Are you interested in animals? Do you want to know more about the animal kingdom? Then this article is for you. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most interesting facts about Asian animals to make you more aware of what’s happening in our world.
There are several kinds of animals that can be found in Asian countries. If you are interested in knowing more information about them, then read on:
For example:
The Tiger: This animal is found in India, China, and other parts of Asia. It has stripes on its body, which makes it look gorgeous. Tigers also have very sharp teeth and claws.
The elephant: Elephants belong to the family of mammoths (mammoths were extinct during the Ice Age). They live in tropical forests and grasslands around Asia, where they eat leaves from trees or grasses and fruits such as bananas and papayas (papayas come from trees).
Malayan Tapir
- Scientific name: Tapirus indicus
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Tapiridae
- Conservation status: Endangered
The Malay tapir is a large land mammal of Perissodactyla, the same order of hoofed mammals to which horses and rhinos belong.
The Malay tapir is the largest of the four tapir species, weighing up to 350 kg and reaching lengths of up to 1.8 metres.
The species has a distinct black-and-white colouration, which helps it blend into the dark understory of its rainforest habitat. It is found throughout the Malay Peninsula and in Thailand and Myanmar.
Sumatran Orangutan
- Class: Mammals
- Order: Primates
Humans also belong to this family, and we share more than 96% of our genes with orangutans.
Orangutans are the largest living arboreal mammals.
The Sumatran orangutan lives in the humid lowland forests of Sumatra. It is exclusively arboreal, rarely descending to the forest floor. The species has longer facial hair than other orangutan species. Fewer than 14,000 Sumatran orangutans are believed to remain in the wild.
The Bornean orangutan is found in the humid tropical lowlands of the island of Borneo. Unlike the Sumatran orangutan, it is known to move about both on the ground and in trees.
It is found in a very condensed pocket of Sumatra, and its population is said to consist of less than 800 individuals.
Painted Stork
- Scientific name: Mycteria leucocephala
- Type of animal: Bird
- Family: Ciconiidae
- Conservation Status: Near Threatened
- Like all storks, it is a large, long-legged bird with a long, sturdy beak.
A distinctive feature of the painted stork is the pink tint of its flight feathers (this feature gives the species its name).
The painted stork is a wetland bird inhabiting marshes, lakes, and other freshwater habitats in tropical Asia. Carnivorous, it feeds by sweeping its long bill from side to side in the water, catching small fish and other disturbed vertebrates with its feet.
Young painted storks squawk loudly, but as adults, the species is virtually silent, apart from snapping its beak.
Unlike many, painted storks are non-migratory-the species nests in colonies in trees along shallow riverbeds, often with other waterfowl.
Proboscis Monkey
- Scientific name: Nasalis larvatus
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Cercopithecidae
- Conservation status: Endangered
The proboscis monkey is an endangered primate found only on the island of Borneo and is one of the most giant apes found in Asia. It inhabits forests near rivers and mangrove forests (waterlogged coastal forests). The species is strongly associated with water and even has webbed toes for swimming – a skill it uses to escape predators.
The male proboscis monkey’s long, fleshy nose serves to amplify its call, with females favouring males with louder calls.
The proboscis monkey is an endangered species with a declining population estimated at fewer than 7,000 individuals. This is mainly due to deforestation.
Like many primates, the probosci’s monkey is very vocal. It will honk to warn the troop of predators and will call to express agitation or excitement.
Przewalski’s Horse
- Scientific name: Equus ferus przewalskii
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Equidae
- Conservation status: Endangered
Przewalski’s horse is a species of wild horse that lives in the grasslands of China and Mongolia. The region in which it is found is part of the Eurasian Steppe, a large area of gardens and savannahs that stretches from Eastern Europe to East Asia.
Przewalski’s horse died out in the wild in the mid-20th century. A captive breeding program allowed it to be reintroduced to several areas in the 1990s. Today, the species has a wild population of several hundred.
While other wild horses, such as the closely related zebra, often live in large herds, Przewalski’s horse tends to live in much smaller groups, containing around 6–8 adults.
Red Panda
- Scientific name: Ailurus fulgens
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Ailuridae
- Conservation status: Endangered
The red panda, despite its name, is unrelated to the giant panda. This Asian animal is also not a member of the bear family, Ursidae.
The red panda is the only living member of the Ailuridae family. Its closest relative is the raccoon (part of the Procyonidae family).
Although not related to the giant panda, the red panda shares some similarities with its bear namesake. The diet of both Asian animals consists primarily of bamboo, and both animals have an extended wrist bone, or false thumb, which is an adaptation for eating tough grass.
The red panda is found in the montane forests of the eastern Himalayas and occurs in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. It is arboreal (arboreal) and lives outside the mating season.
An endangered species, the red panda is threatened primarily by deforestation caused by the expansion of human settlements and the creation of crop plantations.
The species’ wild population consists of around 9,000 individuals and is thought to be declining.
Rhesus Macaque / Common Macaque
- Scientific name: Macaca mulatta
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Cercopithecidae
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
The rhesus macaque is a primate in the family of Old World monkeys, Cercopithecidae. It is one of 23 species in the genus Macaca – a group of monkeys known as macaques.
The rhesus macaque is extremely widespread; it is found throughout much of South Asia and inhabits a larger area than any other primate except humans.
In addition to its native range, the rhesus macaque has been introduced to the United States, and populations exist in Florida and Morgan Island, South Carolina.
Due to the similarities between the rhesus monkey and humans, the species is commonly used in medical research.
The rhesus macaque lives in troops of 20 to 200 individuals, composed mainly of females; males leave the group after adulthood.
