The wildlife of Malaysia is diverse, with
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
being a
megadiverse country. Most of the country is covered in
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
, which hosts a huge
diversity of plant and animal species. There are approximately 361 mammal species, 694
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
species, 250 reptile species, and 150 frog species found in Malaysia. Its large marine territory also holds a great diversity of life, with the country's coastal waters comprising part of the
Coral Triangle.
Terrestrial fauna
Malaysia is estimated to contain 20% of the world's animal species, and includes some of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.
High levels of endemism are found in the diverse forests of Malaysian Borneo's mountains, as populations are isolated from each other by lowland forest.
Mammals
There are about 361 mammal species in Malaysia.
[https://ir.unimas.my/1554/1/list%20of%20361%20species%20of%20mammals%20in%20malaysia.pdf ] Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
holds four
big cats: the
Indochinese tiger, the
Malayan tiger, the
Indochinese leopard
The Indochinese leopard (''Panthera pardus delacouri'') is a leopard subspecies native to mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. In Indochina, leopards are rare outside protected areas and threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation as w ...
and also the
clouded leopard
The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...
. Another major predator is the
sunbear
The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighing ...
. Large prey exists, such as the
Sumatran rhinoceros, the
Malayan tapir
The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since ...
,
mouse deer
Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only extant members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only f ...
,
barking deer,
sambar deer
The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...
,
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
, and
Bornean bearded pig
The Bornean bearded pig (''Sus barbatus''), also known as the Sunda bearded pig or simply bearded pig, is a species in the pig genus, '' Sus''.
It can be recognized by its prominent beard. It also sometimes has tassels on its tail. It is found ...
s.
Gaurs and
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...
s can also be found. Lowland animals such as these also can be found at higher altitudes, along with animals specialised for mountain living, such as
siamang gibbons,
red squirrel
The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent.
In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...
s, and
lesser moon rats.
East Malaysia lacks the tigers of the Peninsula, leaving clouded leopards, sunbears, and
Sunda otter civets as the primary predators.
Rhinoceros
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
es and
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
s are also found there, along with
Bornean orangutan
The Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'') and Tapanuli orangutan (''Pongo tapanuliensis''), it belongs to the only genus of great ...
s,
Mueller's gibbons,
macaques,
proboscis monkey
The proboscis monkey (''Nasalis larvatus'') or long-nosed monkey is an arboreal Old World monkey with an unusually large nose, a reddish-brown skin color and a long tail. It is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo and is found mostly ...
s,
silvered leaf monkey
The silvery lutung (''Trachypithecus cristatus''), also known as the silvered leaf monkey or the silvery langur, is an Old World monkey. It is arboreal, living in coastal, mangrove, and riverine forests in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Born ...
s,
langur
The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications spli ...
s, and
slow lorises.
Kinabalu ferret-badgers,
Kinabalu black shrews,
Hose's palm civet
Hose's palm civet (''Diplogale hosei''), also known as Hose's civet, is a viverrid species endemic to the island of Borneo. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable because of an ongoing population decline, estimated to be more than 30% o ...
s, and
Brooke's tree squirrels are endemic to the mountains of Borneo.
Other small mammals include
mongooses and
giant rats.
11,300 orangutans are found in East Malaysia.
Other ape species include the
white-handed gibbon
The lar gibbon (''Hylobates lar''), also known as the white-handed gibbon, is an endangered primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. It is one of the better-known gibbons and is often kept in captivity.
Taxonomy
There are five subspecies of ...
and the
siamang
The siamang (, ; ''Symphalangus syndactylus'') is an arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching in height, a ...
.
Malaysia has 10 monkey species, divided between
langurs and
macaques.
Proboscis monkeys, the world's largest monkey,
are a langur species endemic to Borneo.
Macaque species include the
crab-eating macaque
The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), also known as the long-tailed macaque and referred to as the cynomolgus monkey in laboratories, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. A species of macaque, the crab-eating macaqu ...
and the
pig-tailed macaque.
The Malayan tiger, a close relative of the Indochinese tiger, is endemic to the Malay peninsula
with a remaining population of about 300 (250-340). Small cats such as the
bay cat
The bay cat (''Catopuma badia''), also known as the Bornean bay cat, is a small wild cat endemic to the island of Borneo that appears to be relatively rare compared to sympatric wild cats, based on the paucity of historical, as well as recent rec ...
and various civet cats are also found.
