Bubalus cebuensis
The Cebu tamaraw (Bubalus cebuensis) is a fossil dwarf buffalo discovered in the Philippines, and first described in 2006.
| Cebu tamaraw Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Genus: | Bubalus |
| Species: | †B. cebuensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Bubalus cebuensis Croft, Heaney, Flynn, and Bautista, 2006 | |
Anatomy and morphology
The most distinctive feature of B. cebuensis was its small size. Large contemporary domestic water buffalo stand 2 m (roughly 6 ft) at the shoulder and can weigh up to 1 tonne (around 2,000 lb), B. cebuensis would have stood only 75 cm (about 2 ft 6 in) and weighed about 150 to 160 kg (around 300 lb), smaller than another dwarf species B. mindorensis.[1][2]
The fossil specimen is likely Pleistocene or Holocene in age.[1]
Evolutionary history
The fossil was discovered in a horizontal tunnel in soft karst around 50 m elevation in K-Hill near Balamban, Cebu Island, the Philippines, by mining engineer Michael Armas.[3] The fossil was donated to America's Field Museum, where it stayed unanalyzed for almost 50 years.
References
- Croft, D.A. L. R. Heaney, J. J. Flynn, and A. P. Bautista. 2006. FOSSIL REMAINS OF A NEW, DIMINUTIVE BUBALUS (ARTIODACTYLA: BOVIDAE: BOVINI) FROM CEBU ISLAND, PHILIPPINES. Journal of Mammalogy 87:1037–1051
- "New Dwarf Buffalo Discovered By Chance In The Philippines". TerraDaily. October 18, 2006.
- New dwarf buffalo discovered by chance in the Philippines, EurekAlert, October 17, 2006