Nobuyuki Yamaguchi

• BSc, MSc, DPhil
• Professor (Associate) at University of Malaysia, Terengganu

The illegal wildlife markets of Southeast Asia are bolstered by organised criminal networks and the region’s rich density of charismatic wildlife. Forensic tools identifying species and their origins are vital to combat wildlife crime. However, many require expensive technology and skilled personnel, limiting their use in rural trade hotspots. This...

Non-volant mammals in Peninsular Malaysia face numerous threats, primarily driven by habitat loss, fragmentation and illegal hunting. These threats highlight the importance of conducting wildlife surveys in the available forested areas to enhance the current strategies for conservation and management, particularly for a threatened taxon like non-vo...

Aim Indigenous range maps are fundamental documents in biogeography, phylogeny and conservation. We define the indigenous range of a species as ecoregions (or parts of ecoregions) where the species was likely found before humans became a major factor shaping the species' distribution, beginning at a time when the geographical alignment of the conti...

In Zeng et al. (2024), we employed mitochondrial genome sequencing to investigate the evolutionary history and cryptic diversity within the Erinaceidae family. Our phylogenetic analyses revealed widespread cryptic diversity, particularly within the genus Hylomys of the subfamily Galericinae. This study proposed that several Hylomys subspecies likel...

A recent study published in Oryx proposed that the extinct Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica may still survive on the Island of Java, Indonesia, based on mitochondrial DNA analysis of a single hair sample collected from a location where a tiger was reportedly encountered. However, upon reanalysing the genetic data presented in that study, we con...

The lion (Panthera leo) was extirpated from the Cape region of South Africa during the mid-nineteenth century. Whilst historically classified as a distinct subspecies known as the Cape lion (P. l. melanochaita), recent molecular studies challenge the distinctiveness of this population, suggesting that it represents the southernmost population of th...

Sand cats, Felis margarita, range from northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia. Their apparently discontinuous distribution is recognized as comprising four subspecies. Recent genetic research found little differentiation between subspecies except for the North African form. In this study, 90 skins and 88 skulls were analyzed from...

The family Erinaceidae encompasses 27 extant species in two subfamilies: Erinaceinae, which includes spiny hedgehogs, and Galericinae, which comprises silky-furred gymnures and moonrats. Although they are commonly recognized by the general public, their phylogenetic history remains incompletely understood, and several species have never been includ...

A paper recently published in Oryx by Wirdateti et al. (2024) suggests that the extinct Javan tiger may still survive on the Island of Java, Indonesia, based on mtDNA analysis of a single hair collected from a claimed tiger encounter site. After carefully re-analyzing the data presented in Wirdateti et al. (2024), we conclude that there is little s...

Cape lions (Panthera leo melanochaitus) formerly ranged throughout the grassland plains of the "Cape Flats" in what is today known as the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Cape lions were likely eradicated because of overhunting and habitat loss after European colonization. European naturalists originally described Cape lions as "Black-maned lio...

Simple Summary This study finds that the skulls and mandibles of lions and tigers in predominantly European zoos differ in shape, but not size, from lions and tigers in the wild. The nature of the shape change found indicates that the mechanical influences of diet have influenced development. The majority of captive big cats used in this study have...

The trade in primates as pets is a global enterprise and as access to the Internet has increased, so too has the trade of live primates online. While quantifying primate trade in physical markets is relatively straightforward, limited insights have been made into trade via the Internet. Here we followed a three-pronged approach to estimate the prev...

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a charismatic megafauna species that originated and diversified in Asia and probably experienced population contraction and expansion during the Pleistocene, resulting in low genetic diversity of modern tigers. However, little is known about patterns of genomic diversity in ancient populations. Here we generated whole...

In Felidae, the cuspule pattern on the distal surface of the first lower molar (m1) is one feature traditionally used for discriminating species. Especially in Pantherinae it is used to distinguish Panthera leo from P. tigris, with the latter showing an additional distal cuspule. However, data from literature on Pantherinae reveal inconsistencies a...

