(Redirected from Tamarou)
The 'Tamaraw' ('''Bubalus mindorensis''') 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.
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.
[2]
The tamaraw is the only bovine that is
endemic to the Philippines. It is also the largest
native terrestrial
mammal in the country.
Anatomy and morphology
''Bubalus mindorensis'' has the appearance of a typical member of its
family. It has a compact, heavyset,
bovine body, four legs that end in
cloven 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.
[3] The tamaraw has an average shoulder height of 100 to 105 centimeters. The length of the body is 220 centimeters while the tail measures 60 centimeters. 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. White 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 centimeters 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 centimeters long.
[4]
Distribution
The tamaraw was first documented in
1888 on 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:
Mount Iglit,
Mount 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]
Initial estimates of the ''Bubalus mindorensis''
population on
Mindoro was placed at around 10,000 individuals in the early 1900s. Less than fifty years later in 1949, the population had dwindled to around a thousand individuals. By 1953, fewer than 250 animals were estimated to be alive.
[6] These population estimates continually grew smaller until the
IUCN publication of their 1969 Red Data Book, where the tamaraw population was noted to be an alarmingly low 100 heads.
[7] This head count rose to 120 animals in 1975.
[8] Current estimates place the wild tamaraw population from thirty to two hundred individuals.
Ecology and life history
Habitat
''Bubalus mindorensis'' prefers
tropical highland forested areas. It is typically found in thick brush, near open-canopied glades where it may graze and feed on grasses. Since human habitation of their home island of
Mindoro, the habitat preference of the tamaraw has somewhat expanded to
lower altitude grassy plains. Within their mountainous environment, tamaraws will usually be found not far from sources of water.
Feeding ecology
The tamaraw is a
grazer that feeds on grasses and young
bamboo shoots although it is known to prefer
cogon and ''
talahib'' (''
Saccharum spontaneum''). They are naturally
diurnal organisms. However, human activities during the day have recently forced ''B. mindorensis'' individuals to be
nocturnal to avoid human contact.
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.
[9] 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.
Behavioral ecology
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 behavior and clan hierarchy often seen in water buffalo.
[10] 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.
Similar to other bovines, the tamaraw wallows in mud pits. It has been suggested that this behavior is employed by the animals in order to avoid biting insects.
[11]
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.
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.
[12][13] 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.
[14]
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''.
[15] Recent genetic analysis studies of the family members further strengthen this view.
[16]
Etymology and taxonomic history
The tamaraw was originally described as ''Anoa mindorensis'' by the
French zoologist Pierre Marie Heude in
1888. In 1958, it was described as ''Anoa bubalis mindorensis'', a subspecies of the then-water buffalo species (''Anoa bubalis'').
A little over a decade after, the tamaraw was elevated to species status as ''Anoa mindorensis'' in 1969.
[17]
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'').
[18]
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'').
[19]
Importance to humans
Economical and commercial value
While it is not as heavily exploited as other large, endangered mammals, the tamaraw population on
Mindoro has been subject to some
harvesting pressure before
conservation efforts were spurred towards the latter half of the 20th century. In light of this, ''B. mindorensis'' has been harvested for its flesh by subsistence hunters on the island. The IUCN has described this hunting as still ongoing in their 2006 Red List report.
In Philippine culture
The tamaraw on a currently out of circulation edition of the 1-peso coin.
Though the national animal of the Philippines is the
carabao,
[20] 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.
[21]
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.
[22]
In the 1970s
Toyota Motors, through the defunct Delta Motors, built the Tamaraw AUV. Because of its ruggedness and simplicity of design, some examples still survive to this day, and copied by multinational (
Ford and
General Motors, through Francisco Motors in particular) and local manufacturers to this day. It is quite similar, though, to the Indonesian Kijang. During this time Toyota held a franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association, and once naming its team the
Toyota Tamaraws (see below).
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.
Conservation
Being an entirely
endemic and
rare land mammal, ''Bubalus mindorensis'' stands as an extremely vulnerable species. Currently, it is classified as a
critically endangered species and has been so since 2000 by the
IUCN on its
IUCN Red List of endangered species. Awareness of the conservation status of ''Bubalus mindorensis'' began way back in 1965 when it was classified as ''Status inadequately known'' by the IUCN. Enough data was gathered on the tamaraw population by 1986,
[23] and the IUCN conservation monitoring center declared the species
endangered. Throughout succeeding surveys conducted in 1988,
[24] 1990,
[25] 1994
[26] and 1996, the species remained listed on the Red List as ''endangered''. The relisting of the species in 1996 fulfilled the IUCN criteria ''B1+2c'' and ''D1''. Criterion ''B1'' indicated that the species' range was less than 500 square kilometers and is known to exist in less than five independent locations. A noticed continuing decline in the population fulfilled sub-criterion ''2c'', given the condition of the population's sole habitat. Criterion ''D1'' essentially required that a population be composed of less than 250 mature individuals; individual counts of the ''B. mindorensis'' population at the time figured significantly lower than this.
