Bearded Pigs Research Articles

Empty Forest Syndrome: Are we there yet? A preliminary Analysis of the Hunting and Poaching Activities in Selected Areas in Sabah, Malaysia.

Hunting poses a longstanding threat to tropical wildlife conservation, now reaching critical levels. In Borneo, Malaysia, around six million animals were hunted yearly in the 1990s, about 36 per sq. km. High demand for game meat, facilitated by improved transportation, drives unsustainable consumption across the tropics. Depletion of animal populations leads hunters to new areas. Roughly 18% of rainforests are protected, yet pressures persist, endangering species due to weak regulations, limited resources, and external threats. This study examines wildlife hunting trends in Sabah, uncovering insights from community interviews regarding hunting impact and resource dependence. A total of 45 people were interviewed in six study areas: Sandakan, Tawau, Kota Belud, Tambunan, Keningau and Tenom. It was found that local communities hunt for food and that hunting is a common way of life for them. Based on the arrests of hunters by the Wildlife Rescue Unit, a report on animal hunting was compiled by the Sabah Wildlife Department and analysed. The most commonly hunted animal is the bearded pig. Parts of bearded pigs were found in the cars of 76.97% of hunters arrested, followed by parts of sambar deer (13.7%). Throughout Sabah, the empty forest syndrome (EFS) is becoming a dangerous silent disaster. While most "simple" forest features are attractive to the eye, they are gradually losing their ecological function. Although this study is not exhaustive, the preliminary findings point to a serious EFS scenario in Sabah if everyone continues to neglect the syndrome and do nothing about it.

Socio-ecological factors shape the distribution of a cultural keystone species in Malaysian Borneo

Biophysical and socio-cultural factors have jointly shaped the distribution of global biodiversity, yet relatively few studies have quantitatively assessed the influence of social and ecological landscapes on wildlife distributions. We sought to determine whether social and ecological covariates shape the distribution of a cultural keystone species, the bearded pig (Sus barbatus). Drawing on a dataset of 295 total camera trap locations and 25,755 trap days across 18 field sites and three years in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, we fitted occupancy models that incorporated socio-cultural covariates and ecological covariates hypothesized to influence bearded pig occupancy. We found that all competitive occupancy models included both socio-cultural and ecological covariates. Moreover, we found quantitative evidence supporting Indigenous pig hunting rights: predicted pig occupancy was positively associated with predicted high levels of Indigenous pig-hunting groups in low-accessibility areas, and predicted pig occupancy was positively associated with predicted medium and low levels of Indigenous pig-hunting groups in high-accessibility areas. These results suggest that bearded pig populations in Malaysian Borneo should be managed with context-specific strategies, promoting Indigenous pig hunting rights. We also provide important baseline information on bearded pig occupancy levels prior to the 2020–2021 outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), which caused social and ecological concerns after mass dieoffs of bearded pigs in Borneo. The abstract provided in Malay is in the Supplementary file.

Suitability for salt-lick tourism: A preliminary assessment on the natural salt-licks at Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve, Sandakan, Sabah

The natural salt-licks are visited by various species of terrestrial mammals, hence ideal for mammal watching, although the suitability for salt-lick tourism is influenced by other factors. Preliminary research was conducted on the suitability of four natural salt-licks for mammal watching in Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve (SLFR), Sabah. The camera trapping survey and field assessment were conducted for eight months, and then the assessment criteria applied in this study included the lick accessibility, detection frequency, species richness, viewable activity sighting probability, reliability and visibility on the terrestrial mammals, at a given lick. A total of 12 different mammal species were recorded, where Sambar Deer, Bearded Pig, Banteng, and Bornean Orang-utan were determined as the main visitor species of this study. Among the four selected salt-licks, the rating score of SL50A (Score=1.71) was significantly lower than those of SL50B, SL56 and SL59 (Score=2.57 respectively, χ2 2 =6.794, p=0.042), hence highlighting that SL50A was not suitable for conducting mammal watching activity, unlike the other three natural licks at SLFR. The assessment on the compatibility between the supply (mammalian physical availability) and demand (highly anticipated species) was excluded from this research, therefore emphasizing the need to fill up this particular research gap in the future.