Extinct Cape lions ( Panthera leo melanochaitus ) formerly ranged throughout the grassland plains of the "Cape Flats" in what is today known as the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Cape lions were likely eradicated because of overhunting and habitat loss after European colonization. European naturalists originally described Cape lions as "Black...

The diorama “Lions Attacking a Dromedary” is notorious, not just as a remarkable 19th century example of taxidermy, but also its controversial representation of human culture and animals, its questionable accuracy and the murky ethics of the materials sourced for its construction. This study examines whether the diorama is a reasonable representati...

Biodiversity targets, under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework , prioritize both conservation area and their effectiveness. The effective management of protected areas (PAs) depends greatly on law enforcement resources, which is often tasked to rangers. We addressed economic aspects of law enforcement by rangers working in terrestri...

Tiger subspecific taxonomy is controversial because of morphological and genetic variation found between now fragmented populations, yet the extent to which phenotypic plasticity or genetic variation affects phenotypes of putative tiger subspecies has not been explicitly addressed. In order to assess the role of phenotypic plasticity in determining...

Aichi Target 11 committed governments to protect ≥17% of their terrestrial environments by 2020, yet it was rarely achieved, raising questions about the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework goal to protect 30% by 2030. Asia is a challenging continent for such targets, combining high biodiversity with dense human populations. Here, we evaluated a...

The biological wealth of hyper-arid environments has traditionally been underestimated. However, with recent advancements in technology and understanding, desert biodiversity has become an important component of climate change resilience and will become increasingly important. Extreme weather events, such as drought and heat events, are becoming mo...

The future generation of biologists in Sabah and Malaysia must read this qualitative presentations. This presentation highlights decolonisation amongst local researchers and institutions to train future leaders in biological sciences and conservation of natural environment and natural resources. WoS and Scopus data show that the local biologists ar...

This presentation describes the results of visual surveys in the Taliwas River Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia. There are good potentials for research, public awareness programs and knowledge-based tourism on mammals in TRCA.

1. 22 species of mammals 2. 39 species of birds 2.17 mammals per 10 km at base camp 1.68 mammals per 10 km at other roads More direct sightings �in the early morning

The family of Erinaceidae comprises 26 extant species in the subfamily Erinaceinae of spiny hedgehogs and the subfamily Galericinae of silky-furred gymnures and moonrats. These animals inhabit various habitats from tropical forests to deserts in Eurasia and Africa. Previous studies hinted that species diversity was likely underestimated. Moreover,...

The contrast between the tiger's (Panthera tigris) 2-3 My age and extant tigers' coalescence approximately 110,000 years ago suggests an ancient demographic bottleneck. Here we collected over 60 extinct specimens across mainland Asia and generated whole genome sequences from a 10,600-year-old Russian Far East (RFE) specimen (RUSA21, 8x coverage), 1...

Teeth are well-represented in animal remains, including those of Pleistocene carnivores, and can help species identification. An additional distal cuspule below the protoconid of the first lower molar (m1) is traditionally used as one dental feature to distinguish the modern tiger (Panthera tigris) from the modern lion (P. leo). However, in literat...

In Felidae the carnassials (fourth upper premolar and first lower molar) play a crucial role in their hypercarnivorous diet. Hence, these teeth should be particularly suitable for defining simple species-specific characters which can help identifying partial skeletons, e.g., fossils or seized animal remains. An additional distal cuspule below the p...

Hedgehogs’ wide distribution and breadth of habitat use means they are a good model taxon for investigating behavioural responses to winter conditions, such as low temperatures and resource availability. We investigated the over-winter behaviour of desert hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Qatar by radio-tracking 20 individuals and monitoring t...

Taxonomy and systematics are fundamental to the success of conservation actions. A robust and accurate classification of living organisms is vital for understanding biodiversity, using limited resources wisely, prioritising conservation action, and for legal protection and regulation of trade. However, all too often current taxonomies are not based...