[27] In 2000, the tamaraw was relisted on the Red List under the more severe ''C1'' criteria. This was due to estimates that the population would decline by 20% in five years or within the timespan of two generations.
[28][29]
Many factors have contributed to the decline of the tamaraw population. Over the course of the century, the increase of the human population on
Mindoro has exposed the island's sole tamaraw population to severe
anthropogenic pressures. In the 1930s, the introduction of
non-native cattle on the island caused a severe
rinderpest epidemic among the tamaraw population then-numbering in the thousands.
Hunting of tamaraws for food and sustenance has also taken a toll on the species' numbers. The most major factor threatening survival of ''B. mindorensis'' is
habitat loss due to
infrastructure development,
logging and
agriculture. These factors reduced the population of thousands during the early 1900s to less than 300 individuals in 2007.
Due to the decline of the ''B. mindorensis'' population, 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.
[30]
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.
[31] The
Tamaraw Conservation Project was also established in 1979. The organization has successfully bred a tamaraw, nicknamed "Kali", in captivity in 1999.
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.
[32]
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.
[33]
A small subpopulation of tamaraw has been found within the confines of the
Mt. Iglit Game Refuge and Bird Sanctuary on the same island of Mindoro.
As of May 2007, ''Bubalus mindorensis'' is on ''Appendix I'' of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species where it has been since the species was first put on the list on January 7, 1975. With the listing, CITES recognizes the species as
critically endangered and threatened with
extinction. Thus, international commercial trade in the species or any derivatives of which, such as the meat, horns or flesh is considered illegal. While commercial trade in the species is prohibited, exchange for non-commercial reasons such as scientific research is allowed.
[34][35]
Bibliography
★
★
The tamaraw population: decreasing or increasing?, , R. A., Callo, Canopy International,
★
Bubalus mindorensis, , Carlo C., Custodio, Mammalian Species,
★
'''Bubalus mindorensis'''
★
Vanishing treasures of the Philippine rain forest, , L. R., Heaney, Field Museum, Chicago, ,
★
Behavior of the endangered tamaraw (''Bubalus mindorensis huede'') in captivity, , V. G., Momongan, Asia Life Sciences,
References
1.
2. The Tamaraw: Mindoro's endangered treasure
3. Tamaraw ''bubalus mindorensis'' Heude, 1888
4. ''Bubalus mindorensis'': Tamaraw
5. Animal Info - Tamaraw
6. Increase in the tamaraw, , David W., Kuehn, Oryx,
7. 1969 IUCN 1969 Red Data Book. Vol. 1 - Mammalia, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, , , IUCN, ,
8. Major effort to save the tamaraw, , , , Oryx,
9. Ageing, longevity, and life history of Bubalus mindorensis. Accessed March 5, 2007
10. Population and Social Characteristics of the Tamarao (Bubalus mindorensis), , David W., Kuehn, Biotropica,
11. Wallowing Behavior of American Bison (''Bos bison'') in Tallgrass Prairie: An Examination of Alternate Explanations, , Brock R., McMillan, American Midland Naturalist,
12. Fossil remains of a new, diminutive Bubalus (Artiodactyla: Bovidae: Bovini) from Cebu island, Philippines, , Darin A., Croft, Journal of Mammalogy,
13. The taxonomic status, distribution and conservation of the lowland anoa ''Bubalus depressicornis'' and mountain anoa ''Bubalus quarlesi'', , J. A., Burton, Mammal Review,
14. New finds of fossil mammals from the Pleistocene strata of the Philippines, , H. O., Beyer, Bulletin of the National Research Council of the Philippines,
15. Vergleichende Untersuchungen an Wildrinden (Tribus Bovini Simpson, 1945), , H., Bohlken, Zoologische Jahrb cher (Physiologie),
16. Phylogenetic Relationships in the Subfamily Bovinae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla) Based on Ribosomal DNA, , David A., Wall, Journal of Mammalogy,
17. Systematics of the anoa (Mammalia, Bovidae), , C. P., Groves, Beaufortia,
18. 'Bubalus mindorensis'
19. The History of Faunal Terms in Austronesian Languages, , Robert, Blust, Oceanic Linguistics,
20. Philippines Independence Day Celebrations
21. Bubalus mindorensis, Philippines
22.
23. 1986 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals., IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre, , , IUCN, ,
24. 1988 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals., IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre, , , IUCN, ,
25. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals., IUCN, , , IUCN, ,
26. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals., , B., Groombridge, IUCN, ,
27. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals., , B., Groombridge, IUCN, ,
28.
29. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species., , C., Hilton-Taylor, IUCN, ,
30. An act to prohibiting the killing, hunting, wounding or taking away of ''Bubalus mindorensis'', commonly known as tamaraw
31. Creating a presidential committee for the conservation of the tamaraw, defining its powers and for other purposes
32. REPUBLIC ACT NO 9147. Accessed March 5, 2007
33. NQ7.net, Philippines : Endangered Tamaraws breed in the wilds again. Accessed March 8, 2007
34. Appendices CITES
35. Bubalus mindorensis UNEP-WCMC
See also
★
Bubalus bubalis, the
water buffalo
★
Mindoro
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