Malaysia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that is rich in its wildlife. You can find some of the rare faunas in this country and most of them cannot be found in any other parts of the world.
Due to its location which is near equator, Malaysia is enriched with tropical wildlife, similar to Indonesia. If you want to see the animals in Southeast Asia, you can check animals native to Southeast Asia.
Malaysia is
a home for around 290 species of mammals, 750 species of birds, 380 species of
reptiles, 200 species of amphibians and 1200 species of fish.
If you plan to visit Malaysia, make sure you meet these 7 animals that are native to Malaysia. They are worth watching.
Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is the first famous animal that is native to Malaysia. This big cat is noticeable by its brawny appearance. It also has its local names, which is harimau belang that literally means striped tiger.
Malayan tiger is also chosen as the country’s national animal because of its strong characteristics. This animal is even featured in the country’s coat of arms.
However, the population of this Malayan tiger is declining due to reforestation and illegal hunting for its body parts. Malayan tiger is considered having serious threat and classified as endangered animals.
Tiger is one of the dangerous animals in Russia and at the same time its population is critically declining. One of the famous tigers is Sumatran tiger which is also facing declining population. See the reasons behind the Sumatran tigers population decline.
Malayan tapir is considered as the largest tapir in its species. This tapir is the only one native to Asia. It has local names: “cipan” and “tenuk” in Malay language.
Malayan tapir can be found in the lowland tropical jungles of Peninsular Malaysia. Its huge white or light-colored patch from its shoulder to its rear end makes Malayan tapir unique.
Similar to Malayan tiger, Malayan tapir is also facing serious threat of extinction due to deforestation. So that’s why this species is endangered and under Malaysian government protection.
Tapir is also one of the animals that are made as countries symbols.
Gaur is
another animal native to Malaysia. Gaur is a species of wild cattle that can be
found in Peninsular Malaysia. Gaur is known locally as “seladang” in Malay
language. This species of cattle can be found wild in low-lying areas or even
in farms.
Do not be tricked by its name, this animal is not a lemur. Instead, it is a species of colugos or arboreal gliding mammal. It isn’t also able to fly, instead it leaps and glides among trees, so it appears to be able to “fly”.
You can see this animal in the dense tropical rainforests in Peninsular and East Malaysia. You will probably see them gliding in the high canopies of the forest, mostly at night.
You will
surely love to see this animal while exploring the nature in Malaysia. Bornean
orangutan is one of the most renowned inhabitants in the Bornean rainforests.
This orangutan species is native to the Borneo tropical rainforests, especially
in East Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak.
Do you know that orangutan is believed to be one of the most intelligent animals? It is also considered as one of the man’s closest relatives in evolution history.
It is called “orangutan” because people in the past thought that this animal was a tribe of people inhabiting the jungle.
Other species of orangutan is also native to Southeast Asia. Orangutan is amazing.
If you ever visit Sarawak, you might ask the people there about this animal. They will not feel strange about this animal. Rhinoceros hornbill is significant to people of Sarawak as this bird is considered to have divine symbol in the Sarawak traditional beliefs.
That’s why rhinoceros hornbills is also the state bird of Sarawak. Sarawak has Malay nickname “Bumi Kenyalang” and if translated, it means “Land of the Hornbills”.
You can spot this bird in several areas of rainforest throughout Peninsular Malaysia. You can easily notice this bird by its bright casque, which is the horn on top of its beak.
Asian elephant might not be native to Malaysia only, but it is also one of the native animals of China. In Malaysia, you can find this Asian elephant in the tropical rainforests of Peninsular and Borneo Malaysia.
Being compared to African elephant, Asian elephant is much smaller in size and some of its body parts are also different.
In Malaysian Indian culture, the Asian elephant is regarded with reverence in Hinduism as it is a common depiction of Lord Ganesha. Regarding to its population, sadly saying, Asian elephant is facing serious threat of extinction due to reforestation and illegal hunting for its tusks.