Sumatran Tiger
Encyclopedia
The Sumatran tiger is a tiger
subspecies that inhabits the Indonesia
n island of Sumatra
and has been classified as critically endangered
by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50 individuals, with a declining trend.
It is one of the three subspecies limited to islands. Sequences
from complete mitochondrial genes of 34 tigers support the hypothesis that Sumatran tigers are diagnostically distinct from mainland populations.
Sumatran male tigers average 8 feet (2.438m) in length from head to tail and weigh about 265 lbs.(120.2 kg). Females average 7 feet (2.134 m) in length and weigh about 200 lbs (90.718 kg).
The smaller size of the Sumatran tiger makes it easier to move quickly through the jungle. Also, their stripes are narrower than other tiger species. The tiger's patterned coloring is an adaptation for camouflage in their natural habitat, which is often tall grass. The males, especially, have a more bearded and maned appearance in which neck and cheek hair are well developed.
Webbing between their toes, when spread, enables the Sumatran tiger to be a very fast swimmer. It will, if given the chance, run hoofed prey, who are much slower swimmers, into the water.
The white spots on the back of the tiger's ears are called "eye spots" or "predator spots." These spots are believed to function as false eyes as well as to make it look larger to any predator approaching from behind. This is particularly helpful in keeping cubs safe.
Sumatran Tigers commonly prey on larger ungulate
s like Wild Boar, Malayan Tapir
, and deer
, and sometimes also smaller animals such as fowl
, monkeys
, and fish
. Orangutan
s could be prey, but since they spend a minimal amount of time on the ground, tigers rarely catch one.
Sumatran tigers will sometimes prey upon mice and other small mammals when larger prey is scarce.
to Holocene
border (about 12,000-6,000 years ago). In agreement with this evolutionary history, the Sumatran tiger is genetically isolated from all living mainland tigers, which form a distinct group closely related to each other.
The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in habitat that ranges from lowland forest to sub-mountain and mountain forest including some peat moss forests. According to the Tiger Information Center and the World Wildlife Fund there are no more than 500 of these tigers left in the wild with some estimates considerably lower.
Sumatra has undergone much agricultural growth and as a result, tiger habitat has become fragmented with about 400 tigers inhabiting five National Parks and two Game Reserves. The largest populations live in the Kerinci Seblat National Park and Gunung Leuser National Park. Another 100 live in unprotected areas that will soon be lost to agriculture. The tigers that live in unprotected areas are very vulnerable to poaching as well as the killing of problem animals that come in contact with villagers encroaching upon the animals' habitat.
The continuing loss of habitat is intensifying the crises to save this tiger.
Deforestation
resulting from the production of palm oil
is a major threat to the Sumatran Tiger. The reserves also do not provide safety, as many tigers are killed by poachers
each year despite conservation efforts.
In 2007, the Indonesian Forestry Ministry and Safari Park established cooperation with the Australia Zoo
for the conservation of Sumatran Tigers and other endangered species. The cooperation agreement was marked by the signing of a Letter of Intent on 'Sumatran Tiger and other Endangered Species Conservation Program and the Establishment of a Sister Zoo Relationship between Taman Safari and Australia Zoo' at the Indonesian Forestry Ministry office on July 31, 2007. The program includes conserving Sumatran Tigers and other endangered species in the wild, efforts to reduce conflicts between tigers and humans and rehabilitating Sumatran Tigers and reintroducing them to their natural habitat.
The Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation with a rehabilitation center has been set up in a 110,000 acre conservation area abutting a national park on the southern tip of Sumatra (Lampung
). On October 26, 2011 a tigress who has been captured with injury leg in early October has delivered 3 male cubs in temporary cage, while waiting for release after recovery.
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
subspecies that inhabits the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n island of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and has been classified as critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50 individuals, with a declining trend.
It is one of the three subspecies limited to islands. Sequences
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
from complete mitochondrial genes of 34 tigers support the hypothesis that Sumatran tigers are diagnostically distinct from mainland populations.
Characteristics
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the tiger subspecies as compared to the Siberian tiger which is the largest.Sumatran male tigers average 8 feet (2.438m) in length from head to tail and weigh about 265 lbs.(120.2 kg). Females average 7 feet (2.134 m) in length and weigh about 200 lbs (90.718 kg).