Fruit bats are important pollinators for plants and play important ecological functions and services in the tropical rain forest. Fruit bats are considered more important for the ecological rehabilitation and health of the plant community on islands as other pollinators may not be able to fly across open sea and reach the island. This study was con...

The Bering Land Bridge connecting North America and Eurasia was periodically exposed and inundated by oscillating sea levels during the Pleistocene glacial cycles. This land connection allowed the intermittent dispersal of animals, including humans, between Western Beringia (far north‐east Asia) and Eastern Beringia (north‐west North America), chan...

The desert hedgehog, Paraechinus aethiopicus, is the only indigenous hedgehog species in Qatar. We investigated the phylogeny and population structure of desert hedgehogs in Qatar for the first time using sections of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome-b and control regions. We found two distinct haplotypes in each mtDNA region within Qatar. H...

Background: The evolutionary relationships of Felidae during their Early–Middle Miocene radiation is contentious. Although the early common ancestors have been subsumed under the grade-group Pseudaelurus, this group is thought to be paraphyletic, including the early ancestors of both modern cats and extinct sabretooths. Methods: Here, we sequenced...

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau endemic Chinese mountain cat has a controversial taxonomic status, whether it is a true species or a wildcat ( Felis silvestris ) subspecies and whether it has contributed to cat ( F. s. catus ) domestication in East Asia. Here, we sampled F. silvestris lineages across China and sequenced 51 nuclear genomes, 55 mitogenomes...

Nonindigenous species are considered among the major threats to biodiversity. A deep understanding of the processes underlying invasion is impeded, among others, by insufficient taxonomic and distributional knowledge. The Mediterranean Sea is experiencing a large invasion by Red Sea species as a result of the opening of the Suez Canal, at a rate wh...

Background: The evolutionary relationships of Felidae during their Early–Middle Miocene radiation is contentious. Although the early common ancestors have been subsumed under the grade-group Pseudaelurus, this group is thought to be paraphyletic, including the early ancestors of both modern cats and extinct sabretooths. Methods: Here, we sequenced...

Homotherium was a genus of large-bodied scimitar-toothed cats, morphologically distinct from any extant felid species, that went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene [1, 2, 3, 4]. They possessed large, saber-form serrated canine teeth, powerful forelimbs, a sloping back, and an enlarged optic bulb, all of which were key characteristics for predati...

The Japanese or Honshū wolf was one the most distinct gray wolf subspecies due to its small stature and endemicity to the islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū. Long revered as a guardian of farmers and travellers, it was persecuted from the 17th century following a rabies epidemic, which led to its extinction in the early 20th century. To better...

The distributions of bat species in Qatar have not previously been recorded. We conducted the first nation-wide survey of bats in Qatar. Based on sonogram analysis, we identified Asellia tridens, Otonycteris hemprichii, and Pipistrellus kuhlii. The most commonly recorded species was Asellia tridens, the only species recorded in the northern half of...

The Bering Land Bridge connecting North America and Eurasia was periodically exposed and inundated by oscillating sea levels during the Pleistocene glacial cycles. This land connection allowed the intermittent dispersal of animals, including humans, between Western Beringia (far north-east Asia) and Eastern Beringia (north-west North America), chan...

Qatar is one of the few countries where there is no permanent natural surface freshwater source, and yet toads are known to occur, recently identified as the African common toad, Sclerophrys regularis. However, little information is available concerning the geographical distribution of toads in Qatar, as well as how they have expanded their distrib...

Superfoetation is when ovulation and fertilisation occur during pregnancy. Coupled with embryonic diapause, superfoetation presents an intriguing female reproductive advantage in terms of cryptic choice of males. Unfortunately, few studies have identified species possessing both superfoetation and embryonic diapause. We aim to reinterpret existing...

Simple Summary Information on population characteristics of Paraechinus is valuable for ensuring long term survival of populations, however, studies are currently lacking. Here we investigate the population dynamics of Ethiopian hedgehogs based on a capture study in Qatar by fitting several statistical models. Over the 19 months of the study, we es...

