Fauna of Indonesia

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The Sumatran tiger, the smallest tiger subspecies, is only found in Indonesia. Tiger Melbourne.JPG
The Sumatran tiger, the smallest tiger subspecies, is only found in Indonesia.

The fauna of Indonesia is characterised by high levels of biodiversity and endemicity due to its distribution over a vast tropical archipelago. [1] Indonesia divides into two ecological regions; western Indonesia which is more influenced by Asian fauna, and the east which is more influenced by Australasian species.

Contents

The Wallace Line, around which lies the Wallacea transitional region, notionally divides the two regions. [2] There is diverse range of ecosystems, including beaches, sand dunes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, sea grass beds, coastal mudflats, tidal flats, algal beds, and small island ecosystems.

Environmental issues due to Indonesia's rapid industrialisation process and high population growth, have seen lower priority given to preserving ecosystems. [3] Issues include illegal logging, with resulting deforestation, and a high level of urbanisation, air pollution, garbage management and waste water services also contributing to the forest deterioration. The widespread deforestation and other environmental destruction in Indonesia has often been described by academics as an ecocide. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Origin of Indonesian fauna

The Wallace Line, dividing Indonesia into two regions with different faunal characteristics. Only the islands west of the line were connected to Asia during the recent ice ages. Linea de Wallace.jpg
The Wallace Line, dividing Indonesia into two regions with different faunal characteristics. Only the islands west of the line were connected to Asia during the recent ice ages.

The origin of fauna in Indonesia was determined by geographical and geological events on the Asian continental landmass and the Australasian continental landmass (now Australia). [9]

In the nineteenth century, Alfred Russel Wallace proposed the idea of the Wallace Line, a notional line following deep water straits dividing the Indonesian archipelago into two regions, the mainland Asian zoogeographical region (Sundaland) and the Australasian-influenced zoogeographical region (Wallacea). The line runs between Borneo and Sulawesi; and between Bali and Lombok. [10] Although the distance from Bali to Lombok is a relatively short 35 kilometres, the fauna distribution is affected by the line. For example, a group of birds would refuse to cross even the smallest stretches of open water. [10]

Deforestation

Environmental issues due to Indonesia's rapid industrialisation process and high population growth, have seen lower priority given to preserving ecosystems. [3] Issues include illegal logging, with resulting deforestation, and a high level of urbanisation, air pollution, garbage management and waste water services also contributing to the forest deterioration. The widespread deforestation and other environmental destruction in Indonesia has often been described by academics as an ecocide. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Sundaland

Sundaland includes Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the smaller surrounding islands, whose fauna share similar characteristics with the mainland Asian fauna. During the ice age, lower sea levels connected the Asian continent with the western Indonesian archipelago. This enabled animals from the Asian mainland to migrate over dry land to Sundaland.

Mammals

The Borneo elephant, an Asian elephant subspecies. Borneo-elephant-PLoS Biology.jpg
The Borneo elephant, an Asian elephant subspecies.

Sundaland harbours 381 mammal species, [11] of which 173 are endemic to this region. [12] Three of orangutan species, Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii) and Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis) are listed in the IUCN red lists. [13] [14] [15]

Reptiles and amphibians

449 species in 125 genera of reptiles are estimated to live in Sundaland. [16]

Fish

Around 1000 fish species are known to live in the rivers, lakes, and swamps of Sundaland. [17] Borneo has about 430 species, with 164 of them considered endemic. Sumatra has 270 species, 42 of which are endemic. [18]

Wallacea

Wallacea is the group of islands within red area. The Weber Line is in blue. Indonesia Wallacea.svg
Wallacea is the group of islands within red area. The Weber Line is in blue.

Wallacea represents the biogeographical transitional zone between Sundaland to the west and the Australasian zone to the east. It has not been directly connected to either region, due to the deep water straits at its borders, and so could only be colonised by over-water dispersal. This zone covers of about 338,494 km2 (130,693 sq mi) land area in total, divided in multiple small islands. [19]

Due to its distinct and varied geography this region contains many endemic and unique species of flora and fauna and has been divided into a number of distinct ecoregions; the mountain and lowland areas of Sulawesi, North Maluku, Buru and Seram in Maluku, the Lesser Sunda Islands (with Sumba a distinct ecoregion in its own right), Timor, and the islands in the Banda Sea. [19]

Mammals

A male North Sulawesi babirusa. Babirusa are notable for the long upper canines in the males. Hirscheber1a.jpg
A male North Sulawesi babirusa. Babirusa are notable for the long upper canines in the males.
Lowland anoa. Lowland anoa.jpg
Lowland anoa.

