Fascinating Fossils: Unearthing Tales from the Animal Kingdom

Did you know tigers were once found in Borneo? And that orangutans once roamed Selangor? What happened to them, in these areas? These are some of the questions Lim Tze Tshen aka Ah Tshen, a Vertebrate Palaeontologist and Zooarchaeologist tries to uncover, through his work. As a Vertebrate Palaeontologist, he researches animal fossils that have backbones, especially mammal species that can be found in the limestone caves in Malaysia. As a zooarchaeologist, he does research on animal remains found in archaeology sites, such as the ones found in Niah Cave in Sarawak, which were left behind by collectors and hunters from the prehistoric community. In both of these fields, he focuses on how ancient animals responded to environmental changes and hunting activities in the past, and uses this information to understand and address the crisis of biodiversity loss in the present day. He joins us to share more about his work.

Image Credit: Ah Tshen