Tamaraw

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Tamaraw
Conservation status
Critically endangered (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Bubalus Species: B. mindorensis
Binomial name
Bubalus mindorensis (Heude, 1888)

The Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis), Tamarao or Mindoro Dwarf Buffalo is a small hoofed mammal belonging to the family Bovidae.^[1] It is endemic to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. It is believed, however, to have once also thrived on the greater island of Luzon. It was originally found all over Mindoro, from sea level up to the mountains (2000 meters above sea level), but because of human habitation, hunting, and logging, it is now restricted to only a few remote grassy plains and is now an endangered species.^[2]

Contrary to common belief and past classification, the Tamaraw is not a subspecies of the local Carabao, which is only slightly larger, or the common Water Buffalo. In contrast to the Carabao, it has a number of distinguishing characteristics: it is slightly hairier, has light markings on its face, is not gregarious, and has shorter horns that are somewhat V-shaped.^[3]

The tamaraw is the only bovine that is endemic to the Philippines. It is also the largest native land animal in the country.

Contents 1 Anatomy and morphology 2 Distribution 3 Ecology and life history 3.1 Habitat 3.2 Feeding ecology 3.3 Life history 4 Behaviour 5 Evolutionary history 6 Etymology and taxonomic history 7 Conservation 8 Importance to humans 8.1 In Philippine culture 8.2 Namesakes 9 Bibliography 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Anatomy and morphology

The tamaraw's appearance is that of a typical member of its family. It has a compact, heavyset, bovine body, four legs that end in hooves and a small, horned head at the end of a short neck. It is smaller and stockier compared to the Asiatic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). There is little sexual dimorphism in the species although males are reported to have thicker necks.^{[citation needed]} The tamaraw has an average shoulder height of 100 to 105 cm. The length of the body is 220 cm while the tail measures 60 cm. Estimated weights for females are between 200 to 300 kilograms.

Adults have a dark brown to grayish color and more hair than Bubalus bubalis. The limbs are short and stocky. Whire markings are seen in the hooves and the inner lower forelegs. These markings are similar to that of the Anoa Bubalus depressicornis. The face is the same color as that of the body. Most of the members of the species also has a pair of gray-white strips that begins from the inner corner of the eye to the horns. The nose and lips have black skin. The ears are 13.5 cm long from notch to tip with white markings on the insides.

Both sexes grows short black horns in a V-shaped manner compared to C-shaped horns of Bubalus bubalis. The horns have flat surfaces and are triangular at their base. Due to the regular rubbing, the tamaraw's horns have a worn outer surface but with rough inner sides. The horns are reported to be 35.5 to 51.0 long.^[4]

[edit] Distribution

The tamaraw was first documented in 1888 and was not reported outside the island of Mindoro. Before 1900, Mindoro was unpopulated due to malaria. However as anti-malarial medicine was developed, more people settled on the island. This increase in human activity has drastically reduced tamaraw population. By 1966 the tamaraw's range was reduced to three areas: Mt. Iglit, Mt. Calavite and areas near the Sablayon Penal Settlement. By 2000, their range was further reduced to only two areas: the Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park and Aruyan.^[5]

[edit] Ecology and life history

[edit] Habitat

Bubalus mindorensis prefers tropical highland forested areas. It is normally found in thick brush, near open-canopied glades where it may graze and feed on grasses. Tamaraws will usually be found not far from sources of water.^[5]

[edit] Feeding ecology

The tamaraw is a grazer that feeds on grasses and young bamboo shoots although it prefers cogon and talahib (Saccharum spotaneum). They are diurnal although they are recently forced to be nocturnal to avoid humans.^[3]

[edit] Life history

The tamaraw is known to live for about 20 years with an estimate lifespan of about 25 years. The adult female tamaraw gives birth to one offspring after a gestation period of about 300 days.^[6] There is an interbirth interval of two years although a female has been sighted with three juveniles. The calf stays for 2-4 years with its mother and then goes on its own.^[3]

[edit] Behaviour

Unlike the closely-related water buffalo, B. mindorensis is a solitary creature. Adults of the species do not occur in herds or smaller packs and are often encountered alone. Only juveniles exhibit the typical bovine herding behaviour and clan hierarchy often seen in water buffalo.^[7] Males and females are known to associate all year round but this interaction lasts only a few hours. It has been suggested that this solitary behavior is an adaptation to its forest environment.^[3]

Similar to other bovines, the tamaraw wallows in mud pits. It has been suggested that this behaviour is employed by the animals in order to avoid biting insects.^[8]

Another distinct behavior in B. mindorensis is their fierceness. There are reports concerning their fierceness when cornered although most are unsubstantiated. Threat posture used by the bovine involves lowering of the head, shifting its horns into a vertical position. This is accompanied with a lateral shaking of the head.^[4]

