are quite a bit larger or smaller than those in nearby regions. I also noticed they quickly changed in size in some regions in a century only. Genetically, Sunderban tigers and Central India tigers are one and the same. I read descriptions of Sunderban tigers in different books. Although a bit smaller than their relatives in Central India, large animals were not unknown. In the last 50 years or so, Sunderban tigers suddenly changed. Many of the animals darted and weighed were unhealthy and they were even smaller than many Sumatran tigers. The change in size is so outspoken, that some biologists thought they had developed into a distinct subspecies. My guess is the change is a result of a loss of size foremost, but I wouldn't be surprised to find they developed unique characters in the last century. When Vietnam was French Indochina, it was promoted as a paradise for hunters in the USA. Many hunters came over and tried their luck in the first decades of the last century. Most visited Annam on the east coast. To their surprise, tigers easily surpassing your average Indian tiger in all respects were not uncommon. Although their reports were dismissed as easily as reports on large Indian tigers, it is an undisputed fact skulls exceeding 15 inches found their way to Rowland Ward every now and then. Pocock mentioned one in his article on tigers that was published in the JBNHS (1929). It isn't easy to find your way in records, but I think there's no question Annam and Laos produced male tigers well exceeded 9 feet straight and 400 pounds on a regular basis. In books in which exceptional animals featured, I also read tigers in other parts of French Indochina were quite small. I do not doubt some tigers exceeded 11 feet 'over curves' in Annam. At least one of them was 260 kg. (Bazé). This animal only hunted very large herbivores. A German hunter shot a 298 cm. male estimated at about 240 kg. in the west of what was then South-Vietnam in the early sixties of the last century. Some of the photographs I saw pointed towards tigers that definitely compared to an average male Indian tiger. But less than 100 miles away, a male tiger only very seldom exceeded 9 feet and 350 pounds. Tigers often swimming to the numerous islands in the Mekong were described as 'water tigers'. Many of them were stocky, but short. 17 - What was the function of the Isthmus of Kra? The more I read, the more I'm convinced this part of Asia could have been a kind of bridge between mainland Asia tigers and those in Malaysia. In the days of unrestricted gene flow, tigers in Malaysia, although smaller than those in India, exceeded 9 feet straight on a regular basis. There's plenty of indisputable evidence. Today, as a result of restricted access and the downfall of tigers in general, large tigers are unheard of. In the extreme south of Malaysia (Johore and Terengganu), tigers seem to compare to Sumatran tigers. If they reach the size of an average Sumatran tiger at all. One wonders why tigers living in isolated regions suddenly lose size overnight (less than a century). An issue neglected by many, so it seems.  (04-07-2015, 02:01 PM)'peter' Wrote: Todays tigers, as a result of isolation and pressure, seem to compare to Sumatran tigers. If they reach the size of an average Sumatran tiger at all. Remarkable. In Zoo Prague they have 4 malayan tigers (2 male) and 3 sumatrans (1 male). Malayan tigers are obviously larger (both genders). Well...malayan females are obviously larger, sumatran male is stocky so his weight can be close to the weight of malayan males (but most probably no more), who are taller and longer (but more lean). Id personally estimate the males around 140 kg. Maybe the data on wild specimen say someting else...
The modern tiger had only managed to recolonize the Northern China and Manchuria until the beginning of the Holocene period. Because after the Toba eruption, the ecosystems in Asia didn't fully recover for many millennia.
