The wildlife of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
includes its
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
and
fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...
and their natural
habitats
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
.
Fauna
Mammals
There are 264 mammal species in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
on the
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
. Of these species, three are critically endangered, 24 are vulnerable, and two are near-threatened. One of the species listed for Thailand is considered to be extinct.
Fish
''
Fish of Thailand
Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...
''
Amphibians
Reptiles
Birds
![Oriental White Eye I- Himachal- IMG 3993](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Oriental_White_Eye_I-_Himachal-_IMG_3993.jpg)
The birds of Thailand number nearly one thousand species, of which approximately 45 are rare or accidental. At least seven bird species previously found in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
have since been made
locally extinct
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...
, and approximately fifty of Thailand's bird species are globally threatened.
In 1991, it was estimated that 159 resident and 23
migratory species were endangered or vulnerable due to forest clearance,
illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...
, hunting and habitat degradation, especially in the lowlands. The species most affected are large water birds whose wetland habitat has been largely lost to agriculture, and forest species, as deforestation for agriculture and logging have removed and degraded portions of the woodlands.
[Lekagul, Boonsong; Round, Philip (1991) ''A Guide to the Birds of Thailand'' 7–19 ]
Insects
*
Cicada
The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...
Ants
Butterflies
There are about 1,100 known butterfly species from Thailand.
Field Checklist of Butterflies in Thailand
/ref>
*''Bhutanitis lidderdalii
''Bhutanitis lidderdalii'', the Bhutan glory, is a species of swallowtail butterfly (family Papilionidae), which is found in Bhutan, parts of northeastern India and of Southeast Asia. A spectacular insect much sought after by collectors, the sp ...
''
*''Parantica aglea
''Parantica aglea'', the glassy tiger, is a butterfly found in Indomalayan realm that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the danaid group of the brush-footed butterflies family.
Description
Two subspecies are recognized but neither for ...
''
*''Parantica melaneus
''Parantica melaneus'', the chocolate tiger, is a butterfly found in Asia that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the danaid group of the brush-footed butterflies family.
Description
Upperside: forewing black, Hindwing very dark purpli ...
''
*''Papilio clytia
''Papilio clytia'', the common mime, is a swallowtail butterfly found in south Asia, south and southeast Asia. The butterfly belongs to the subgenus ''Chilasa'', the black-bodied swallowtails. It serves as an excellent example of a Batesian mimic ...
''
*''Papilio paradoxus
''Papilio (Chilasa) paradoxa'', the great blue mime, is a swallowtail butterfly found in India and parts of South-East Asia. The butterfly belongs to the mime subgenus, '' Chilasa'', of the genus ''Papilio'' (black-bodied swallowtails). It is a ...
''
*''Tirumala limniace
''Tirumala limniace'', the blue tiger, is a butterfly found in South Asia, and Southeast Asia that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the danaid group of the brush-footed butterfly family. This butterfly shows gregarious migratory beha ...
''
*''Tirumala septentrionis
''Tirumala septentrionis'', the dark blue tiger, is a danaid butterfly found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Description
Closely resembles ''Tirumala limniace'', Cramer, but is always sufficiently distinct to be easily recognize ...
''
Molluscs
There are at least 23 known families, 57 genera and 125 species of land gastropods from Eastern Thailand.[Dumrongrojwattana P., Matchacheep S., Kharmkhaew A., Pimubol T., Phookitsana S., Wongtanapanya A. (PDF file created 22 December 2006). "Pre-checklist of non-marine mollusks from Eastern Thailand. (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Basommatophora; Systellomatophora; Stylommatophora)". 7 pp., pages unnumbered]
PDF
.
There are at least 8 known species of freshwater gastropods and at least 2 species of freshwater bivalves from the Sakaeo Province
Sa Kaeo ( th, สระแก้ว, ) is one of the 76 provinces (''changwat'') and lies in eastern Thailand about 200 km from Bangkok. Neighboring provinces are (from south clockwise) Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Prachinburi, Nakhon Ratcha ...
in the Eastern Thailand.[ Boon-ngam P., Sriyarun J., Tanamai S. & Dumrongrojwattana P. (PDF file created 12 January 2010). "การศึกษาเบืองต้นความหลากชนิดของหอยทากบก และหอยน้ำจืดในจังหวัดสระแก้ว Preliminary taxonomic study of land snail and freshwater mollusk species in Sakaeo Province, Eastern Thailand". 10 pp., pages unnumbered]
PDF
Flora
*Flora of Thailand
''Flora of Thailand'' is a multi-volume flora describing the vascular plants of Thailand, published by the Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department since the 1970s. It currently consists of 12 volumes.
Volumes
*Volume 1 – not yet published
*Vo ...
*Garden angelica
''Angelica archangelica'', commonly known as garden angelica, wild celery, and Norwegian angelica, is a biennial plant from the family Apiaceae, a subspecies of which is cultivated for its sweetly scented edible stems and roots. Like several oth ...
*''Luculia gratissima
''Luculia gratissima'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is an ornamental plant that is found from the central Himalayas to northern Indo-China.
The Latin specific epithet ''gratissima'' means "most pleasing" or "most a ...
''
*''Meconopsis villosa
''Meconopsis villosa'', the Himalayan woodland-poppy, is an ornamental poppy, which is native of Nepal. The species was placed in the genus ''Cathcartia'' erected by J.D. Hooker to honour J.F. Cathcart, an Indian civil servant and amateur botanis ...
''
*''Persicaria affinis
''Bistorta affinis'' (synonyms ''Polygonum affine'', ''Persicaria affinis''), the Himalayan bistort, fleece flower, or knotweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to the Himalayas (Tibet, Nepal, northern India, Pa ...
''
*''Ruellia capitata
''Strobilanthes penstemonoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae. It occurs in China, Bhutan, India, and Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Ne ...
''
See also
* Wildlife of Phitsanulok Province
* Environmental issues in Thailand
Thailand's dramatic economic growth has caused numerous environmental issues. The country faces problems with air, declining wildlife populations, deforestation, soil erosion, water scarcity, and waste issues. According to a 2004 indicator, the ...
References
External links
Birdwatching in Thailand
List of All Thailand Snakes
{{Asia in topic, Wildlife of
*
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...