Wallacea harbours a total of 223 native mammal species, including 124 bat species; 126 mammals are endemic to this region. [20] [21] [22]

Birds

The maleo ( Macrocephalon maleo ) occurs entirely within Wallacea. [23] [24] [25] [26]

Reptiles and amphibians

Komodo dragons Komodo Dragons in the wild on Rinca island Indonesia..jpg
Komodo dragons

With 222 species, of which 99 are endemic, Wallacea has high reptile diversity. Among these are 118 lizard species, of which 60 are endemic; 98 snake species, [27] 58 native species of amphibians occur in Wallacea, of which 32 are endemic. [28]

Freshwater fishes

There are about 310 species of fish recorded from the rivers and lakes of Wallacea, 75 species of them are endemic. Although little is still known about the fishes of the Moluccas and the Lesser Sunda Islands, 6 species are recorded as endemic. On Sulawesi, there are 69 known species, of which 53 are endemic. The Malili lakes in South Sulawesi, with its complex of deep lakes, rapids and rivers, have at least 15 endemic telmatherinid fishes, two of them representing endemic genera, three endemic Oryzias, two endemic halfbeaks, and seven endemic gobies.[ citation needed ]

Invertebrate

There are about 82 species of birdwing butterflies recorded in Wallacea, 44 of them are endemic. [29]

Western New Guinea

The fauna of this region comprises a huge diversity of mammals, reptiles, birds, fishes, invertebrates and amphibians, many species of which are of Australasian origin. Ecoregions here include; the mountains of Bird's Head Peninsula West Papua, the lowlands of West Papua and Papua, the Biak Islands, Yapen island, the lowlands of New Guinea's northern coast, the mountain ranges behind the northern coast, medium and high elevations of the New Guinea Highlands, the lowlands and the swamplands of the southern coast, and finally areas of mangrove swamp scattered around the coast. [19]

Conservation

The critically endangered Bornean orangutan Orangutan Kalimantan.jpg
The critically endangered Bornean orangutan
The critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, a great ape endemic to Indonesia. Man of the woods.JPG
The critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, a great ape endemic to Indonesia.
The recently identified Tapanuli orangutan Pongo tapanuliensis.jpg
The recently identified Tapanuli orangutan

45% of Indonesia is uninhabited and covered by tropical forests, however, a high population growth and industrialisation, has affected the existence of fauna in Indonesia. The wildlife trade has had a detrimental effect on Indonesia's fauna, including rhinoceroses, orangutans, tigers, elephants, and certain species of amphibians. [30]

Up to 95% of animals sold in markets are taken directly from the wild, rather than from captive breeding stock; and more than 20% of the animals died in transportation. [31] As of 2003, The World Conservation Union lists as endangered 147 mammals, 114 birds, 91 fish and two invertebrate species. [30]

Some habitats have been protected since the early 20th century firstly under Dutch Colonial law. [32] Indonesia's first national parks were established in 1980, [33] and in 2009 there were 50 declared national parks. [34]

Endangered primates

Around 40 primates of the 200 primate species in the world are found in Indonesian forests. Four Indonesian primates were included among the 25 most endangered primates in the world; they are the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), the Siau Island tarsier (Tarsius tumpara), the Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) and the pig-tailed langur (Simias concolor). [35]

Extinct animals

The Bali and Javan tiger populations were eradicated between the 1950s and 1970s. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Indonesia</span>

Indonesia is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia and Oceania, lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is located in a strategic location astride or along major sea lanes connecting East Asia, South Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. Indonesia's various regional cultures have been shaped—although not specifically determined—by centuries of complex interactions with its physical environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumatra</span> Island in western Indonesia

Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi.2), including adjacent islands such as the Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and Krakatoa archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulawesi</span> One of the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia

Sulawesi, also known as Celebes, is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. Within Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra are more populous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indomalayan realm</span> One of the Earths eight ecozones

The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australasian realm</span> One of the Earths eight biogeographic realms

The Australasian realm is one of eight biogeographic realms that is coincident with, but not the same as, the geographical region of Australasia. The realm includes Australia, the island of New Guinea, and the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago, including the island of Sulawesi, the Moluccas, and the islands of Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, and Timor, often known as the Lesser Sundas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malesia</span> Biogeographical region in Southeast Asia

Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. The original definition by the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions included Papuasia, but this was split off in its 2001 version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundaland</span> Biogeographic region of Southeast Asia

Sundaland is a biogeographical region of Southeast Asia corresponding to a larger landmass that was exposed throughout the last 2.6 million years during periods when sea levels were lower. It includes Bali, Borneo, Java, and Sumatra in Indonesia, and their surrounding small islands, as well as the Malay Peninsula on the Asian mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallacea</span> Biogeographical region

Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Halmahera, Buru, Seram, and many smaller islands. The islands of Wallacea lie between the Sunda Shelf to the west, and the Sahul Shelf including Australia and New Guinea to the south and east. The total land area of Wallacea is 347,000 km2 (134,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda Shelf</span> Extension of the continental shelf of Southeast Asia

