The Javan Tiger
Before humans were here, many animals that
are now extinct roamed the earth. When people think of extinct animals, many
people think of animals here before the Ice Age. However, many other animals
have gone extinct since then. One of the examples of animal that has died out
is the Javan tiger. Even though many aspects of the Javan tiger are interesting,
its appearance, habitat, and disappearance are the most important.
The first aspect of the Javan tiger
that should be studied is its scientific classification and appearance. The
Javan tiger, or its scientific name Panthera tigris sondaica, is a subspecies
of tiger. Male Javan tigers weighed around 300 pounds, while females weighed
about 200 pounds. The Javan tiger had an orange pelt, with a white stomach, and
long thin black stripes. They were smaller than most Asian tigers, but bigger
than their also extinct cousins, the Bali tigers. The Javan tiger was a
beautiful creature; however, according to www.tigers.ca,
"all that remains are photographs and pelts."
Another piece of the Javan tiger's
history is its habitat and food. The Javan tigers were only found on Java, an
island north west of Australia. Around the 1850's, many of the people in rural
areas hunted the Javan tigers, and there were so many of tigers in the wild,
that they were considered pests. This huge population of Javan tiger ate Rusa
deer, wild boar, and bull. They lived in the vast forest, which before the
island got overpopulated, covered Java.
This overpopulation was the main factor
in the Javan tiger's extinction. According to Wikipedia, Javan forests declined
after World War II due to the many teak, coffee, and rubber plantations. Then,
in the 1960's, disease wiped out the Rusa deer that the tigers ate. After 1965,
armies moved into nature preserves and killed the few remaining tigers that
were there. The last confirmed tigers were a mother and her cub found on Mount
Betiri in 1976. Had humans been more careful with their over development
that destroyed the tigers’ forest habitat, the Javan tiger might have been
saved.
Like the Javan tiger, many other animals
that roamed the earth are not here today. Humans are the main cause of this
extinction. When we study the appearance, habitat, and reason for extinction of
beautiful creatures like the Javan tiger, we can learn many lessons. Clearly,
it's the study of animals such as the Javan tiger that can help us learn how to
avoid the extinction of other animals.
Essay and art work by Anna Ross Lee
6th grade
Coastal Montessori Charter School
Pawleys Island SC
No matter how old you are, you can still send in essays. This is from my little sister, but surely someone has something better! Her drawing is better than her essay. (Just kidding, Anna) ---TOP
No matter how old you are, you can still send in essays. This is from my little sister, but surely someone has something better! Her drawing is better than her essay. (Just kidding, Anna) ---TOP