Transformation and endurance of Indigenous hunting: Kadazandusun‐Murut bearded pig hunting practices amidst oil palm expansion and urbanization in Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract Land‐use change and political–economic shifts have shaped hunting patterns globally, even as traditional hunting practices endure across many local socio‐cultural contexts. The widespread expansion of oil palm cultivation, and associated urbanization, alters land‐use patterns, ecological processes, economic relationships, access to land and social practices. In particular, we focus on the socio‐ecological dynamics between Kadazandusun‐Murut (KDM) hunters in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and bearded pigs (Sus barbatus; Malay: ‘babi hutan’), the favoured game animal for non‐Muslim communities throughout much of Borneo. We conducted 38 semi‐structured interviews spanning over 50 hr with bearded pig hunters, asking them about contemporary hunting practices and motivations, changes in hunting practices, changes in pig behaviour, and patterns of animal protein consumption in village and urban contexts. Amidst widespread land‐use change, primarily driven by oil palm expansion, respondents reported substantially different characteristics of hunting in oil palm plantations as compared to hunting in forests. Additionally, 17 of 38 hunters—including 71% (10/14) of hunters who started hunting before 1985, compared to 26% (6/23) of hunters who started hunting in 1985 or later—mentioned that bearded pigs are behaving in a more skittish or fearful way as compared to the past. Our respondents also reported reductions in hunting frequency and wild meat consumption in urban contexts as compared to rural contexts. However, despite these substantial changes in hunting and dietary practices, numerous KDM hunting motivations, hunting techniques and socio‐cultural traditions have endured over the last several decades. For some, bearded pig meat remains deeply tied to food provision, gifting and sharing customs, and cultural components of celebrations and feasts. Oil palm has cultivated new hunting practices that differ from those in forests, and has potentially contributed to altered bearded pig behaviour due to increased hunting accessibility. Together, oil palm and urbanization are helping reshape the KDM‐bearded pig socio‐ecological system. In light of these reshaped connections, we recommend location‐specific management approaches that ensure fair access to the dietary and social benefits of bearded pig hunting while preserving the critical conservation needs of bearded pig populations and habitat. These twin goals are particularly urgent given the confirmed outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), and mass deaths of domestic pigs and wild bearded pigs, in Sabah and Kalimantan in 2021. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Feasibility of Natural Salt-licks for Wildlife-Watching in Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve, Sandakan, Sabah

Natural salt-licks are well-recognized as wildlife-watching hotspots that can provide visitors with high opportunities for sighting many different outstanding mammals at close-range. Various natural salt-licks were discovered throughout Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve (SLFR), but then the physical availability of local mammals at given licks were yet to be examined scientifically by past researchers. Henceforth, this study intended to investigate mammal species that were available for wildlife-viewing at the licks in SLFR. Four natural wet licks that were accessible from the main road and situated close to Sungai Rawog were selected as sampling areas to identify mammal species that visited given licks across different times through camera trapping survey. A total of 676 independent sightings of 12 different mammal species were recorded in 197 trap nights, especially at SL59 and during night-time. Sighted mammal individuals were mainly comprised of large-sized, threatened and non-carnivorous species, where Sambar Deer, Bearded Pig, Orang-utan, and Banteng were identified as the top 4 mammal species that were detected frequently at the licks in SLFR. In sum, it is feasible to conduct wildlife-viewing activity at the licks in SLFR, although further research is required to investigate the actual sighting probability and viewing duration of different mammal species by visitors at given licks and across different times or seasons.

