Prehistoric evidence for elephas maximus L. in borneo

Abstract

No undisputed fossil or subfossil remains of Elephas maximus L., the Asiatic elephant, have until now been reported from Borneo. The record of Elephas maximus sumatrensis from Niah Cave, Sarawak, by Von Koenigswald 1 has proved erroneous: The phalanx from trench E/B2 (A), dug in 1957, from a depth of 48-60 inches, identified as elephant, belongs instead to Tapirus indicus Desmarest2,3. The living Elephas maximus from Borneo is generally regarded to be derived from a stock introduced by man around AD 1750 (ref. 4, p. 17). © 1972 Nature Publishing Group.