1200 Asian elephants exist on the Peninsula,
with another population existing in East Malaysia. The world's largest cattle species, the
seladang
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...
, is found in Malaysia.
Fruit bats are also found throughout the country, with a high concentration in the
Mulu Caves
The Gunung Mulu National Park is a national park in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its ca ...
.
Birds
677 species of
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
have been recorded just on the peninsula, with 794 recorded for the whole of Malaysia.
[Malaysian Nature Society (2016), "A Checklist of the birds of Malaysia"] A few are endemic to the mountains of the peninsula, such as the
Malayan Whistling-Thrush
The Malayan whistling thrush or Malaysian whistling-thrush (''Myophonus robinsoni'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Malay Peninsula. Due primarily to habitat loss, its population is thought to be in decline. ...
.
Bornean forests show high levels of endemism among bird species,
with 38 species found nowhere else.
Black-browed babbler
The black-browed babbler (''Malacocincla perspicillata'') is a songbird species in the family Pellorneidae. The species is endemic to Borneo. Only a single specimen collected in the nineteenth century was known, until the species was rediscovere ...
s and
white-crowned shama
The white-crowned shama (''Copsychus stricklandii'') is a bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.
Taxonomy
It is closely related to the white-rumped shama (''Copsychus malabaricus''), and i ...
s are found only in these forests. Large numbers of
hornbill
Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a Casque (an ...
s,
woodpecker
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...
s, and
pittas
such as the
mangrove pitta
The mangrove pitta (''Pitta megarhyncha'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Pittidae native to the eastern Indian Subcontinent and western Southeast Asia. It is part of a superspecies where it is placed with the Indian pitta, the fa ...
are also present.
Other species are found isolated on mountains, such as
golden-naped barbet
The golden-naped barbet (''Psilopogon pulcherrimus'') is a member of the family Megalaimidae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is endemic to the island of Borneo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland fores ...
s,
spot-necked bulbul
The spot-necked bulbul (''Alcurus tympanistrigus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in Sumatra. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist mo ...
s, and
mountain serpent-eagle
The mountain serpent eagle (''Spilornis kinabaluensis''), also known as the Kinabalu serpent eagle, is a bird of prey that is found in northern Borneo. It is found at altitudes of in forest, especially where it becomes stunted. Where their range ...
s.
Bulbul
The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical As ...
s,
starlings, and
house swifts can be found in urban areas.
Crested serpent-eagle
The crested serpent eagle (''Spilornis cheela'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia, there are considera ...
s and
kingfishers can be found.
There are nine species of hornbill in Malaysia, the most common of which is the
Oriental pied hornbill. At from head to tail is the largest hornbill, the
great hornbill, followed closely in size by the
rhinoceros hornbill of Borneo. The
fish eagle and
brahminy kite are the most common birds of prey.
Storm's stork
Storm's stork (''Ciconia stormi'') is a medium-sized stork species that occurs primarily in lowland tropical forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand. It is considered to be the rarest of all storks,Hancock JA, Kuschlan JA, Kahl, MP. ...
and the
Oriental darter can be found in wetlands.
Reptiles
250 reptile species have been recorded, with about 150 species of snakes
and 80 species of lizards.
Only 16 of the land snakes are venomous.
Notable among these are the
Malayan pit viper
:''Common names: Malayan ground pit viper, Malayan pit viper, Malayan ground snake, Malayan moccasin.
''Calloselasma'' is a monotypic genus created for a venomous snake, venomous Crotalinae, pit viper species, ''C. rhodostoma'', which is Endemism ...
,
king cobras,
Dumeril's monitor
Dumeril's monitor (''Varanus dumerilii'') is a species of lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia.
Etymology and naming
The specific name, ''dumerilii'', is in honour of the French zoologist André Marie Consta ...
s,
Malay water monitor
The Asian water monitor (''Varanus salvator'') is a large varanid lizard native to South and Southeast Asia. It is one of the most common monitor lizards in Asia, ranging from coastal northeast India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, mainland Southeast A ...
s, and
estuarine crocodiles.
The king cobra is the deadliest snake found, but it is rarely encountered.
The
reticulated python
The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake, and is among the three heaviest. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wi ...
is said to grow up to in length.
Monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...
s, almost in length, are found in both halves of the country.
Other snake species include the
paradise tree snake
Paradise tree snake or paradise flying snake (''Chrysopelea paradisi'') is a species of snake found in southeastern Asia. It can, like all species of its genus ''Chrysopelea'', glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. ...
and
Wagler's pit viper
''Tropidolaemus wagleri'', more commonly known as Wagler's pit viper, is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia. There are no subspecies that are reco ...
. Estuarine crocodiles can grow up to in length. Their smaller relative, the
Malayan false gharial
The false gharial (''Tomistoma schlegelii''), also known by the names Malayan gharial, Sunda gharial and tomistoma is a freshwater crocodilian of the family Gavialidae native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It is listed as Vu ...
, can also be found.
Flying lizards
The Flying Lizards were an experimental English new wave band, formed in 1976. They are best known for their eccentric cover version of Barrett Strong's "Money", featuring Deborah Evans-Stickland on lead vocals, which reached the UK and US re ...
can also be found.
There are about 150 species of frog in Malaysia.
Freshwater fish include the rare
Asian arawana
The Asian arowana (''Scleropages formosus'') comprises several phenotypic varieties of freshwater fish distributed geographically across Southeast Asia. While most consider the different varieties to belong to a single species, work by Pouyaud ' ...
, along with
marbled goby
''Pomatoschistus marmoratus'', the marbled goby, is a species of goby native to the eastern Atlantic from the Bay of Biscay down around the Iberian Peninsula through the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It is also found in ...
,
harlequin
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...
s, and
tiger barb
The tiger barb or Sumatra barb (''Puntigrus tetrazona''),Kottelat, M. (2013)The Fishes of the Inland Waters of Southeast Asia: A Catalogue and Core Bibliography of the Fishes Known to Occur in Freshwaters, Mangroves and Estuaries. ''The Raffle ...
s.
Insects
Malaysia has thousands of insect species,
with more being discovered every year. Butterfly species include
Rajah Brooke's birdwing
''Trogonoptera brookiana'', Rajah Brooke's birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly from the rainforests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Natuna, Sumatra, and various small islands west of Sumatra ( Banyak, Simeulue, Batu and Mentawai).ARKivRajah B ...
, while moth species include the
Atlas moth
''Attacus atlas'', the Atlas moth, is a large saturniid moth endemic to the forests of Asia. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Description
The Atlas moth is one of the largest ...
. The largest beetle found is the
rhinoceros beetle. Other large insects include the
giant stick insect
In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 from ...
, which can grow as long as a human forearm, the
empress cicada
The empress cicada (''Megapomponia imperatoria'') is a species of cicada from Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographic ...
, with a wingspan of , and the long
giant ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...
. Other insects include
banded hornets,
fire ants,
giant honey bees, and
weaver ants. Many
scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
s can also be found.
Terrestrial flora
About two thirds of Malaysia is covered in forest
which is believed to be 130 million years old.
It is composed of a variety of types, although they are mainly
dipterocarp
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...
forests.
Dipterocarps can grow to about tall.
Lowland forest occurs below ,
and formerly East Malaysia was covered in
such rainforest,
which is supported by its hot wet climate.
There are around 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees.
Besides rainforests, there are over of mangroves in Malaysia,
and a large amount of peat forest. Coastal land of the peninsula is fringed by
mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...
, which cause sediment build up resulting in peat bogs. These provide a base for plants that can tolerate the conditions. The peat forests of coastal Malaysia provide an important habitat for waterbirds and fish. The dipterocarps that occur in the peat forest obscure the ground, limiting ground vegetation. At higher altitudes, oaks, chestnuts, and rhododendrons replace dipterocarps.
There are an estimated 8,500 species of
vascular plant
Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...
s in Peninsular Malaysia, with another 15,000 in the East. The forests of East Malaysia are estimated to be the habitat of around 2,000 tree species, and are one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, with 240 different species of trees every hectare. Further inland,
heath forest
Heath forest is a type of tropical moist forest found in areas with acidic, sandy soils that are extremely nutrient-poor. Notable examples are the Rio Negro campinarana of the Amazon Basin in South America, and the Sundaland heath forests (also kn ...
s are present.
These forests host many members of the genus ''
Rafflesia'', the largest flowers in the world,
with a maximum diameter of .