Shifts in the demographics and behavior of bearded pigs (Sus barbatus) across a land‐use gradient

AbstractBeyond broad‐scale investigations of species diversity and abundance, there is little information on how land conversion in the tropics is affecting the behavior and demographics of surviving species. To fill these knowledge gaps, we explored the effects of land‐use change on the ecologically important and threatened bearded pig (Sus barbatus) over seven years in Borneo. Random placement of camera traps across a land‐use gradient of primary forest, logged forest, and oil palm plantations (32,542 trap nights) resulted in 2,303 independent capture events. Land‐use was associated with changes in the age structure and activity patterns of photographed individuals, alongside large changes in abundance shown previously. The proportion of adults recorded declined from 92% in primary forests to 76% in logged forests, and 67% in plantations, likely indicating increased fecundity in secondary forests. Activity level (capture rate) did not vary, but activity patterns changed markedly, from diurnal in primary forests, crepuscular in logged forests, to nocturnal in plantations. These changes corresponded with avoidance of diurnal human activity and may also protect bearded pigs from increased thermal stress in warmer degraded forests. The percentage of adult captures that were groups rather than individuals increased five‐fold from primary forests (4%) to logged forests (20%), possibly due to increased mating or in response to perceived threats from indirect human disturbance. We recommend further investigation of the demographic and behavioral effects of land‐use change on keystone species as altered population structure, activity patterns, and social behavior may have knock‐on effects for entire ecosystems.

The influence of logging on vertebrate responses to mast fruiting.

Periods of extreme food abundance, such as irregular masting events, can dramatically affect animal populations and communities, but the extent to which anthropogenic disturbances alter animal responses to mast events is not clear. In South-East Asia, dipterocarp trees reproduce in mast fruiting events every 2-10years in some of the largest masting events on the planet. These trees, however, are targeted for selective logging, reducing the intensity of fruit production and potentially affecting multiple trophic levels. Moreover, animal responses to resource pulse events have largely been studied in systems where the major mast consumers have been extirpated. We sought to evaluate the influence of human-induced habitat disturbance on animal responses to masting in a system where key mast consumers remain extant. We used motion-triggered camera traps to quantify terrestrial mammal and bird occurrences in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, relative to variation in fruit biomass from 69 plant families during a major (2014) and minor (2015) masting event and a non-mast year (2013), in both logged and unlogged forests. Bearded pigs (Sus barbatus) showed the clearest responses to masting and occurrence rates were highest in unlogged forest in the year following the major mast, suggesting that the pulse in fruit availability increased immigration or reproduction. We also detected local-scale spatial tracking of dipterocarp fruits in bearded pigs in unlogged forest, while this was equivocal in other species. In contrast, pigs and other vertebrate taxa in our study showed limited response to spatial or temporal variation in fruit availability in logged forest. Our findings suggest that vertebrates, namely bearded pigs, may respond to masting via movement and increased reproduction, but that these responses may be attenuated by habitat disturbance.

Integrating disparate occurrence reports to map data-poor species ranges and occupancy: a case study of the Vulnerable bearded pigSus barbatus

AbstractMonitoring species ranges and suitable and occupied habitat are core components of biogeography, ecology and conservation biology, but it is difficult to do for rare, cryptic, wide-ranging, migratory or nomadic species. We present a transparent and objective process to combine multiple types of locality data (peer-reviewed and grey literature, museum collections, camera-trap inventories, and citizen science reports). We illustrate the advantages of this pooled approach by assessing change in range and patch occupancy for a data-poor and threatened nomadic keystone species, the bearded pigSus barbatus, in Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. We used a collated set of all occurrence observations (n = 240) to create minimum convex polygons for forested habitats for two time periods. We evaluated confidence that a patch was truly occupied by the overlap among data types. We found that 62% of the forest habitat of the Sumatran bearded pigS. barbatus oiwas lost during 1990–2010 and that its range contracted by 76%; the Bornean bearded pigS.barbatus barbatuslost 23 and 24% of its forest habitat and range, respectively, and in Peninsular Malaysia the 93% range collapse of this subspecies during 1985–2010 is more severe than the 33% habitat loss alone would suggest. We conclude that integrating data types can improve mapping of the ranges of many data-poor species.

<b>Incipient loss of a rainforest mutualism?</b>

We use data from motion-activated remote cameras to document a commensal, and possibly mutualistic, relationship between Bornean Ground Cuckoos and Bearded Pigs in the rainforests of Kalimantan, Indonesia. We hypothesise that birds benefiting from symbiotic relationships may suffer indirect detrimental effects from hunting that targets large mammals in tropical rainforests.

