Bali Tiger Facts

Bali Tigers, which became extinct in the 1930s, were one of the first subspecies of tigers to disappear from the earth. An unfortunate fact is that there are now two other subspecies to add to our world's recently extinct animals facts list. There are several reasons why the Bali Tiger was so vulnerable to extinction. The tigers were from the island of Bali in Indonesia where they were landlocked on a relatively small island with humans encroaching on their habitat. What many historians believe is that when Europeans arrived in Bali, they started hunting and killing the Bali Tigers which led to their extinction. They do not believe it was due to the Balinese people, who feared the tigers. Balinese kids were often given tiger tooth necklaces to wear for protection. Read more about this species in the interesting facts and information listed below.

Bali Tiger Descriptive Information

The Bali Tiger was the smallest of the three extinct subspecies.
In comparison to the other subspecies, the Bali Tiger had shorter fur and fewer stripes that were darker in color. They were also known to have small black spots in between the stripes.
The exact pattern of stripes on the tiger was as unique to the tiger as fingerprints are to humans.
Bali Tigers weighed about 220 pounds (100 kg) and were approximately 6.5 feet (2 meters) long.

Bali Tiger General Facts

At one time, the island of Bali covered a much larger area but was split into two islands after the last Ice Age. This isolated the Bali Tiger, whose population was never known to be abundant to start with.
The Bali Tiger was a carnivorous animal. It used to prey on larger hoofed animals such as boar, pigs, deer, antelope, and buffalo as well as birds and monitor lizards.
The reproductive capability of the Bali Tiger was somewhat limited. The females would only breed approximately every two years and the average number of cubs born per pregnancy was 2-3 cubs.
Bali Tigers were solitary animals who came together only for breeding purposes. Each tiger maintained a territory of at least 10 square miles (25.9 square kilometers).
Because they lived on a small island, it is easy to see why the population was limited before humans even came into the picture.
It is believed that the very last living Bali Tiger was shot by a hunter on the Northern tip of the island of Bali in the late 1930s.
With just eight Bali Tiger skulls and five skins, there are a very limited number of Bali Tiger specimens that have been preserved in museum collections across the world.
A national park, called Bali Barat National Park, was established as a conservation attempt for the Bali Tiger, but it was too late for this species. Because of the lack of protection for these tigers, hunting them for reasons such as to clear land, for sport, and for food was acceptable.
Almost all parts of the Bali Tiger had commercial value and were worth a good deal of money. This gave hunters even more reason to capture and kill them.