Animal Info - Malaysia

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Malaysia and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Critically Endangered:
- Black Shrew (Suncus ater). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Horseshoe Bat species (Rhinolophus convexus).
- Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus).
- Malayan Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros nequam). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Malayan Water Shrew (Chimarrogale hantu). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis).
Endangered:
- Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus).
- Banteng (Bos javanicus).
- Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus).
- Bornean Tree Shrew (Tupaia longipes).
- Borneo Water Shrew (Chimarrogale phaeura). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- False Serotine Bat (Hesperoptenus doriae). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Malayan Shrew (Crocidura malayana). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Mountain Spiny Rat (Maxomys alticola). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- (Bornean) Orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus).
- Otter Civet (Cynogale bennetti).
- Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus).
- Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis).
- Small Spiny Rat (Maxomys baeodon). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Summit Rat (Rattus baluensis). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Tiger (Panthera tigris).
Vulnerable:
- Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus).
- Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii).
- Bare-backed Rousette ( Fruit Bat) (Rousettus spinalatus).
- Bay Cat (Catopuma badia).
- Bornean Smooth-tailed Tree Shrew (Dendrogale melanura). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).
- Coppery Pipistrelle (Bat) (Pipistrellus cuprosus). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Cox's Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros coxi). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Dhole (Cuon alpinus).
- Dugong (Dugong dugon).
- Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra).
- Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).
- Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps).
- Four Striped Ground Squirrel (Lariscus hosei). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Gaur (Bos frontalis).
- Hairy-nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana).
- Hose's Palm Civet (Diplogale hosei). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Hose's Shrew (Suncus hosei). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
- Jentink's Squirrel (Sundasciurus jentinki).
- Kinabalu Ferret-badger (Melogale everetti). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Lesser Ranee Mouse (Haeromys pusillus).
- Mainland Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis).
- Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura).
- Malayan Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros nequam). (Endemic to Malaysia.)
- Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus).
- Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata).
- Northern Pigtail Macaque (Macaca leonina).
- Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina).
- Ranee Mouse (Haeromys margarettae).
- Ridley's Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros ridleyi).
- Smooth-coated Otter (Lutra perspicillata).
- Stumptail Macaque (Macaca arctoides).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 286 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 27 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 42 (15 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 51 (18 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Malaysia contains the Mt. Kinabalu Montane and Alpine Scrub & Forest Global 200 Ecoregion as well as portions of the Kayah-Karan/ Tenasserim Moist Forests, Peninsular Malaysian Lowland & Montane Forests, Central Borneo Montane Forests, Northern Borneo-Palawan Moist Forests, Sundaland Rivers & Swamps, Isthmus of Kra Marine Ecosystems, Sulu Sea, and Sulawesi Sea Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Malaysia contains portions of the Western Sunda Global Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 1999a)
Malaysia is a Megadiversity Country (Cons. Intl. 1999b)

Population

Population in 1995: 19,944,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 60.5 people/sq km (156.6 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 20,932,901 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 2.6 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 329,750 sq km (127,317 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Other Coastal Aquatic: 8 %
Major Wetland: 3 %
Grass and Shrub: 2 %
Crop and Settlements: 10 %
Interrupted Woods: 33 %
Major Forests: 45 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 41 %, Medium: 19 %, High: 40 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 14,880 sq km (5,744 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 2.7 % totally protected, 1.77 % partially protected, 4.47 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $2,497 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $10,750 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989): 59 % (World Bank 1992)
Percent adult literacy: Female: 70 % (1990), 48 % (1970); Male: 87 % (1990), 71 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Cons. Intl. 1999a, Cons. Intl. 1999b, Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Malaysia): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles

Links for Malaysia: United Nations Environment Program - Malaysia, WWF - Malaysia, WWF Expeditions - The Heart of Borneo

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