Bearded pig (Sus barbatus) utilisation of a fragmented forest–oil palm landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Context Oil palm plantations have become a dominant landscape in Southeast Asia, yet we still understand relatively little about the ways wildlife are adapting to fragmented mosaics of forest and oil palm. The bearded pig is of great ecological, social and conservation importance in Borneo and is declining in many parts of its range due to deforestation, habitat fragmentation and overhunting. Aims We assessed how the bearded pig is adapting to oil palm expansion by investigating habitat utilisation, activity patterns, body condition and minimum group size in a mosaic landscape composed of forest fragments and surrounding oil palm plantations. Methods We conducted our study in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, in and around the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area consisting of secondary forest fragments (ranging 1200–7400ha) situated within an extensive oil palm matrix. We modelled bearded pig habitat use in forest fragments and oil palm plantations using survey data from line transects. Camera traps placed throughout the forest fragments were used to assess pig activity patterns, body condition and minimum group size. Key results All forest transects and 80% of plantation transects showed pig presence, but mean pig signs per transect were much more prevalent in forest (70.00±13.00s.e.) than in plantations (0.91±0.42s.e.). Pig tracks had a positive relationship with leaf cover and a negative relationship with grass cover; pig rooting sites had a positive relationship with wet and moderate soils compared with drier soils. Ninety-five percent of pigs displayed ‘good’ or ‘very good’ body condition in forests across the study area. Pigs also aggregated in small groups (mean=2.7±0.1s.e. individuals), and showed largely diurnal activity patterns with peak activity taking place at dawn and dusk. Groups with piglets and juveniles were more active during the day and less active at night as compared to overall activity patterns for all groups. Conclusions Our findings suggest that bearded pigs in our study area regularly utilise oil palm as habitat, as indicated by their signs in most oil palm sites surveyed. However, secondary forest fragments are used much more frequently and for a wider range of behaviours (e.g. nesting, wallowing) than adjacent oil palm plantations. These forests clearly remain the most important habitat for the bearded pig in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, and their protection is a high conservation priority for this species. Implications Consistent bearded pig presence in oil palm is potentially an indication of successful adaptation to agricultural expansion in the study area. The apparently good body condition displayed by the vast majority of pigs in our study likely results from year-round cross-border fruit subsidies from surrounding oil palm plantations. The consistent diurnal activity displayed by groups containing piglets and juveniles may indicate predator avoidance strategies, whereas the substantial nocturnal activity we observed by other groups could suggest fewer threats for larger individuals. However, the overall effects of oil palm expansion in the region on bearded pig population health, foraging ecology, and movement ecology remain unknown.A

First estimates of population ecology and threats to Sunda clouded leopards Neofelis diardi in a peat-swamp forest, Indonesia

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 22:1-9 (2013) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00525 First estimates of population ecology and threats to Sunda clouded leopards Neofelis diardi in a peat-swamp forest, Indonesia Susan M. Cheyne1,2,*, Danica J. Stark3, Suwido H. Limin4, David W. Macdonald1 1Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), Department of Zoology, Oxford University, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK 2Orang-utan Tropical Peatland Project, Jalan Semeru No. 91, Bukit Hindu, Palangka Raya, Indonesia 3Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff, University, Biomedical Sciences Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK 4Centre for the International Cooperation in Management of Tropical Peatlands (CIMTROP), University of Palangka Raya, Indonesia *Email: susan.cheyne@zoo.ox.ac.uk ABSTRACT: The Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi is Borneo’s largest predator. A study of the species’ population ecology in 50 km2 (effective sample area 145 km2) of the Sabangau forest, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, spanned May 2008 to January 2012. A total of 54 camera traps at 27 stations yielded 35129 functional trap nights resulting in 90 photos of 6 clouded leopards: 5 males and 1 female. Using capture-recapture analysis in 3 mo blocks, we extrapolated to an estimated density range of 0.72 to 4.41 ind. per 100 km2 across all models and all data sets. Direct hunting pressure on the cats and indirect threats through possible depletion of the prey base by humans were assessed though interview and questionnaire surveys of 68 villagers in 9 villages around the edge of the 5600 km2 Sabangau Forest. Of the respondents, 40% hunted deer and bearded pigs, although no respondent listed hunting as their main source of income or food. The low detection rates of clouded leopards suggests that a minimum area of 100 km2 per site, and multiple sites, should be studied to elucidate the impact of habitat disturbance and fragmentation on clouded leopard populations. KEY WORDS: Camera trapping · Capture-recapture · Predator · Hunting Full text in pdf format NextCite this article as: Cheyne SM, Stark DJ, Limin SH, Macdonald DW (2013) First estimates of population ecology and threats to Sunda clouded leopards Neofelis diardi in a peat-swamp forest, Indonesia. Endang Species Res 22:1-9. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00525 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 22, No. 1. Online publication date: October 10, 2013 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2013 Inter-Research.

