ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[tigerluver]

If we look at the most recent study on tiger subspecies divergences, we see it is all generally after the start of the Holocene, mixed in with drastic sea level and vegetation/biome shifts.

*This image is copyright of its original author

For the Sumatran tiger, the split happens just after the islands are isolated. Take a look at this sea level graph.

*This image is copyright of its original author

When sea levels reached 20 m less than today, the islands were separated as the maps by Voris (2000). This sea level occurs around the split of the Sumatran tiger (~9 kya). So at least until that point, all populations mixed. Malaysian tigers probably began to separate as the peninsula narrowed, leaving less land mass for tigers to pass through, akin to the Sunda tiger separation. Based on studies that show the northeast China did not have forests until at least 14 kya, Amur tigers likely did not even exist prior to that point, also bridging the genetic gap. Reply