Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Leaf de
f deer Also known as the 'leaf muntjac', this 25lb, 20in-tall mammal was con-
firmed in northern Myanmar in 1999. Its name was given because it can be
wrapped up in a large leaf.
Animals
When Marco Polo wrote about Myanmar in the 13th century, he described 'vast jungles
teeming with elephants, unicorns and other wild beasts'. Though Myanmar's natural
biodiversity has no doubt altered considerably since that time, it's difficult to say by just
how much.
The Wild Animals of Burma,
published in 1967, is the most 'recent' work available
and even this volume simply contains extracts from various surveys carried out by the
British between 1912 and 1941, with a few observations dating to 1961. The US-based
Wildlife Conservation Society (
www.wcs.org
)
has engaged in a number of localised sur-
veys, primarily in the far north, over the past few years, but currently nobody is attempt-
ing a full nationwide stocktake of plants and animals.
As with Myanmar's flora, the variation in Myanmar's wildlife is closely associated
with the country's geographic and climatic differences. Hence the indigenous fauna of
the country's northern half is mostly of Indo-Chinese origin, while that of the south is
generally Sundaic (ie typical of Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java). In the Himalayan
region north of the Tropic of Cancer (just north of Lashio), the fauna is similar to that
found in northeastern India. In the area extending from around Myitkyina in the north to
the Bago Mountains in the central region, there is overlap between geographical and ve-
getative zones - which means that much of Myanmar is a potential habitat for plants and
animals from all three zones.
Distinctive mammals found in dwindling numbers within the more heavily forested
areas of Myanmar include leopards, fishing cats, civets, Indian mongooses, crab-eating
mongooses, Himalayan bears, Asiatic black bears, Malayan sun bears, gaur (Indian
bison), banteng (wild cattle), serow (an Asiatic mountain goat), wild boars, sambar, bark-
ing deer, mouse deer, tapirs, pangolin, gibbons and macaques. Sea mammals include dol-
phins and dugongs.
Reptiles and amphibians include 27 turtle species (of which seven are found exclus-
ively in Myanmar), along with numerous snake varieties, of which at least 39 are venom-
ous, including the common cobra, king cobra (hamadryad), banded krait, Malayan pit vi-
per, green viper and Russell's viper. Myanmar is rich in birdlife, with an estimated 687