Using BAD for good: how best available data facilitated a precautionary policy change to improve protection of the prey of the tiger Panthera tigris in Malaysia

AbstractTiger Panthera tigris populations are under threat from poaching and depletion of their prey populations. The National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia contains several actions addressing the threat of legal and illegal hunting of tiger prey species. One action in this plan required an investigation of whether urgent policy changes were needed to improve the protection of the prey of tigers, based on existing data. As the lack of reliable baseline data prevented us from determining population trends accurately, we compiled camera-trapping data from 23 studies conducted between 1997 and 2008 on four principal tiger prey species (sambar Rusa unicolor, barking deer Muntiacus muntjac, wild boar Sus scrofa and bearded pig S. barbatus) and two potential prey species (gaur Bos gaurus and Malayan tapir Tapirus indicus) and compared their distributions and relative abundances. From 10,145 wildlife photographs spanning 40,303 trap-nights, sambar, bearded pig and gaur appeared to be most threatened given their restricted distribution and low relative abundance. Among these, the gaur has full legal protection and has received more conservation attention than the other two species. Following our assessment and advocacy a 6-year moratorium on hunting both sambar and barking deer was imposed by the Malaysian government and the highest protection status possible was afforded the bearded pig. This case study illustrates how best available data (BAD), in this case from camera-trapping studies, can be harnessed to effect precautionary policy changes to curb the impacts of hunting on threatened predator and prey populations that could crash well before resources would otherwise be available for rigorous scientific assessments.

Activity patterns and temporal avoidance by prey in response to Sunda clouded leopard predation risk

AbstractLittle is known about the activity patterns of Bornean ungulates, or the temporal interactions of these species with the Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi. In this study, we use photographic capture data to quantify the activity patterns for the Sunda clouded leopard and six potential prey species: bearded pig Sus barbatus, Bornean yellow muntjac Muntiacus atherodes, red muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, lesser mouse deer Tragulus kanchil, greater mouse deer Tragulus napu, and sambar deer Rusa unicolor, and to calculate the overlap in activity patterns between these species. This is the first insight into the temporal interactions between the Sunda clouded leopard and its potential prey. Sunda clouded leopards' activity patterns overlapped most with those of sambar deer and greater mouse deer. In the absence of clouded leopards, we report a significant difference in activity patterns for bearded pigs which show greater nocturnal activity in the absence of this predator. This suggests that bearded pigs may be prey species for clouded leopards and they are capable of altering their activity pattern in response to this risk.

Towards achieving maximum sustainable yield management of the bearded pig (Sus barbatus) in a logged-over planted forest

In this paper, we use the Verhulst logistic equation to model the population dynamics of a bearded pig population in a logged-over planted forest in Sarawak, Borneo Island. Using available information on the population, we generate a set of potential growth data for a pair of adult bearded pigs. Based on the data, we obtain two parameters of the logistic model, namely, the intrinsic growth rate r of the managed population and the carrying capacity K of the environment. Two harvesting strategies, constant effort versus constant quota strategy for maximum sustainable yield of the natural resource, are then considered; for system stability, the former harvesting strategy is preferred over the latter. However, as it may take some time for the benefits of implementation of an alternative harvesting policy to be realized, the cooperation of all stakeholders is paramount and necessary for the management strategy to succeed.