The smaller size of the Sumatran tiger makes it easier to move quickly through the jungle. Also, their stripes are narrower than other tiger species. The tiger's patterned coloring is an adaptation for camouflage in their natural habitat, which is often tall grass. The males, especially, have a more bearded and maned appearance in which neck and cheek hair are well developed.
Webbing between their toes, when spread, enables the Sumatran tiger to be a very fast swimmer. It will, if given the chance, run hoofed prey, who are much slower swimmers, into the water.
The white spots on the back of the tiger's ears are called "eye spots" or "predator spots." These spots are believed to function as false eyes as well as to make it look larger to any predator approaching from behind. This is particularly helpful in keeping cubs safe.
Sumatran Tigers commonly prey on larger ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s like Wild Boar, Malayan Tapir
Malayan Tapir
The Malayan Tapir , also called the Asian Tapir, is the largest of the four species of tapir and the only one native to Asia. The scientific name refers to the East Indies, the species' natural habitat...
, and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, and sometimes also smaller animals such as fowl
Fowl
Fowl is a word for birds in general but usually refers to birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl and the waterfowl...
, monkeys
Old World monkey
The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. The Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today, inhabiting a range of environments from tropical rain forest to savanna, shrubland and mountainous...
, and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. Orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s could be prey, but since they spend a minimal amount of time on the ground, tigers rarely catch one.
Sumatran tigers will sometimes prey upon mice and other small mammals when larger prey is scarce.
Genetics and evolution
Analysis of DNA is consistent with the hypothesis that Sumatran tigers have been isolated from other tiger populations after a rise in sea level that occurred at the PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
to Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
border (about 12,000-6,000 years ago). In agreement with this evolutionary history, the Sumatran tiger is genetically isolated from all living mainland tigers, which form a distinct group closely related to each other.
Habitat
Sumatra has undergone much agricultural growth and as a result, tiger habitat has become fragmented with about 400 tigers inhabiting five National Parks and two Game Reserves. The largest populations live in the Kerinci Seblat National Park and Gunung Leuser National Park. Another 100 live in unprotected areas that will soon be lost to agriculture. The tigers that live in unprotected areas are very vulnerable to poaching as well as the killing of problem animals that come in contact with villagers encroaching upon the animals' habitat.
The continuing loss of habitat is intensifying the crises to save this tiger.
Deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
resulting from the production of palm oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
is a major threat to the Sumatran Tiger. The reserves also do not provide safety, as many tigers are killed by poachers
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
each year despite conservation efforts.
Conservation
In 2006 the Indonesia Forestry Service, the Natural Resources and Conservational Agency (BKSDA) and the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program sat down with commercial concession holders and Asia Pulp & Paper and set the foundations for the Senepis Buluhala Tiger Sanctuary, an area that covered 106,000 hectares in Riau by 2008. These organizations formed The Tiger Conservation Working Group with other interested parties and the project is recognised as a pioneering initiative. Current studies include the identifying of feeding behavior of tigers to develop strategies that will help protect both tigers and human settlements.In 2007, the Indonesian Forestry Ministry and Safari Park established cooperation with the Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo is a zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association , and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter made the...
for the conservation of Sumatran Tigers and other endangered species. The cooperation agreement was marked by the signing of a Letter of Intent on 'Sumatran Tiger and other Endangered Species Conservation Program and the Establishment of a Sister Zoo Relationship between Taman Safari and Australia Zoo' at the Indonesian Forestry Ministry office on July 31, 2007. The program includes conserving Sumatran Tigers and other endangered species in the wild, efforts to reduce conflicts between tigers and humans and rehabilitating Sumatran Tigers and reintroducing them to their natural habitat.
The Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation with a rehabilitation center has been set up in a 110,000 acre conservation area abutting a national park on the southern tip of Sumatra (Lampung
Lampung
Lampung is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra and borders the provinces of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. Lampung is the original home of the Lampung people, who speak a distinct language from other people in Sumatra and have their own alphabet. Its...
). On October 26, 2011 a tigress who has been captured with injury leg in early October has delivered 3 male cubs in temporary cage, while waiting for release after recovery.