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Bengal Tiger
(Panthera
tigris tigris)
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Native to Asia,
Bengal tigers are one of the largest tiger subspecies, with
males weighing nearly 500 pounds. An endangered species, tigers
are poached for their hides and bones, which some cultures
believe possess medicinal or healing properties in the powdered
form.
Fun Fact:
Tigers are the only large cat
species to have distinctive striping on both their hair and
skin, and one of the few that enjoy swimming.
Orangutan
(Pongo pygmaeus)
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Orangutan is a
Malay name that means “person of the forest.” The long-haired
primates
are the world’s largest arboreal (tree-dwelling) mammals,
weighing up to 200 pounds.
Found in Indonesia, Borneo and Sumatra, orangutans are
endangered due to habitat loss and human encroachment.
Fun Fact:
Unlike other great
apes, orangutans are solitary by nature and construct a sleeping
platform at least once a day by folding and breaking branches.
Tomistoma
(Tomistoma schlegelii)
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Tomistomas are
crocodilians native to Indonesia and Malaysia. Adults can grow
to more than 17 feet in length. Tomistomas are an endangered
species due mostly to habitat loss and accidental entrapment in
fishing nets. As a top predator, their presence or absence in
the environment significantly affects prey populations.
Fun Fact:
Like all crocodilians, the
gender of their hatchlings is determined by temperature. Warmer
temperatures produce males and cooler temperatures produce
females.
Malayan Flying Fox
(Pteropus vampyrus)
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Malayan flying
foxes are one of the world’s largest bat species, with a
wingspan of approximately six feet and weighing more than two
pounds. They are native to the jungles
of Southeast Asia. As fruit-eating animals, or frugivores,
Malayan flying foxes are important propagators of tropical
plants. Many plant seedlings sprout only after having passed
through an animal’s digestive system.
Fun Fact:
The Malayan flying fox is highly
gregarious and can be found in groups of up to several thousand
individuals.
White-cheeked Gibbon
(Nomascus
leucogenys)
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White-cheeked
gibbons are one of 15 species of gibbons, all of which are
threatened or endangered due to habitat loss. They are native to
Southeast Asia, including Laos, Vietnam and southern China.
Contrary to
many ape species, adult female gibbons are dominant in their
family social structures.
Fun Fact:
Gibbons have the longest arm
length relative to their body size of any primate.
The arboreal (tree-dwelling) ape’s arms are longer than its
legs, which helps in swinging from tree to tree. |
