The Cebu tamaraw (Bubalus cebuensis) is a fossil dwarf buffalo discovered in the Philippines, and first described in 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 (2 ft, 6 in) and weighed about 150 to 160 kg (330 to 350 lb), smaller than the extant tamaraw species B. mindorensis.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
The fossil specimen is likely Pleistocene or Holocene in age.
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.New dwarf buffalo discovered by chance in the Philippines, EurekAlert, October 17, 2006 The fossil was donated to America's Field Museum, where it stayed unanalyzed for almost 50 years.
See also List of extinct animals of the Philippines
References