Asian Rainforest is not as dense and
large as those of Amazon and Central Africa, but there are still
rainforests in India, South-east Asia, Borneo, Indonesia and New
Guinea.
The most
famous animals of
these forests are
orangutans and tigers, which are not found in Africa
or South
America.
South Asian Rainforest
Indian
rainforests are mainly found along the country's eastern coast. They
contain about 200 species of trees, 500 orchids, and many herbs and
medicinal plants. Animals include tigers, leopards, clouded leopards,
elephants, buffaloes, porcupines, mongooses, civets, gibbons, macaques
and monkeys.
Bangladesh
has got Sundarbans - the largest mangrove forests in the world. They
contain about 400 Royal Bengal Tigers; and crocodiles, deer, and many
species of birds.
Sri Lankan
rainforests are, like the Indian ones, found on the eastern coast of
the country. These forests contain leopards, monkeys, porcupines,
mongooses, ant eaters and Asian Elephants. Birds include parrots,
parakeets, kingfishers, hornbills, woodpeckers, bee-eaters, spoonbills,
herons and storks.
South-east Asian
Rainforest
Myanmar
rainforests contain large isolated bamboo stands, but also plants like
hibiscus, palms, teak and orchids. There are also about 1000 species of
birds; and 2000 tigers and 10,000 Asian Elephants.
Thailand's
rainforests contain hardwoods, bamboos, and about 27,000 species of
flowering plants. Its 300 mammal species include elephants, leopards,
macaques, dusky langurs, gibbons, Malayan tapirs, Malayan sun bears,
gaurs, pangolins, deers, bantengs, and Asiatic Black Bears. The 1000
bird species include woodpeckers and exotic hornbills. There
are
also 107 species of amphibians and 313 species of reptiles, including
black jungle monitors, lizards, geckoes, and snakes such as banded
kraits, Russell's
pit vipers, green
vipers, king
cobras, common cobras,
Malayan vipers, and the world largest python - Reticulated python (Python reticulates),
which can grow 15m long.
Laos, Cambodja, Vietnam
and Malaysia
contain some lush jungles with black monitor lizards, Malayan vipers,
pandas, civet cats, Malayan bears, Sumatran rhinos, buffaloes, gibbons
and small leaping tarsirs.
South-east
Asian Rainforest
Indonesia's
Sumatra Island is
covered by some dense South-east Asian rainforest with rhododendrons, eucalypts, laurels
and oaks. Other Indonesia's islands, and also Philippines,
contain crested monkeys, macaques, marmosets; and birds like
bee-eaters, barbets, giant and red casques hornbills, and black and
philippine eagles. There are also some giant butterfiles such as superb
swallowtails, blue triangle butterflies, and goliath birdwing with a
wingspan of 28cm - the second-largest butterfly in the world. Reptiles
include tree snakes, like white-lipped tree viper and long-nosed tree
viper; and some stranger creatures include flying geckos, flying
lizards, flying dragons, and flying snakes (Chrysopelea sp).
Borneo's
rainforests contain
about 15,000 species of flowering plants, pitcher plants, ericaceous
plants, chestnut trees, and many oaks. Flowering plants include lady's
slipper orchid, and Rafflesia - the world's largest flower, which can
grow up to 1m across. It is a parasitic plant and it smells like rotten
meat to attract flies which pollinate it. Animals include clouded
leopards, proboscis monkeys, gibbons, rhinos, Asian elephants, and the
large Malayan Flying Fox (Pteropus
vampyrus), with its 1.5m wingspan.
And of course, the Bornean orangutan (Pongo
pygmaeus) -
the largest tree-living mammal in the world.
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