They also contain large numbers of
carnivorous plants, such as
pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...
s,
bladderworts,
sundews, and
ant-house plant
''Dischidia'' is a genus of plants in the “dog-bane” family Apocynaceae, collectively known as the “milkweeds” (true perennial milkweeds in the ''Apocynaceae'' are found in the genus ''Asclepias''). They are epiphytes, native to tropical ...
s.
Some parts of the forest have shown promise for use in medicine. In 1990, a stand of trees showed promise to be able to be used to stop the spread of a strain of
Human Immunodeficiency Virus, but was cut down before more samples could be taken. Promise has been shown in fighting
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
.
Marine life
Malaysia's
exclusive economic zone is 1.5 times larger than its land area, and some of its waters are in the
Coral Triangle, a biodiversity hotspot. The waters around
Sipadan island
Sipadan ( ms, Pulau Sipadan) is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that ...
are the most biodiverse in the world.
Bordering East Malaysia, the
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea ( fil, Dagat Sulu; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; Chavacano: ''Mar de Sulu''; Cebuano: ''Dagat sa Sulu''; Hiligaynon: ''Dagat sang Sulu''; Karay-a: ''Dagat kang Sulu''; Cuyonon: ''Dagat i'ang Sulu''; ms, Laut Sulu) is a body o ...
is a biodiversity hotspot, with around 600 coral species and 1200 fish species. Five species of
sea turtle
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...
s inhabit the area,
along with 20 species of
sea snake
Sea snakes, or coral reef snakes, are elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. They belong to two subfamilies, Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae. Hydrophiinae also includes Australasian terrestrial snakes, wher ...
.
The
dugong is found around Sabah and in the
Strait of Johor.
Sharks present include
whale shark
The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, D ...
s,
hammerhead sharks, and
reef shark
This article lists several species of reef-associated sharks which are known by the common name reef sharks.
In the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Oceans:
* Blacktip reef shark
* Grey reef shark
* Whitetip reef shark
In the Atlantic Ocean, Atl ...
s. Game fish such as the
Blue marlin
''Makaira'' (Latin via Greek: ''μαχαίρα'' "sword") is a genus of marlin in the family Istiophoridae. It includes the Atlantic blue, and Indo-Pacific blue marlins. In the past, the black marlin was also included in this genus, but today ...
and
tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...
are often found, along with reef fish such as
barracuda
A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...
,
bigeye trevally
The bigeye trevally (''Caranx sexfasciatus''), also known as the bigeye jack, great trevally, six-banded trevally and dusky jack, is a species of widespread large marine fish classified in the jack family Carangidae. The bigeye trevally is distr ...
,
bump-head parrotfish
The green humphead parrotfish (''Bolbometopon muricatum'') is the largest species of parrotfish, growing to lengths of and weighing up to .
It is found on reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea in the west to Samoa in the east ...
,
grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.
Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...
, and
scorpionfish.
Manta ray
Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPect ...
s can be found.
Environmental issues and countermeasures
With Malaysia's wildlife being some of the most diverse on earth,
and it being a
megadiverse country, the Malaysian government is interested in protecting it. The government aims to balance
economic growth
Economic growth can be defined as the increase or improvement in the inflation-adjusted market value of the goods and services produced by an economy in a financial year. Statisticians conventionally measure such growth as the percent rate of ...
with
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...
, but has been accused of favouring "
big business
Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly kn ...
" over the environment. Smoke haze from Indonesia occasionally causes problems further north,
and fires caused by forest burning in 1997 obscured large parts of
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
and
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
in smog.
At current rates of
forest lost, the rainforests will likely disappear within a generation. Over 80% of
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...
has been cleared,
and this clearing has caused animals traditionally in lowland forest to retreat into the
upland rain forests inland.
Logging and cultivation practices have devastated
tree cover
Forest cover is the amount of forest that covers a particular area of land. It may be measured as relative (in percent) or absolute (in square kilometres/square miles). Around a third of the world's surface is covered with forest, with closed-canop ...
, causing severe
environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...
in the country.
Floods in East Malaysia have been worsened by the loss of trees, and over 60% of the peninsula's forest has been cleared.
With current rates of deforestation, the forests are predicted to be extinct by 2020.
