Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Primates are abundant in the West Malesian subregion and absent in the East
Malesian subregion. Primates live permanently or seasonally in these seasonal for-
ests; they include lorises, gibbons, langurs, macaques, and leaf monkeys. Orangu-
tans, once abundant, are no longer present due to habitat fragmentation, hunting,
and deforestation.
Asian elephants are the largest mammals in the forests of West Malesia. Asian
elephants are smaller than African elephants with smaller ears and tusks. They tend
to be nocturnal and feed on fruits from the forest like wild bananas, bamboo, and
other vegetation. They spend their days resting deep inside the forest. Asian ele-
phants from nearby rainforests or savannas will migrate into the seasonal forests
when fruit is available. The dry forests of Sri Lanka hold the largest Asian elephant
population in the region.
Of the two rhinoceros species in the Asian-Pacific region, only the two-horned
Sumatran rhinoceros is thought to still be present in the seasonal forest. Popula-
tions continue to decline as habitat disappears.
Other ungulates of the seasonal forests include the Indian axis deer, spotted deer,
blackbuck antelopes, and chousinga (a small four-horned antelope) of India, as well
as sambars, barking deer, gaurs (wild ox), wild water buffalo, serows, Eld's deer,
and the endangered kouprey and banteng in the forests of Southeast Asia. Wild pigs
and bearded pigs are found in both forested areas and in nearby agricultural areas.
The carnivores that live in the deciduous forests include the smaller carnivores—
such as mongooses, civets, palm civets, linsangs, leopard cat, golden cats, Asian
wild dogs (dholes), and the Asian jackal—and the larger cats, clouded leopards,
common leopards, and tigers, as well as sun bears, sloth bears. The Himalayan
black bear lives in the dry forests of Myanmar. None of these carnivores are found
east of Wallace's Line. Only a few marsupial carnivores live in the seasonal forests
of East Malesia, including marsupial mice and quolls.
Asian wild dogs (dholes) are found in the seasonal and scrub forests of India,
Myanmar, and the Malaysian Archipelago. They tend to hunt in packs killing wild
pigs, deer, and an occasional monkey. Of the 10 subspecies of dholes in existence,
four are considered threatened or endangered. The Asian or golden jackal is more
widespread, occurring in southern Asia as well as Africa and southeastern Europe.
Jackals tend to live and hunt in small family groups with large populations scat-
tered throughout their distribution.
The largest of the Asian cats in the forest are spotted leopards and tigers. The
spotted leopard is a large nocturnal cat that rests in the forest trees during the day.
Their diet varies from monkeys and ungulates to rodents, birds, and rabbits. Tigers
are still present in the West Malesian subregion of the Asian Pacific, although their
numbers are dwindling (see Plate XVI).
Sun bears and sloth bears are found in the West Malesian subregion. Sun
bears live in the tropical forests of southern Asia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and
Sumatra. They spend most of their time in trees eating lizards, birds, fruit, ants,
termites, and honey. The sloth bear lives in the forest of southern India and Sri
