With approximately 90 species, bats are the most common mammals of Borneo’s rainforests. They normally make up about 40-50% of any tropical mammal community, and have important roles in forest ecology, and as pollinators and seed dispersers. They have also been recognized as important forest health indicators.
But the animals Borneo is famous for are the orangutan, pygmy elephant and rhinoceros.
Asia’s only great ape
The Borneo orangutan is the largest tree-climbing mammal and the only great ape found in Asia. It is estimated that about 1/3rd of its population was lost during the 1997/98 forest fires that swept across Indonesia, including Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).
Now, the Sarawak (Malaysia) orangutan population is virtually confined to 1 protected area. The species is mainly threatened by habitat conversion and hunting.
Find out more about the orangutan ►
The orangutans share Borneo's forests with 12 other primate species, including 2 gibbon species, 5 langurs, 2 macaques, the tarsier
(Tarsius bancanus), the slow loris
(Nycticebus coucang), and the endangered proboscis monkey
(Nasalis larvatus). Most of these species have overlapping ranges, but they vary with respect to dietary content and foraging strategy.