During the pre-Toba eruption era, the tiger species had pretty much colonized the entire Asian continent. I think those large Pleistocene tiger fossils should belong to the pre-Toba eruption population. Amnon242\ dateline='\'1428437138' Wrote:peter\ dateline='\'1428397296' Wrote: Todays tigers, as a result of isolation and pressure, seem to compare to Sumatran tigers. If they reach the size of an average Sumatran tiger at all. Remarkable. I saw a table on captive Malayan tigers indicating they were longer and taller than captive Sumatran tigers, but it has to be stated that the information was based on smallish samples. Most tables had weight estimates as well. In the end, every assessment depends on large samples. Captive Sumatran females, as far as I know, range between 77-152 kg. Although most skulls of wild females range between 270,00 - 280,00 mm., I measured a few skulls very close to 300,00 mm. in greatest total length, meaning they compared to an average Amur tigress for greatest total length. I also measured skulls of wild tigresses of both P.t. sumatrae and P.t. corbetti. The conclusion was the differences are very limited. Corbetti is a slighty larger animal overall, but it is about Malaysia in particular and the information I have strongly suggests that today's wild Malayan tigers, although a bit longer, roughly compare to today's Sumatran tigers for weight. Compared to other subspecies, Sumatran tigers have relatively large skulls. I've read many Dutch books, but didn't get to the magazins stored in museums yet. Hoogerwerf did and he wrote large Sumatran male tigers shot in the last century exceeded 9 feet 'over curves' every now and then. One male shot by a well-known hunter (Pieters) was 10.2 'over curves' and weighed 185 kg. Although he was exceptional, there's no question wild males, in contrast to what V. Mazak (1983) concluded, exceeded 140 kg. at times. They still do (referring to male tiger 'Slamet'). Wild tigers, in contrast to wild lions, often are more muscular and heavier than their captive relatives. Many who had experience with wild and captive tigers of the same subspecies concluded captive tigers often are a mere shadow of their wild counterparts. I also noticed the difference between wild and captive is more pronounced in some subspecies than in others. For some reason, the difference in Sumatran tigers is quite remarkable. Same for Indian tigers, but most of these now live in well-stocked reserves, whereas Sumatrans are involved in a war for space. I do not doubt that a large Malaysian male tiger would be a bit longer and taller than a large Sumatran male tiger, but I wonder if they reach 350 pounds empty. Locke ('The Tigers of Terengganu') thought they didn't. I'm sure some males in Sumatra would. Different animals. Sumatran tigers, and males in particular, seem a bit shorter and stockier. They also have relatively large skulls. This is a captive male Sumatran tiger. Stocky:  *This image is copyright of its original author Here are two photographs of wild male Sumatran tigers first posted by Phatio:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author This is one of the largest Sumatran tigers shot by Denning. This tiger killed a male sun bear:  *This image is copyright of its original author Another tiger ('The Wanderer') he hunted for a very long time:  *This image is copyright of its original author This is a photograph of a lame man-eater with quite a reputation. Again notice the relatively large skull:  *This image is copyright of its original author This is tiger 'Slamet'. I read different reports. In one, he was 148,2 kg. and in the other 150 kg. My guess is he was 148,2 kg. when he was sedated and weighed. Another wild adult male with a relatively large skull:  *This image is copyright of its original author One more to finish with:  *This image is copyright of its original author This is the longest Locke shot in Terengganu (southeast Malaysia):  *This image is copyright of its original author Here's a photograph my brother shot in the Zoologischer Garten Berlin last year. P.t. corbetti, but I don't know if they were from Malaysia. Although quite tall and long, the male was about 150 kg. In general appearance, they compare to the tigers shot by Locke:  *This image is copyright of its original author Here's the Jerangau man-eater (Locke). He was exactly 8 feet 'between pegs' and quite stocky:  *This image is copyright of its original author A century ago, male tigers well exceeding 9 feet straight were shot every now and then in Johore. The former Sultan of Johore published a number of photographs of the tigers he shot. Although some were quite robust, I didn't see a single Malaysian tiger that compared to the Sumatran tigers above. The reason is tigers in Sumatra and Malaysia are quite different. In general, one could say they're moderately long and quite athletic in Malaysia. Quite many male Sumatran tigers, on the other hand, are short and robust. Perak, in the north of Malaysia, is a different story. Male tigers often combine length with robustness and, sizewise, seem to be quite close to Indian tigers. I remember a poster on AVA. He was from Malaysia, had visited Perak, talked to rangers, saw big tracks and was quite dazzled. Large tigers, he concluded.
Malayan and sumatran tigers from zoo Prague (always the same male). As I said before, both these tigers are around 140 kg (my estimate, it can be 120 kg as well, I just dont know). If I had to choose the heavier one, Id go with the malayan, who is taller and longer, but sumatran appears more robust, so the weight difference is probably smaller than it seems at first sight.
