Freak Felids - A Discussion of History's Largest Felines

[peter]

Good post, but I wonder about your definition of robusticy. Over the years, I collected reliable measurements and weights of wild tigers. Adult males of Panthera tigris tigris averaged roundabout 190 cm. in head and body straight and 190 kg. a century ago and about 195 cm. and well over 200 kg. today. Wild Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) are second with 195 cm. in head and body straight and, according to Miquelle, 195 kg. today. In all other subspecies, males do not get to 1 kg. per 1 cm. in head and body length. The conclusion is Indian tigers are more robust than other subspecies.

Hunters, forest officials and naturalists, regarding the relation between weight and zygomatic width in wild tigers, thought there probably was a relation between skull width and weight in Indian tigers (males). Your conclusions say no relation. 

My guess is it has something to do with what you describe as 'predicted mass'. I like equations, ingredients and predictions, but it seems I missed something. Explanation much appreciated.

After reading about the bones found in Java and seeing the skulls found in central and northern parts of China, I tend to agree with the assumption regarding time and robusticy in that some tiger subspecies in some regions could have been larger in the past. More exceptional animals would also have been likely. The reason would have been more and larger prey animals and much less restraints.

The latest subspecies (Panthera tigris tigris, Panthera tigris altaica and Panthera tigris virgata) could be more cursorial and less robust as a result of less food and much more restraints, but the lack of fossils inhibits general remarks on then and now. We just don't know.

We do know small, but well-stocked, reserves and many tigers result in more competition, more casualties and larger (more robust) tigers. In India.

A similar development might have occured in the Imperial Hunting Reserve at the border of China, Korea and Russia a few centuries ago, but Marco Polo, although he mentioned Emperors, Hunting Reserves and North-China, apparently had not heard about this particular reserve. If there was one, it must have been created after he left and destroyed when the old dynasties collapsed. My guess is there was one, but it's a guess. Reply