[edit] Evolutionary history

The presence of B. mindorensis on the island of Mindoro, coupled with the discovery of fossil bubalids in other islands around the archipelago indicates that the family was once widespread throughout the Philippines.^[9][10] In fact, fossil finds in the 20th century have shown that B. mindorensis were once found on the northern Philippine island of Luzon during the Pleistocene Epoch.^[11]

As a member of the family Bovidae, the tamaraw's close affinity to the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) has been validated many times in the past. It was once considered a subspecies of B. bubalis (as Anoa bubalis), Anoa bubalis mindorensis.^[12] Recent genetic analysis studies of the family members further strengthen this view.^[13]

[edit] Etymology and taxonomic history

The tamaraw was previously described as Anoa mindorensis.^{[citation needed]} In 1958, it was described as Anoa bubalis mindorensis, a subspecies of the then-water buffalo species (Anoa bubalis).^[12] A little over a decade after, the tamaraw was elevated to species status as Anoa mindorensis in 1969.^[14]

Later research and analyses of relationships determined the genus Anoa to be a part of the genus Bubalus. The tamaraw's scientific name was updated into its present form, Bubalus mindorensis (sometimes referred to as Bubalus (Bubalus) mindorensis).^[15]

The name tamaraw has other variants like tamarau, tamarou and tamarao. It has been suggested that the term tamaraw came from tamadaw which is a probable alternative name for the Banteng (Bos javanicus).^[16]

[edit] Conservation

Many factors contribute to the decline of the tamaraw population. Introduction of cattle which caused a rinderpest epidemic, hunting and habitat loss due to logging. These factors reduced the population of thousands during the early 1990s to less than 300 individuals today.^[3]

Due to these factors, various Philippine laws and organizations have been created towards the conservation of the species. In 1936, Commonwealth Act No. 73 was enacted by the then-Philippine Commonwealth. The act specifically prohibited killing, hunting and even merely wounding tamaraws, with an exception noted for self-defense (if one were to be attacked by an agitated individual) or for scientific purposes. The penalties were harsh enough to include a hefty fine and imprisonment.^[17]

In 1979, an executive order was signed creating a committee specifically geared towards the conservation of the tamaraw. The tamaraw was referred to as a "source of national pride" in the said E.O.^[18] The Tamaraw Conservation Project was also established in 1979. The organization has successfully bred a tamaraw, nicknamed "Kali", in captivity in 1999.^[3] In 2001, Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act was enacted to protect the tamaraw and other endemic species from hunting and sale.^[19] During the 1970s, a gene pool was established to preserve the tamaraw's numbers. However, the project was not successful as only one offspring "Kali" was produced. As of today, only Kali and its mother "Mimi" is left in the gene pooling project. The project was also not improved as the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau shown that the tamaraws were already breeding in the wild. Cloning was not implemented for conservation as the Department of Environment and Natural Resource argued that such measures would diminish the genetic diversity of the species.^[20]

A small subpopulation of tamaraw have been found within the confines of the Mt. Iglit Game Refuge and Bird Sanctuary on the same island of Mindoro.^[7]

[edit] Importance to humans

[edit] In Philippine culture

Though the national animal of the Philippines is the carabao,^[21] the Tamaraw is also considered as a national symbol of the Philippines. An image of the Tamaraw is found on the 1980-to-early-1990 version of the one-Peso coins.^[22]

In 2004, Proclamation No. 692 was enacted to make October 1 a special working holiday in the province of Occidental Mindoro. In line with the Tamaraw Conservation Month, the aim of the proclamation is to remind the people of Mindoro the importance of the conservation of the tamaraw and its environment.^[23]

[edit] Namesakes

During the wake of the Asian van popularity in the 1990s, Toyota Motors released an Asian van called Tamaraw FX in the Philippines. It was widely patronized by taxi operators and was immediately turned into a staple mode of transportation much like a cross of the taxi and the local jeepney.

The tamaraw is also the mascot of the varsity teams of the Far Eastern University (FEU Tamaraws) in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines, and of the Toyota Tamaraws of the Philippine Basketball Association.

The Tamaraw Falls in Barangay Villaflor, Puerto Galera was also named after the bovine.

[edit] Bibliography

• Callo, R. A. (1991). "The tamaraw population: decreasing or increasing?". Canopy International 16 (4): 4-9. 
• Custodio, Carlo C.; Myrissa V. Lepiten, Lawrence R. Heaney (05-17-1996). "Bubalus mindorensis". Mammalian Species 520: 1-5. DOI:10.2307/3504276. 
• Gesch, P. (2004). Bubalus mindorensis (html). Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved on 2007-03-17.
• Heaney, L. R.; J. C. Regalado, Jr. (1998). Vanishing treasures of the Philippine rain forest. Chicago, Illinois: Field Museum, Chicago. 
• Momongan, V. G.; G. I. Walde (1993). "Behavior of the endangered tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis huede) in captivity". Asia Life Sciences 2 (2): 241-350. 

[edit] References

[edit] External links