BTW in a fight between these two particular tigers Id bet on malayan. This tiger is extremely agressive and dangerous. No one knows why. He came from Malaysia as 2yo...and it seems that he came with some kind of trauma. He probably wont have any cubs because at first opportunity he attacked the female and almost killed her. http://luz210.rajce.idnes.cz/2014_kveten...120051.jpg http://luz210.rajce.idnes.cz/2014_srpen_...210062.jpg http://luz210.rajce.idnes.cz/2015_leden_...160189.jpg http://kisspanda.rajce.idnes.cz/ZOO_Prah...tersky.jpg 
Are the Bottom 2, the sumatran?
They look like two different specimens, the 2nd from the bottom look a little overweight, but the bottom specimen is a fit cat with a massive neck and head. The top two look to be in fine shape, those are malayan?
PRAGUE ZOO TIGERS
1 - Malayan male tiger 2014 (1th link of Amnon's post) Face well marked. Stripes below the neck short and wide and narrower and a bit longer on the rest of the torso. Those on the lower back, hips and hindlegs are narrow, long, not as well pronounced and more numerous. Small mane in the neck, but not as pronounced as in the Sumatran male tiger. Ground colour bright orange. Athletic in appearance, but not heavy. Relatively long. Back slightly arched. Legs muscular. Weight most probably between 300-350 pounds (136,08 - 158,76 kg.), maybe a bit more. Dentition heavy. Young adult.  *This image is copyright of its original author 2 - Sumatran male tiger 2011 (4th link of Amnon's post) Head well marked with deep black and quite wide stripes. Short, wide and quite black stripes on the neck. Shoulder nearly free of stripes. Double, very black and thin stripes on the top of the back directly behind the shoulders. More, often looped, stripes on the central and lower back and numerous very black and thin stripes on the hind leg. Ground colour orange, but paler than in most Sumatran tigers. Small mane all the way up to the chest. Hair quite long. Winter coat, I think. General appearance, in contrast to most other subspecies, not long and athletic, but rather stocky. Compared to the dimensions of the body, the neck and skull almost seem photoshopped. In this department, the Sumatran is a bit overpowered. The tiger seems a bit older than the first and probably ranges between 270-320 pounds (122,47 - 145,15 kg.). Although somewhat smaller than the Malayan tiger, the Sumatran could have as many or even more pounds per square cm. Skull and neck relatively larger. He reminds me of the Sumatran tiger Clyde Beatty had ('Chester').  *This image is copyright of its original author Notes The photographs are not up to scale. Based on Amnon's description (who saw both), the Malayan tiger is a bit taller and longer, but not to the extent suggested. Also note the colour of the grass and the intensity of the sun in both photographs. My guess is the Malayan tiger was photographed in summer, whereas the Sumatran was in late winter or early spring. Amnon, I decided to print two of the links you posted in order to get to a kind of overview. Hope you don't mind. Does Prague still have Amur tigers? Maybe you are able to contact some of the staff about V. Mazak. Ask them if they would be willing to measure the standing height of the shoulder of all big cats. It won't take a lot of trouble.
CHESTER
Here's two photographs of Sumatran tiger 'Chester' and Clyde Beatty in order to illustrate my point regarding the Prague Zoo Sumatran tiger:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Although they seldom exceed 8 feet straight and 330 pounds, male Sumatran tigers quite often have a relatively long skull. Pocock (1929) mentioned a male of 8.3 with a skull over 340,00 mm. in greatest total length. As even large males seldom exceed 175,00 cm. in head and body, one could conclude Sumatran tigers are not deprived in this department. In spite of that, males only average about 315,00 mm. in greatest total length. Sumatra seems to have two distinct types of tiger. One ranges between 285,00-310,00 mm., whereas the other ranges between 320,00-340,00 mm. (up to 350,00 mm.). The explanation isn't age. Same in females, but less pronounced. The smallest female skulls are shorter than an average female Bali skull, whereas the longest are about as long as an average male of the first group. Sumatran tigers, as far as I know, are the only ones where males and females overlap in this respect. |
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