From 2000 to 2019, Sabah lost 1.60Mha, or 24%, of its tree cover. 51% of this loss came from
Tongod
Tongod ( ms, Pekan Tongod) is the capital of the Tongod District in the Sandakan Division of Sabah, Malaysia.
Climate
Tongod has a tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a ...
,
Beluran,
Tawau, and
Kinabatangan
Kinabatangan ( ms, Pekan Kinabatangan) is the capital of the Kinabatangan District in the Sandakan Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 10,256 in 2010. Kinabatangan is mostly populated with the Orang Sungai
...
. In the same period, Sarawak lost 2.96Mha or 25% of its tree cover. Together, they made up 56% of Malaysia's 8.12Mha (28%) loss in tree cover during that period.
Deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
is a major problem for fauna such as tigers, as the forest is cut to make room for plantations,
mostly for palm oil and other cash crops. The orangutan population has dropped by 40% in the last 20 years. Hunting has also been an issue.
Animals such as the Asian elephant have been forced out of their habitat due to its loss, often leading them to starve.
Once so common that complaints existed of them trampling people's gardens,
Sumatran rhinoceroses are likely to become extinct in Malaysia.
Hornbills are steadily declining in numbers. Most remaining forest is found inside national parks.
Habitat destruction has proved a threat for marine life.
Illegal fishing
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.
Illegal fishing takes pl ...
is another major threat. In Sabah alone, almost 3000 turtles are killed as
by-catch per year.
Illegal fishing methods such as
dynamite fishing and poisoning have also depleted marine ecosystems.
Leatherback turtle
The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...
numbers have dropped by 98% since the 1950s.
Turtle eggs are considered an aphrodisiac and remain a local delicacy, selling for around USD12 for 10. However, some communities that once regularly consumed turtle eggs now protect them, with hatching turtles becoming an ecotourism draw.
Terengganu
Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith"). ...
outlaws the sale of leatherback turtle eggs. While licensed collection and sale of the eggs from other species is still legal, the state has pledged to extend the ban on sale to all turtle species.
Overconsumption and the use of animal parts for profit has also endangered marine life,
as well as tigers, whose meat can be found in restaurants in Kuala Lumpur.
Tigers received official protection in 1976, when they numbered a mere 300.
Marine life is also detrimentally affected by uncontrolled tourism.
Shoreline erosion in places has reached a year.
Pollution was the impetus for the creation of the Environmental Quality Act in 1974. Pollution has continued to increase, and punishment for violations has been limited in comparison to other crimes. In 2020, illegal chemical dumping into the water system caused water cuts to households in the
Klang Valley
Klang Valley ( ms, Lembah Klang; zh, 巴生谷; ) is an urban conglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and includes its adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is con ...
, in which the capital
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
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, coordinates =
, su ...
is situated.
Most environmental regulation falls under the control of the states. Some state governments are now trying to counter the environmental impact and pollution created by deforestation;
Sabah has developed sustainable forest reserves, and the government is trying to cut logging by 10% per year. 28 national parks have been created, the first in 1938 by the British. There are 23 on East Malaysia and 7 on the Peninsula.
The Malaysian government is also trying to preserve marine life, creating a joint project with Indonesia and the Philippines to look after the Sulu Sea,
as well as limiting tourism in areas such as Sipadan Island.
Marine parks have banned fishing and motorised sports.
To counter
coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
, the
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has installed
artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-created underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, to control erosion, block ship passage, block the use of trawling nets, or improve surfing.
Many re ...
s around the country's shores. These reefs are also intended to revive marine ecosystems.
Animal trafficking
Wildlife smuggling or trafficking involves the illegal gathering, transportation, and distribution of animals and their derivatives. This can be done either internationally or domestically. Estimates of the money generated by wildlife smuggling ...
is a large issue, and the Malaysian government is holding talks with the governments of Brunei and Indonesia to standardise anti-trafficking laws.
The government aims to double the wild tiger population by 2020.
See also
*
Environment of Malaysia
The environment of Malaysia is the biotas and geologies that constitute the natural environment of Malaysia. Malaysia's ecology is megadiverse, with a biodiverse range of flora and fauna found in various ecoregions throughout the country. ...
References
External links
Database of Malaysian Marine Life2008 Report of Biodiversity in MalaysiaMongabay page on Borneo
{{Asia in topic, Wildlife of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...