The 17 000 islands of Indonesia are home to roughly:
12% of the world’s mammals;
16% of the world’s reptiles and amphibians;
17% of the world’s birds;
25% of global fish populations.
Mammals
Sumatran tiger ©Getty Images
Orangutans, one species (kind) of tiger and two kinds of rhinoceros are endemic to Indonesia. ’Endemic’ means found nowhere else in the world. The Sumatran tiger, the Sumatran and Javan rhinos and the Sumatran and Bornean orangutans are all Critically Endangered. This is due to habitat loss as more and more areas of rainforest are cleared to make way for plantations of palm trees for the production of palm oil.
Read about palm oil in the link at the end of the page.
Indonesia is also home to Asian elephants, wild pigs, deer, gibbons, proboscis monkeys and other primates, and the smallest of the bears, the sun bear. There are also bats, possums and tree kangaroos.
Watch a video about the primates of Indonesia
Read more in the kidcyber pages-find out which are Endangered and why:
Reptiles
There are many species of snake in Indonesia, including the death adder, vipers, cobra and sea snakes.
There is also the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon, found only on two islands of Indonesia. It is classified as Endangered.
The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard (Image ©kidcyber)
Read more in the kidcyber pages
Birds
There are over 1500 species of birds in Indonesia’s forests.
Birds found in Indonesia include 14 kinds of hornbill, cockatoos, parrots, kingfishers and twenty species of Birds of Paradise.
A male Greater Bird of Paradise ©Getty
Birds of Paradise are noted for their bright feathers and long tail feathers. They eat insects and fruit. The male Greater Bird of Paradise has feathers which are maroon, black, brown, red, orange, yellow and green. He fluffs his feathers and displays them to attract the female. After mating,the female lays one egg. She rears the chick on her own.
Rhinoceros hornbill ©Getty Images
Hornbills
Hornbills are large birds found tropical forests of Asia and Africa. Indonesia has 13 hornbill species, 9 of them on the island of Sumatra. Their bodies are generally 1-2 metres long, with a wingspan of up to 2 metres. They have huge curved beaks, with a hollow section called a casque on top. They eat fruit, insects and worms.
Female hornbills make a nest inside a hollow in a tree. After mating, the female seals herself inside the hollow and lays 2-3 eggs. She remains sealed inside the nest until the eggs have hatched and the chicks are ready to learn to fly. The male hornbill brings food for his mate and chicks and feeds them through a small hole. They do this to protect the eggs and chicks from many predators. The rhinoceros hornbill is black and white with a yellow and red bill and casque. They have a harsh loud ‘kronk’ sound. When one makes the sound, the partner repeats it a few seconds later. They keep to the tops of tall trees.
Read more in the kidcyber page:
Amphibians
Eared tree frog©Getty
The eared tree frog is one of many frog species found in Indonesia.
Read a list of amphibians endemic (found nowhere else) to Indonesia:
http://lntreasures.com/indonesiaa.html
Plants
Thousands of different orchids grow in the rainforests.
Thousands of different orchids grow in the rainforests.
About two-thirds of Indonesia is made up of rainforests and in these forests there are thought to be more than 40 000 species of flowers, including thousands of different orchids, hibiscus, wax ginger flower and rhododendrons.
Read the kidcyber page about the biggest flower in the world, found in Indonesia and other tropical forests:
Why such a rich diversity of animals and plants?
Indonesia's forests are primary rainforests that have taken thousands of years to grow. Primary rainforests are the original rainforests, ancient places that are irreplaceable.
Threats to animals and plants
The rich biodiversity of Indonesia faces many threats, with many animals in danger of becoming extinct. These threats come from logging and palm oil plantation expansion. The rainforests are disappearing because of logging; the trees in the rainforests are harvested for teak and sandalwood which is used for building and for making furniture. Forests are cleared to make way for farming too.
It’s a good idea to get information from more than one source: select from the links on this page to find out more about aspects that interest you
Read about the destruction of the Indonesian forests, causing many animals and plants to be critically endangered
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/forests/indonesia/
Read about the incredible biodiversity of Borneo, one of the world ‘hot spots’ that has a large and varied number of endemic animals and plants
https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/borneo_forests/about_borneo_forests/borneo_animals/
Read about palm oil, what it’s used for, what’s bad about it - and what you can do to help
https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/geography/general-geography/what-is-palm-oil/