Lions are one of the world’s most iconic megafauna, yet little is known about their temporal and spatial demographic history and population differentiation. We analyzed a genomic dataset of 20 specimens: two ca. 30,000-y-old cave lions ( Panthera leo spelaea ), 12 historic lions ( Panthera leo leo/Panthera leo melanochaita ) that lived between the...

Paya Kangsa Bird Count

Taman Negara Bird Count 2020

Mini expedition was carried out by Bio-D Tropika UMT researchers in January 2020

The article described on wildlife conservation within UMT campus

Bio-D Tropika researchers described on the coexistence of wildlife and human on campus

The origin of the mammalian order Eulipotyphla has been debated intensively with arguments around whether they began diversifying before or after the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary at 66 Ma. Here, we used an in-solution nucleotide capture method and next generation DNA sequencing to determine the sequence of hundreds of ultra-conserved eleme...

Toads are likely to have been introduced to Qatar, but little information is available on toad populations in the country, including the species present and their probable origin. Therefore, we collected tissue samples for analysis from 32 toads found in six different locations in northern and central Qatar. Phylogenetic analysis based on16S rRNA m...

Abstract We investigated seasonal changes in the ecology and behaviour of the Ethiopian hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Qatar, particularly in respect to differences in behaviour between hedgehogs living in arid environments and hedgehogs in temperate mesic environments. These comparisons will allow us to explore behavioural adaptations to di...

Lions (Panthera leo) are of particular conservation concern due to evidence of recent, widespread population declines in what has hitherto been seen as a common species, robust to anthropogenic disturbance. Here we use non-invasive methods to recover complete mitochondrial genomes from single hair samples collected in the field in order to explore...

The survival, movement, and weight changes of 24 Ethiopian hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethiopicus) were monitored following their release from captivity. A total of 13 females and 11 males were released and radio-tracked for 2–4 weeks. 95% were alive after two weeks, and at least 54% were known to have survived throughout the study the remaining includ...

Degradation and alteration of natural environments because of agriculture and other land uses have major consequences on vertebrate populations, particularly on spatial organization and movement patterns. We used GPS tracking to study the effect of land use and sex on the home range size and movement of a typical model species, the Ethiopian hedgeh...

Minimal data set showing the schedule of data collection. (CSV)

Permission letter from the General Directorate of Nature Reserve to conduct the study in Al Reem Biosphere Reserve. (PDF)

1. The current classification of the Felidae was reviewed by a panel of 22 experts divided into core, expert and review groups, which make up the Cat Classification Task Force CCTF of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group. 2. The principal aim of the CCTF was to produce a consensus on a revised classification of the Felidae for use by the IUCN. 3. Based on...

Biologists focus on thermoregulation of desert mammals in terms of how they minimise heat gain during hotter months, and put less effort on how they maximise heat gain during cooler months. Heat gain may contribute to energy savings of desert mammals during cooler period when the ambient temperature in desert is substantially lower than their body...

The Cuban solenodon (Solenodon cubanus) is one of the most enigmatic mammals and is an extremely rare species with a distribution limited to a small part of the island of Cuba. Despite its rarity, in 2012 seven individuals of S. cubanus were captured and sampled successfully for DNA analysis, providing new insights into the evolutionary origin of t...

Comparative phylogeography of African savannah mammals shows a congruent pattern in which populations in West/Central Africa are distinct from populations in East/Southern Africa. However, for the lion, all African populations are currently classified as a single subspecies (Panthera leo leo), while the only remaining population in Asia is consider...

The snow leopard is the smallest member of the genus Panthera and is the sister species to the tiger (Panthera tigris). It has a poor fossil record, although a recent discovery in Tibet suggests this lineage could be at least 4 million years old. The snow leopard's taxonomic history, molecular phylogeny, and potential geographical variation are rev...