The importance of secondary forest blocks for terrestrial mammals within an Acacia/secondary forest matrix in Sarawak, Malaysia

With the rapid conversion of tropical forests in Asia to plantation forests for timber or biofuel production there is a need to determine if these forests serve any viable role in wildlife conservation. We used infra-red trip cameras to survey for large terrestrial mammals within an Acacia/secondary forest matrix being created for pulpwood production in Sarawak, Malaysia. We detected at least 27 species of mammals within the matrix and 18 species were detected in both Acacia and secondary forest. Using occupancy modeling to determine important covariates for seven mammal species within the project area, six of these species were sensitive to forest type, and most were sensitive to the amount of secondary forest within 1 km of the sample point. For four species (sun bear, Helarctos melayanus; common porcupine, Hystrix brachyura; mousedeer, Tragulus spp.; and pig-tailed macaque, Macaca nemestrina), the mean distance of detection from large secondary forest blocks was significantly closer than expected from the distribution of sample points. Most species used Acacia forest less frequently than secondary forest, possibly for transit or foraging, with the exception of bearded pigs ( Sus barbatus), sambar ( Rucervus unicolor), and civets which were more common in Acacia stands. The amount of secondary forest preserved within forest plantations seems to be the best measure of conservation potential for these industrial forests. Forest plantations can provide a conservation value if managed properly and those retaining significant amounts of secondary forest should be eligible for a base level of certification as they comprise a significant portion of the landscape in this region.

Borneo records of Malay tapir, Tapirus indicus Desmarest: a zooarchaeological and historical review

AbstractThe Malay tapir, Tapirus indicus Desmarest 1819, currently has a patchy distribution that covers parts of Myanmar, southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and the island of Sumatra. The palaeontological record extends its past range to include China and the Greater Sunda islands of Java and Borneo. A compilation of specimens from cave excavations in the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, including finds reported here for the first time, shows that Malay tapirs occurred in northern Borneo from the late Upper Pleistocene, ca. 45,000 years ago, through Holocene to near recent dates. The palaeo‐population of Borneo tended to be slightly smaller than extant Tapirus indicus of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, but taxonomically inseparable. While undoubtedly present in the archaeological record through the activities of human cave visitors, it is likely that tapirs were not the targeted quarry of hunting practices directed mainly at bearded pigs. Their representation among overall finds of medium and large mammal remains in the Sunda region shows that tapirs were rare in all environments from Middle Pleistocene to Holocene. Their present ecology indicates that climate change of the post‐Pleistocene, with restoration of the humid tropical rainforest environment, would have reduced the extent of available habitat favourable to the species. Although no authenticated museum specimens have been obtained in Borneo, these archaeological results give plausibility to anecdotal reports of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is possible that the final disappearance of the tapir from the island was a recent phenomenon. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

New insights into pig taxonomy, domestication and human dispersal in Island South East Asia: molar shape analysis of Sus remains from Niah Caves, Sarawak

AbstractDespite the almost ubiquitous presence of Holocene Sus remains in Island South East Asia (ISEA), the domestication of pigs and their dispersal in this region remains somewhat confused. Using molar shape geometric morphometric analysis, archaeological Sus dental series from the Sarawak caves of Niah (Aceramic, Neolithic) and Lobang Kudih (Ming period), are compared with extant ISEA wild pigs to establish their taxonomic status and to further explore the evidence for local domestication or introduction of allochthonous populations. Results on modern data‐sets show that outline analysis of the third lower molar achieves highly significant inter‐ and intra‐specific differentiation among ISEA wild pigs, with a phenotypic divergence structure displaying congruence with molecular phylogenies. Both tooth shape and mtDNA evidence strongly suggest the so‐called wild pigs of New Guinea to be the descendants of pigs domesticated in mainland South East Asia and introduced by early farmers to ISEA. None of our data provide clear evidence for a Neolithic introduction of domesticated pigs, or for the local domestication of indigenous bearded pigs, since all Aceramic and Neolithic pigs from Niah cave have been identified as indigenous bearded pig (Sus barbatus). Local domestication experiments by foragers have not been ruled out, since evidence of hypoplasia as a marker of domestication processes has been observed. Introduction of allochthonous domestic pigs between the Late Neolithic and the Metal Age is suggested, since this small domestic breed from Lobang Kudih cave displays strong phenetic relationships with S. scrofa of New Guinea, recognised by molecular phylogeography as part of the ‘Pacific Clade’ linked both with Lapita and Polynesian dispersals. Introduction of celebensis‐like species has also been suggested. Future studies should incorporate broader time‐scale and geographical framework data‐sets to strengthen these assumptions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Uncoupling Protein 1 Gene (UCP1) Is Disrupted in the Pig Lineage: A Genetic Explanation for Poor Thermoregulation in Piglets

