The Java Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica)

[Apex Titan]

(03-23-2024, 04:29 PM)TheHyenid76 Wrote: @peter @Ashutosh @Rage2277 @Pckts @Apex Titan @parvez @tigerluver @Roflcopters What do you all think about this?

Is the Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica extant? DNA analysis of a recent hair sample

Abstract

The Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica and the Bali tiger P. tigris balica were categorized as Extinct on the IUCN Red List in 2008 and 2013, respectively, leaving only the Sumatran subspecies P. tigris sumatrae extant in Indonesia. There have, however, been occasional, more recent reports of the Javan tiger but without conclusive evidence. Here, a potential observation in 2019 of a Javan tiger in a community plantation near the village of Cipendeuy in the forest of South Sukabumi, West Java, and a single hair found on a fence nearby, are assessed. The cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene sequence of the putative Javan tiger hair were compared with that of a Javan tiger specimen in Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, collected in 1930; hair samples of several tiger subspecies and the Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas were used as controls. The results showed that the genetic distances (d) of the putative Javan tiger hair with the Sumatran, Bengal P. tigris tigris and Amur P. tigris altaica tigers and the Javan leopard are 0.074 ± SE 0.009, 0.071 ± SE 0.009, 0.072 ± SE 0.009 and 0.088 ± SE 0.010, respectively, whereas the genetic distance of the putative Javan tiger hair with the Javan tiger museum specimen is 0.040 ± SE 0.006. In addition, phylogenetic trees showed that the putative Javan tiger hair sample belongs to the same group as the museum specimen of the Javan tiger, but is differentiated from other tiger subspecies and the Javan leopard. Whether the Javan tiger still occurs in the wild needs to be confirmed with further genetic and field studies.

Is the Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica extant? DNA analysis of a recent hair sample


Image of a stuffed Javan tiger in Bogor Museum, Java, Indonesia. Source.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Nice info.

Based on everything I've read, heard and seen, I think Javan tigers still exist. There are countless reliable modern day reports from Indonesian locals and villagers who've seen tiger footprints and actually sighted or encountered a Javan tiger in the forest.

You should watch the documentary called: 'Extinct or Alive?' featuring wildlife biologist Forrest Galante. He goes to Java in search of the Javan tiger and to try confirm it's existence. He learns that there are tons of reports of people seeing Javan tigers to this day.

At night time, they capture drone footage of a huge, cat-like animal, much bigger than a leopard, and much bigger than themselves, gracefully walking through the forest like a big cat. Which is most likely a Javan tiger based on its huge size and gait. What else could it be, if not a tiger?

The problem is (as biologist Forrest Galante mentions) that there's been no proper scientific studies or survey's conducted looking for Javan tigers. The scientists and biologists are slacking in that department. He also discovers that the Java island has a vast amount of wildlife and wilderness to easily support a tiger population.

All in all, I personally think Javan tigers still exist. Reply