Geologically, the Sunda Shelf is a south-eastern extension of the continental shelf of Mainland Southeast Asia. Major landmasses on the shelf include Bali, Borneo, Java, Madura, and Sumatra, as well as their surrounding smaller islands. It covers an area of approximately 1.85 million km2. Sea depths over the shelf rarely exceed 50 metres and extensive areas are less than 20 metres resulting in strong bottom friction and strong tidal friction. Steep undersea gradients separate the Sunda Shelf from the Philippines, Sulawesi, and the Lesser Sunda Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumatran orangutan</span> Species of ape

The Sumatran orangutan is one of the three species of orangutans. Critically endangered, and found only in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, it is rarer than the Bornean orangutan but more common than the recently identified Tapanuli orangutan, also found in Sumatra. Its common name is based on two separate local words, orang 'people; person' and hutan 'forest', derived from Malay, and translates as 'person of the forest'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean orangutan</span> Species of ape

The Bornean orangutan is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan and Tapanuli orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia. It is the largest of the three species of orangutans. Like the other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent, displaying tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild. Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans. Also called mias by the local population, the Bornean orangutan is a critically endangered species, with deforestation, palm oil plantations, and hunting posing a serious threat to its continued existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora of Indonesia</span> Plants that are commonly found in Indonesia

The flora consists of many unique varieties of tropical plants. Blessed with a tropical climate and roughly 17,000 islands, Indonesia is the nation with the second highest biodiversity in the world. The flora of Indonesia reflects an intermingling of Asian, Australian and unique, Indonesian lineages. This is due to the geography of Indonesia, located between the aforementioned continents. The archipelago consists of a variety of regions, from the tropical rain forests of the northern lowlands and the seasonal forests of the southern lowlands through the hill and mountain vegetation, to subalpine shrub vegetation. With the second longest coastline in the world, Indonesia also has many swamps and other varieties of coastal vegetation. Combined, these all give rise to a huge floral biodiversity. There are about 28,000 species of flowering plants documented in Indonesia, including 2500 orchids, 122 species of bamboo, over 350 species of rattan and 400 species of Dipterocarpus, including ebony, sandalwood and teakwood. Indonesia is also home to some unusual species of carnivorous plants. One exceptional species is known as Rafflesia arnoldi, named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and Dr. Thomas Arnold, who discovered the flower in the depths of Bengkulu, southwest Sumatra. This parasitic plant has the largest flower of any plant, does not produce leaves and grows only on one species of liana on the rainforest floor. Another unusual plant is Amorphophallus titanum from Sumatra. Numerous species of insect trapping pitcher plants can also be found in Borneo, Sumatra, and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago. There are a staggering 6000 traditional medicinal plants used as Jamu.,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda brush cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The Sunda brush cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was formerly treated as conspecific with the Sulawesi brush cuckoo with the English name "rusty-breasted cuckoo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Asia</span> Native animals of Asia

In our whole Earth and the soil, all of the animals living in Asia and its surrounding seas and islands are considered the fauna of Asia. Since there is no natural biogeographic boundary in the west between Europe and Asia, the term "fauna of Asia" is somewhat elusive but it is a geographical name given. Temperate Asia is the eastern part of the Palearctic realm, and its south-eastern part belongs to the Indomalayan realm. Asia shows a notable diversity of habitats, with significant variations in rainfall, altitude, topography, temperature and geological history, which is reflected in its richness and diversity of animal life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser Sunda Islands</span> Group of islands in Indonesian Archipelago

The Lesser Sunda Islands, now known as Nusa Tenggara Islands, are an archipelago in Indonesian archipelago. Most of the Lesser Sunda Islands are located within the Wallacea region, except for the Bali province which is west of the Wallace Line and is within the Sunda Shelf. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up the Sunda Islands. The islands are part of a volcanic arc, the Sunda Arc, formed by subduction along the Sunda Trench in the Java Sea. In 1930 the population was 3,460,059; today slightly over 15.5 million people live on the islands. Etymologically, Nusa Tenggara means "Southeast Islands" from the words of nusa which means 'island' from Old Javanese language and tenggara means 'southeast'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Sunda Islands</span> Group of four islands in Indonesian Archipelago

The Greater Sunda Islands are four tropical islands situated within the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean. The islands, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi and Sumatra, are internationally recognised for their ecological diversity and rich culture. Together with the Lesser Sunda Islands to their southeast, they comprise the archipelago known as the Sunda Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulawesi pitta</span> Species of bird

The Sulawesi pitta is a species of pitta. It was considered a subspecies of the red-bellied pitta. It is endemic to Indonesia where it occurs in Sulawesi, Manterawu, and Togian Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulawesi lowland rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Sulawesi lowland rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion includes the lowlands of Sulawesi and neighboring islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulawesi montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Sulawesi montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. It includes the highlands of Sulawesi.

References

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