Fauna of Borneo
Encyclopedia
Borneo
is the third largest island in the world. In prehistoric times it was connected to the Asian mainland due to geological and climate changes. During the recent ice age
s of the Pleistocene
and the Holocene
separation from the mainland caused extinctions and speciation of fauna on the island.
The high complexity of the Bornean tropical rain forest has created many niches that accommodate a rich diversity of fauna. Some fauna are specialised and some coexisted by having niche separation to avoid inter- and intra-specific competition within the same habitat. Ecological separation can be in the form of different feeding guilds, niche separation by stratification and different utilisation strategies by being diurnal or nocturnal. For example, vertebrate fauna (birds and mammals) can be defined into six communities based on vertical stratification of the rainforest. First, the small mammals and birds use the forest ground floor and underground. Second, the large herbivores and carnivorous animals range the ground floor of the forest searching for food, shelter and breed. Third, omnivorous and carnivorous mammals range up and down tree trunk from forest floor to the canopy level. Fourth, are mainly volant mammals such as bats and birds using the middle canopy. Fifth, are top canopy birds and mammals that feed on leaves, fruits, nectar and insects. Sixth, are the fast flying birds and bat
s using the above canopy area.
There are 639 species of ants, 81 genera and 8 subfamilies of the Formicidae in Poring Sabah.
There are 100 species of amphibians.
One notable species is the Bornean Flat-headed Frog
, Barbourula kalimantanensis. (Not the frog pictured to the right). This frog
, found in cold, fast-flowing mountain streams, is the only known lungless frog.
105 species of lizards, in 35 genera from nine families, are now known from Borneo. The reticulated python is the biggest python in the world, and the longest snake in the world. This reptile can have a size of 9 m or more. The longer snakes have a size of ten meters.
There are about 600 species of birds and 37 are endemic
to Borneo
The historical records of European association with Borneo and its fauna were compiled by Lord Medway that was published in 1977 by the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. There are 288 species of terrestrial mammals in Borneo which is dominated by the chiroptera (102 species of bats) and rodentia (61 species of rats and mice), and 44 species are endemic to the island. There have also been 91 species of marine mammals recorded within the territorial boundaries of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Taxonomic list of species are found in the Mammals of Borneo
.
and resulting destruction of habitats many species are endangered, such as the Bornean orangutan
, or critically endangered
, such as the Borneo Elephant
.
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
is the third largest island in the world. In prehistoric times it was connected to the Asian mainland due to geological and climate changes. During the recent ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
s of the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
and the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
separation from the mainland caused extinctions and speciation of fauna on the island.
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s using the above canopy area.
Invertebrates
Amphibians
One notable species is the Bornean Flat-headed Frog
Bornean Flat-headed Frog
The Bornean Flat-headed Frog is a species of toad in the Bombinatoridae family. It is the second frog known to have no lungs....
, Barbourula kalimantanensis. (Not the frog pictured to the right). This frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
, found in cold, fast-flowing mountain streams, is the only known lungless frog.
Reptilians
Birds
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to Borneo
Mammals
Mammals of Borneo
The mammal species of Borneo include 288 species of terrestrial and 91 species of marine mammals recorded within the territorial boundaries of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia...
.
Impact of deforestation on fauna
With the rapid and massive deforestation in BorneoDeforestation in Borneo
Borneo, the third largest island in the world, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, was once covered with dense rainforests, but along with its tropical lowland and highland forests, there has been extensive deforestation in the past sixty years. In the 1980s and 1990s the forests of...
and resulting destruction of habitats many species are endangered, such as the Bornean orangutan
Bornean Orangutan
The Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the slightly smaller Sumatran orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia....
, or critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
, such as the Borneo Elephant
Borneo Elephant
The Borneo Elephant also called the Borneo Pygmy Elephant inhabits northeastern Borneo. Its origin remains the subject of debate. A definitive subspecific classification as Elephas maximus borneensis awaits a detailed range-wide morphometric and genetic study...
.