The extinct cave lion (Panthera spelaea) was an apex predator of the Pleistocene, and one of the largest felid species ever to exist. We report the first mitochondrial genome sequences for this species, derived from two Beringian specimens, one of which has been radiocarbon dated to 29,860 ± 210 14C a BP. Phylogenetic analysis confirms the placemen...

In December 2014, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, Sultanate of Oman and IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, West Asia was jointly organized International Training Workshop on Conservation and Management of Protected Areas, during the workshop participants visited Al Jabal Al Akhdar Scenic Reserve (Figs. 1-4) and observed the b...

Biologists focus on thermoregulation of desert mammals in terms of how they minimize heat gain, and put less effort on how they maximize heat gain during the cooler months. Heat gain may contribute to significant energy savings in desert mammals when the ambient temperature is substantially lower than body temperature. We investigated winter thermo...

As species become rare and approach extinction, purported sightings can be controversial, especially when scarce management resources are at stake. We consider the probability that each individual sighting of a series is valid. Obtaining these probabilities requires a strict framework to ensure that they are as accurately representative as possible...

As species become rare and approach extinction, purported sightings can be controversial, especially when scarce management resources are at stake. We report a Bayesian model where we consider the probability that each individual sighting is valid. Obtaining these probabilities clearly requires a strict framework to ensure that they are as represen...

As species become rare and approach extinction, purported sightings can be controversial, especially when scarce management resources are at stake. We report a Bayesian model where we consider the probability that each individual sighting is valid. Obtaining these probabilities clearly requires a strict framework to ensure that they are as represen...

The Bali (Panthera tigris balica) and Javan (P. t. sondaica) tigers are recognized as distinct tiger subspecies that went extinct in the 1940s and 1980s, respectively. Yet their genetic ancestry and taxonomic status remain controversial. Following ancient DNA procedures, we generated concatenated 1750bp mtDNA sequences from 23 museum samples includ...

The postnatal growth and development of the Ethiopian hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) were studied in captivity. Seven females produced seven litters that ranged between two and five young (average 3.3, SE±0.42) with an estimated gestation period of 34–46 days. Offspring sex ratio was heavily skewed toward females by 1:6.5. Newborns were altrici...

The vast wealth of cultural artifacts and ancient biological samples can today be investigated using a great variety of methods and technologies. The result is a growing diffusion of studies on DNA, isotopes and morphometrics, and the exponential growth of publications and bio-archaeological discoveries of inestimable value for different areas of i...

The diet of Bubo ascalaphus in Qatar was assessed based on pellets collected from the first known nesting site of the species in the country. The pellets contained a total of 68 prey items, representing 9 different species: 4 mammals, 1 bird, 1 reptile, and at least 3 scorpions. Mammals clearly comprised the major food source (89.7% and 97.7% in fr...

Lion (Panthera leo) populations have dramatically decreased worldwide with a surviving population estimated at 32,000 across the African savannah. Lions have been kept in captivity for centuries and, although they reproduce well, high rates of stillbirths as well as morbidity and mortality of neonate and young lions are reported. Many of these case...

Understanding the demographic history of a population is critical to conservation and to our broader understanding of evolutionary processes. For many tropical large mammals, however, this aim is confounded by the absence of fossil material and by the misleading signal obtained from genetic data of recently fragmented and isolated populations. This...

There is little information pertaining to the breeding behaviour and reproductive biology of free-ranging hedgehog populations outside of Europe. We monitored the seasonal changes in courtship behaviour and the presence of new young animals from a free-ranging Ethiopian hedgehog population in Qatar between 2010 and 2012. Based on frequencies of cou...

Recent advances in multivariate statistics, and in ancient DNA techniques, have greatly increased understanding of tiger phylogeography. However, regardless of advances in analytical methodology, researchers will continue to need access to specimens for morphological measurements and sampling for genetic analysis. The tiger has become increasingly...

Estimations of species extinction dates are rarely definitive, yet declarations of extinction or extirpation are important as they define when conservation efforts may cease. Erroneous declarations of extinctions not only destabilize conservation efforts but also corrode local community support. Mismatches in perceptions by the scientific and local...