Southeast Asian Rainforest Animals

Southeast Asian Rainforest Animals
Produced by West Tisbury Elementary School
Provided by Brynn Schaffner and Kenneth Robinson
BluePlanetBiomes.org

Hundreds of animal and plant species are on the brink of extinction in Southeast Asia. The critically endangered two-horned Sumatran rhinoceros survives in small forest pockets of Sumatra and Borneo. Their entire population is thought to be only 300 to 500 individuals. The Javan rhinoceros has already slipped into extinction. The Sumatran tiger, like its cousin the Javan tiger will soon be extinct as well. The Asian elephant is another large forest herbivore which needs large amounts of forest to survive. Human encroachment and logging are shrinking their habitat to the extent that they can no longer support the elephants. The Malayan tapir is the largest of the 4 species of tapir still alive and no more than 50 animals still live in the wild. Another animal found only on Sumatra and Borneo is the orangutan, or "man of the forest". They were once found on mainland Asia from Thailand to southern China. They feed mostly on fruit and move through the forest following the fruiting trees. There are thirteen separate species of primates in Borneo's lowland forests alone. Most have overlapping home ranges but have different diets and foraging methods.

Visit the web site to learn about the animals.