Javan tiger
The Javan tiger was a big cat, but not in comparison to other tiger species. The males weighed in at 220 to 310 pounds and the females averaged 170 to 250 pounds. Their small size was thought to be attributed to the size of the available prey in their native land of Java, Indonesia. The theory is that the smaller the prey, the smaller the predator.
At one point, the Javan tigers inhabited all of Java. In the mid 1800s to mid 1900s the native people viewed these tigers as pests and chased them off to the remote mountainous areas. By 1972, the remaining tigers were sectioned off to the Meru Betiri National Park Reserve. Unfortunately, the protection of the reserve was not enough.
Due to hunting, loss of forest habitat and lack of prey, the number of Javan tigers dwindled. The last members were spotted in the reserve in 1976 and the Javan tigers were officially declared extinct in 2003, joining the ever growing list of recently extinct species
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