By Sienna Price, World Traveler
In the United States, we are very familiar with household pets like cats, dogs, and even hamsters. Writer Sienna Price introduces us to some amazing and exotic animals from the islands of Indonesia. – Luke Sonderman
For those who do not know, an archipelago is simply a group of islands. Indonesia has the largest archipelago in the world which brings a variety of wildlife. This week we travel, via thebirdonfire.org, to the animals and ecosystems of Indonesia.
The Komodo Dragon
The komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world measuring at three meters long! You can call them a lizard; however, many people refer to them as one of the dinosaur’s relatives. The komodo dragon’s conservation status is vulnerable which means they are endangered. Though the komodo dragon is the most dominant predator in its natural environment, their numbers are decreasing. The komodo dragon is threatened by the impact of climate change. It’s estimated that in the next 45 years the rising sea levels will reduce more than 30% of their habitat (theconversation.com). The komodo dragon has thrived in this harsh climate of Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands for millions of years (Al’s Pets & Supplies). One skill that has helped is the komodo dragon can swim! Yes, the komodo dragons love to swim, and they have been spotted swimming off the shores of their five islands on which they reside.
Sumatran Orangutan
The sumatran orangutan is only found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. With just over 13,000 sumatran orangutans left in the wild, they are in critical danger of extinction (sumatranorangutan.org).
They are extremely endangered because of the deforestation and poaching trade happening on the island. Derived from the Malay words of “Person of the forest,” the sumatran orangutan barely comes down to the floor of the rainforest. The sumatran orangutan lifespan is 30 to 40 years, and their weight is 66 to 198 pounds. Fruit makes up 60% of the sumatran orangutan’s diet. Their diet also includes lychees, mangosteens, mangos, figs, young leaves and shoots, insects, soil, tree bark, occasionally eggs, and small vertebrates (worldwildlife.org).
Pygmy Tarsier
The pygmy tarsier is a nocturnal primate found in central Sulawesi, Indonesia (wikipedia.org). Its head and body length measures just four inches long, and it weighs less than 58 grams (basically 14 times the weight of a piece of paper*). The pygmy tarsier was believed to have become extinct in the early 20th century. Then, in the year 2000, Indonesian scientists accidentally killed one while trapping rats! (wikipedia.org) They live in the montane cloud forests in the central Sulawesi Mountains at altitudes from 1800 to 2200 meters. They often inhabit the lower canopy among trunks and the forest floor (animalia.bio). The pygmy tarsiers are insectivorous and eat primarily arthropods (animaldiversity.org). The pygmy tarsier’s population is decreasing quickly due to deforestation.
As you can see, Indonesia is packed full of interesting and unique animals, some of which are very rare and endangered. It is important to be aware of the issues that are affecting their natural habitat and how they live. If one of the animals I talked about today goes extinct, it could cause a major chain reaction on how other animal species live and could impact their, and thus our, ecosystems greatly.
Interesting, I never knew that Pygmy Tarsiers were so small.