Photo taken by Gakige
Constance Edmonds
Sumatran tigers are a shy species of animals. Actually most of the animals in the Sumatran rain forest are. It makes sense that the tigers of Sumatra (Panthera tigris sumatrae) would keep to themselves because they are quite high up on the endangered species list. They run in small packs, making them hard to find and even harder to track. And also they are still sought after for their pelts and meat. With these variables in mind, the fact that there is not a lot of knowledge or recording of how these tigers interact with their prey comes as no surprise. The Journal of Zoology thought this lack of information was interesting and so they went about accumulating all research done on the Sumatran tiger using motion activated cameras and how well it gets along with what it eats. Researchers think that the animal the tiger will most likely prey on are the ones who have no defenses.
For a time period, animals in the Sumatran rain forest could not be observed at all. When camera-trap equipment was invented, researchers then had a means to watch and record animals that were introverted. When scientists started researching with the camera-traps, they recorded oddly varied densities and even where they were occupying the landscapes. They did not however, really focus on the tiger-prey interactions. Nothing on prey was given much thought in fact. There was not much about what type of prey they stalked, nor where they lived. So to get information on what the tigers were eating, researches focused on what species were near the tigers and had some correlation to the tiger population. Something else that would help would be cross referencing activity patterns between prey species and the tigers. In other words, seeing where things a tiger would eat cross paths with the tiger daily. Interestingly enough though, to date, no research on this has been done.
How they got their findings is they spent a great deal of time in a very large park. Kerinci Seblat National Park (KNSP) covers 4 territories or provinces in the central west area of Sumatra. This area in Sumatra is actually known as a ‘Level 1 Tiger Conservation Landscape’, because it is believed to hold probably one of the best survival chances for the endangered tigers. Unfortunately the tigers are not even safe there. Poaching and deforestation due to farming threaten to expend the tiger species permanently. Four different studies, working from 2004 to 2007, set up camera-trap equipment in the park to collect data on the tigers and their supposed prey. The cameras were infrared, or in other terms they were heat activated. Every time something passed one that had a body temperature, the camera turned on. The cameras were places by trails left by tiger-sized animals. They were left alone, but checked every two weeks to get their film changed.
The results recorded from these cameras over the course of the years actually surprised the researchers a little. From the beginning it had made the most sense for the tiger to be attacking tapir (an almost pig like animal). Tapir are reasonably sized for the Sumatran tiger, and they also do not have any sort of tusk, horn or sharp protrusion to hurt a tiger with. But tigers were not found to be hunting the tapir as often as they thought. They instead were found to mostly be hunting Muntjac (a smaller, more adorable deer). They figured out that the reason for this occurrence was that tapir are found to be most active during the night, as in late night. Tapir are almost completely nocturnal. While occasionally a tiger will be out at this time, it’s quite dark and for most of them they are not really going anywhere of importance. Muntjac, poor creatures, are most active at the same time that the tigers are active, dawn and dusk. This makes them prime target to be tiger prey.
Sumatran tigers are beautiful creatures that are unfortunately on the endangered species list. Timid animals, not much information was know about them and how they interact with other animals and prey around them. With this study, not just tiger-prey interactions were found, but also activity patterns and knowledge on where they live. Hopefully with this new addition to the small amount of intelligence previously researched, the Sumatran tiger can slowly make a comeback out of endangerment.
Works Cited
Sumatran tigers are a shy species of animals. Actually most of the animals in the Sumatran rain forest are. It makes sense that the tigers of Sumatra (Panthera tigris sumatrae) would keep to themselves because they are quite high up on the endangered species list. They run in small packs, making them hard to find and even harder to track. And also they are still sought after for their pelts and meat. With these variables in mind, the fact that there is not a lot of knowledge or recording of how these tigers interact with their prey comes as no surprise. The Journal of Zoology thought this lack of information was interesting and so they went about accumulating all research done on the Sumatran tiger using motion activated cameras and how well it gets along with what it eats. Researchers think that the animal the tiger will most likely prey on are the ones who have no defenses.
For a time period, animals in the Sumatran rain forest could not be observed at all. When camera-trap equipment was invented, researchers then had a means to watch and record animals that were introverted. When scientists started researching with the camera-traps, they recorded oddly varied densities and even where they were occupying the landscapes. They did not however, really focus on the tiger-prey interactions. Nothing on prey was given much thought in fact. There was not much about what type of prey they stalked, nor where they lived. So to get information on what the tigers were eating, researches focused on what species were near the tigers and had some correlation to the tiger population. Something else that would help would be cross referencing activity patterns between prey species and the tigers. In other words, seeing where things a tiger would eat cross paths with the tiger daily. Interestingly enough though, to date, no research on this has been done.
How they got their findings is they spent a great deal of time in a very large park. Kerinci Seblat National Park (KNSP) covers 4 territories or provinces in the central west area of Sumatra. This area in Sumatra is actually known as a ‘Level 1 Tiger Conservation Landscape’, because it is believed to hold probably one of the best survival chances for the endangered tigers. Unfortunately the tigers are not even safe there. Poaching and deforestation due to farming threaten to expend the tiger species permanently. Four different studies, working from 2004 to 2007, set up camera-trap equipment in the park to collect data on the tigers and their supposed prey. The cameras were infrared, or in other terms they were heat activated. Every time something passed one that had a body temperature, the camera turned on. The cameras were places by trails left by tiger-sized animals. They were left alone, but checked every two weeks to get their film changed.
The results recorded from these cameras over the course of the years actually surprised the researchers a little. From the beginning it had made the most sense for the tiger to be attacking tapir (an almost pig like animal). Tapir are reasonably sized for the Sumatran tiger, and they also do not have any sort of tusk, horn or sharp protrusion to hurt a tiger with. But tigers were not found to be hunting the tapir as often as they thought. They instead were found to mostly be hunting Muntjac (a smaller, more adorable deer). They figured out that the reason for this occurrence was that tapir are found to be most active during the night, as in late night. Tapir are almost completely nocturnal. While occasionally a tiger will be out at this time, it’s quite dark and for most of them they are not really going anywhere of importance. Muntjac, poor creatures, are most active at the same time that the tigers are active, dawn and dusk. This makes them prime target to be tiger prey.
Sumatran tigers are beautiful creatures that are unfortunately on the endangered species list. Timid animals, not much information was know about them and how they interact with other animals and prey around them. With this study, not just tiger-prey interactions were found, but also activity patterns and knowledge on where they live. Hopefully with this new addition to the small amount of intelligence previously researched, the Sumatran tiger can slowly make a comeback out of endangerment.
Works Cited
Linkie, M., and M. S. Ridout. "Assessing Tiger-prey Interactions in Sumatran Rainforests." Journal of Zoology 284.3 (2010): 224-29. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
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