There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
03-17-2015, 01:17 PM( This post was last modified: 09-24-2020, 12:12 AM by peter )
JAVA AND SUMATRA SKULLS
Good find, Tigerluver. A very interesting read. I will respond in detail in some time. The focus will be on Table 1, as I measured, photographed and determined nearly all (20 out of 23) skulls myself between 2004-2012, meaning I should be able to find out more about the skulls.
Although I will continue to visit museums and private collectors in the next years, I, last year, decided I have enough to get to tables on every tiger subspecies. Before I started, I went over every skull again. It took me many months, but it had to be done, because quite many skulls I measured were mentioned in different articles and books.
I started with Sumatra and Java, because of the large sample. The total number of classified entries for Java was 76 (34 wild ♀, 3 captive ♀, 37 wild ♂ and 2 captive ♂) and for Sumatra it was 114 (43 wild ♂, 22 captive ♂, 31 wild ♀ and 18 captive ♀). Most of the 190 entries were on skulls, but I also added reliable measurements and weights of wild animals. As I was able to distinguish between young adults and adults, the averages are a bit different than those in other tables.
DUISBURG
This weekend, I was in Duisburg. I didn't visit the zoo, but I talked to some staff members in a large mall in the city centre. They didn't know anything about the giant male in V. Mazak's book (1983). It was well before their time. They don't have Amur tigers at the moment, but they will in the near future, when the new tiger enclosure is ready. I'll visit the zoo this summer. Before I do, I will visit Leipzig.
Duisburg, by the way, is an interesting and spacy city. After the war, it was, of course, rebuilt. They're, in fact, still at it. Part of the old harbour has been transformed and in the city centre it will take you some time to see a car. The Kultur- und Stadthistorisches Museum has a number of interesting exhibitions. We concentrated on the one on Köningsberg (now Kaliningrad and Russian), but the one on Copernicus and one of his students (who made a drawing of Duisburg in the late Middle Ages) also was worth while.