Panthera tigris balica
| Bali tiger, Samong | |
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| The hunting party of Baron Oscar Vojnich with a Balinese tiger, shot at Gunung Gondol, NW Bali, Nov. 1911 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | P. tigris |
| Subspecies: | †P. t. balica |
| Trinomial name | |
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Panthera tigris balica (Schwarz, 1912) |
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| Range map | |
The Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica), harimau Bali in Indonesian, or samong in Balinese, is an extinct tiger subspecies that was native to the Indonesian island of Bali. It was the first tiger subspecies that became extinct in recent times. It was one of three subspecies of tigers found in Indonesia, together with the Javan tiger, which is also extinct, and the Critically Endangered Sumatran tiger. It was the smallest of the tiger subspecies.
The last specimen definitely recorded was a female shot at Sumbar Kima, west Bali, on 27 September 1937. However, a few animals likely survived into the 1940s and possibly 1950s. The subspecies became extinct because of habitat loss and hunting. Given the small size of the island and limited forest cover, the original population could never have been large.
Bali tigers had short fur that was a deeper, darker orange and had fewer stripes than other tiger subspecies. Occasionally, between the stripes, were small black spots. Bali tigers also had unusual, bar-shaped patterns on their heads. The white fur on their underbellies often stood out more than that of the other tiger subspecies because of their darker-colored fur. The white fur also had a more distinct and curved line.
The Bali tiger was the smallest of all nine tiger subspecies, comparable to the leopard or cougar in size. The weight of a male was usually 90–100 kg (200–220 lb); that of a female was 65–80 kg (143–176 lb). The male was about 220–230 cm (87–91 in) in length (with tail), and the female 190–210 cm (75–83 in).
Bali tigers preyed on most mammals that lived within their habitat. Their major sources of food were wild boar, rusa deer, Indian muntjac, red junglefowl, monitor lizards, monkeys, and possibly banteng (the last now also extirpated on the island). The only known predators of Bali tigers were humans.
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