Piglets appear to lack brown adipose tissue, a specific type of fat that is essential for nonshivering thermogenesis in mammals, and they rely on shivering as the main mechanism for thermoregulation. Here we provide a genetic explanation for the poor thermoregulation in pigs as we demonstrate that the gene for uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) was disrupted in the pig lineage. UCP1 is exclusively expressed in brown adipose tissue and plays a crucial role for thermogenesis by uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation. We used long-range PCR and genome walking to determine the complete genome sequence of pig UCP1. An alignment with human UCP1 revealed that exons 3 to 5 were eliminated by a deletion in the pig sequence. The presence of this deletion was confirmed in all tested domestic pigs, as well as in European wild boars, Bornean bearded pigs, wart hogs, and red river hogs. Three additional disrupting mutations were detected in the remaining exons. Furthermore, the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions was clearly elevated in the pig sequence compared with the corresponding sequences in humans, cattle, and mice, and we used this increased rate to estimate that UCP1 was disrupted about 20 million years ago.

Impacts of fruit production cycles on Malayan sun bears and bearded pigs in lowland tropical forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

We observed a period of famine in the lowland tropical rain forest of Sabah, Malaysia from August 1999 to September 2000. All six Malayan sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) that were captured and radio-collared were in poor physical condition, and two were later found dead. The physical condition of bearded pigs (Sus barbatus) that were captured, observed or photographed by camera traps also revealed that the pigs were in various stages of emaciation and starvation. We surmise that the famine resulted from prolonged scarcity of fruit during an intermast interval in the study area. These phenomena of emaciated animals and fruit scarcity have also been reported from other areas of Borneo. Lowland tropical rain-forest trees of Borneo display supra-annual synchronized general fruiting. We believe that the starvation we observed and the generally low density of large animals in Borneo forests is a consequence of a history of prolonged food scarcity during non-general-fruiting years, but may be accentuated by anthropogenic factors such as forest fragmentation, selective logging, and reduced density of fig trees in logged forests.

New phylogenetic perspectives among species of South‐east Asian wild pig (Sus sp.) based on mtDNA sequences and morphometric data

AbstractThere are more taxa of wild pig in South‐east Asia (SEA) than in any other comparable area in the world, but the number of species and subspecies is still uncertain. The taxonomy of some wild pig populations distributed in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, was investigated using molecular and morphometric techniques. Our results suggest the existence of two main evolutionary clades that are likely to have diverged during the Pliocene in SEA: one including wild pig populations distributed in the Philippines (Sus cebifrons) and Sulawesi (S. celebensis); the other including the Indonesian and Malaysian bearded pigs (S. barbatus), and the widespread Eurasian wild boar (S. scrofa). A possible scenario for pig speciation in SEA is developed, and the need for a taxonomic revision of bearded pigs suggested, particularly concerning the taxonomic status of S. b. ahoenobarbus from Palawan Island, and the existence a new species distributed in the Tawi Tawi Islands (Philippines). Unexpectedly, bearded pigs in the Malay Peninsula are closely related to the Bornean population, but distinct from Sumatran S. barbatus, and they should be considered as belonging to a different subspecies.