20,000-year-old tiger fossils discovered in Palawan cave

Rare tiger fossils dating back about 20,000 years have been discovered in Pilandok Cave in Quezon, Palawan, confirming that tigers once naturally inhabited the island during the Late Pleistocene.

The discovery was made by researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) and members of the indigenous Pala'wan community. Pilandok Cave is located within the ancestral domain of the Pala'wan people of Maasin.

The findings were detailed in the study, Halimaw na/ng nakalipas: Power, Personhood, and the Tigers of Palawan Island, Philippines, authored by UP archaeologist Dr. Janine Ochoa, together with National Museum archaeologists Dr. Alexandra De Leon and Dr. Ame Garong, and Gaddi Narte of the Pala'wan leadership council. The study was published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal.

According to the researchers, the tiger remains date to approximately 22,000 to 20,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, when Palawan's forests and environment differed significantly from those of today.

The discovery makes Palawan the only known site in the Philippine archipelago where Pleistocene-age tiger fossilshave been found.

Researchers said the tiger remains consisted exclusively of foot bones bearing cut marks, suggesting they were intentionally removed rather than consumed as food.

"Evidence of selective dismemberment of certain tiger body parts indicates that ancient humans in Palawan may have viewed tigers as beings with transferable power, reflecting their animistic beliefs," the NMP said.

Unlike the abundant deer bones and freshwater mollusk remains found in the cave, the tiger assemblage was highly selective.

"The tiger bones exhibit cut marks from butchery, hypothesized to have resulted from skinning or the detachment of the forefoot, likely for obtaining the pelt or paws," the NMP said.

Researchers said the practice represents the oldest known evidence in Southeast Asia of humans collecting tiger foot parts.

The study also suggests that ancient Palawan communities may have associated tiger body parts with concepts of power, skill and spiritual efficacy, reflected in indigenous notions such as bisa, kapendayan, and kapangyarihan, indicating the animal likely held symbolic and cultural significance beyond its role as a predator.