Saltwater Crocodile
- Scientific name: Crocodylus porosus
- Type of animal: Reptile
- Family: Crocodylidae
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
The saltwater crocodile is the world’s largest living reptile and the world’s largest land predator. It is found in South and Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australian coastal areas (some of them can also be found at the wildlife zoo in Sydney).
Male saltwater crocodiles can reach over 6 m / 20 ft lengths and weigh up to 1,300 kg / 2,900 lb. They are significantly larger than females.
Like other crocodiles, the saltwater crocodile is an ambush predator that sits submerged in water, waiting for its prey to come within range of its powerful jaws.
Due to its size, power and ferocity, the saltwater crocodile is a hazardous animal, and it is best to avoid the areas in which it is found.
With an estimated population of around 500,000 individuals, the saltwater crocodile’s conservation status is ‘Least Concern’.
Sambar
- Scientific name: Rusa unicolor
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Cervidae
- Conservation status: Vulnerable
The sambar is the third most prominent member of the deer family, Cervidae; only moose and elk are more enormous. It is found in a wide range in South and Southeast Asia.
Primarily a forest animal, the adaptable sambar is also known to inhabit shrublands, grasslands, and wetlands.
This large Asian mammal is crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk). Males are solitary outside the mating season, while females live in small herds.
The sambar faces an array of formidable predators; it is a favourite quarry for tigers and is also targeted by leopards, Asiatic lions, dholes and crocodiles.
Slow Loris
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Lorisidae
Slow lorises are a group of primates in the genus Nycticebus. There are eight species of slow loris. Their closest relatives in the animal kingdom are the two species of slender lorises; together, the lories form the subfamily, Loraine.
Slow lorises are small animals with short, woolly hair and large eyes. As their name suggests, they are slow-moving animals, usually moving through trees silently and deliberately and freezing if they think they’ve been spotted.
Thanks to the unique design of their hands, slow lorises can grip branches extremely firmly while expending little energy.
These Asian primates have two tongues: a long and thin main tongue to reach the nectar of flowers, and an additional short tongue below the first to clean their sharp comb-like lower teeth.
Slow lorises are unique among primates for having a poisonous bite. The toxins are produced when the loris mixes chemicals produced by a gland on its arm with its saliva.
Snow Leopard
- Scientific name: Panthera uncia
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Felidae
- Conservation status: Vulnerable
The snow leopard is a wild cat species found in Central and South Asia mountainous habitats.
The species belongs to the genus Panthera, along with the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard, and is the only member unable to roar.
(The ability to roar was once the distinguishing characteristic of the group of cats known as the “Big Cats”. Today, the snow leopard is commonly included in this group.)
With a thick white-grey coat that provides camouflage and insulation and large hairy paws for walking on snow, the snow leopard is well equipped to live and hunt on arid, snowy mountainsides. Its prey includes sheep, goats and deer, with a single cat having a territory of up to 40 km 2.
The snow leopard is shy and rarely seen, making it difficult to estimate its population size. There are thought to be around 3,000 snow leopards left in the wild.
The snow leopard can jump further and higher than any other feline. It can jump a distance of 15 meters and up to 6 meters high.
Sun Bear
- Scientific name: Herlarctos malayanus
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Ursidae
- Conservation status: Vulnerable
The sun bear is the smallest of the eight species of bear vivant, with a shoulder height of around 70 cm (less than half that of a large brown bear). It has a black coat, with most individuals having a prominent yellow-orange chest patch. It is this chest patch that gives the species its name.
The sun bear lives in the rainforests and shrublands of Southeast Asia. The countries in which it is found are Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Thailand and Vietnam. It may also be present in China.
The species has an arboreal (arboreal) lifestyle, more than any other bear, including the American black bear.
Like most other bears, the sun bear is an omnivore. Its diet includes insects such as termites, ants and various larvae, fruits and other plant matter, and sometimes vertebrates.
Another name for the sun bear is “honey bear” due to the species’ penchant for breaking into honeycombs for the honey inside.
The sun bear can mimic facial expressions, a trait usually only found in primate species such as gorillas.
Tiger
- Scientific name: Panthera tigris
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Felidae
- Conservation status: Endangered
The tiger is the most prominent member of the cat family, Felidae. Although it is one of the most recognizable animals in the world, the tiger’s wild population consists of less than 3,200 adult individuals.
Tigers can live in many habitats, including tropical and boreal forests.
Most wild tigers are found in southern Asia, although a separate population exists in Siberia.
Despite its endangered status, the tiger is still hunted illegally for its skin and other body parts used in traditional Asian medicine.
Water Buffalo
- Scientific name: Domestic water buffalo: Bubalus bubalis / Wild water buffalo: Bubalus are
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Bovidae
- Conservation status: Domesticated / Endangered
The water buffalo, also known as the water buffalo, is an ordinary domestic animal in Asia and many other parts of the world.
The species is thought to have evolved from the wild water buffalo, Bubalus are., a species now endangered and found in scattered locations in South and Southeast Asia.
Both wild and domestic water buffalo belong to the cattle family Bovidae. This group is home to domestic cattle and hoofed animals such as antelopes, buffaloes and yaks.
The water buffalo has many uses, including pulling agricultural machinery and providing milk and meat.
Bactrian camel
- Scientific name: Camelus ferus
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Camelids (the camel family)
- Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
The wild Bactrian camel is a member of the camelid family, Camelids. This family is home to camels and related animals, such as llamas and alpacas.
The wild Bactrian camel is a close relative of the Bactrian camel, an Asian animal first domesticated by humans at least 4,000 years ago.
Wild and domesticated Bactrian camels have two humps, unlike the third member of the genus Camelus, the dromedary, which has only one hump.
Unlike its domesticated and relatively common relative, the wild Bactrian camel is critically endangered, with a population of only around 950 individuals. It lives in the steppes of Central Asia and is found in Mongolia and China.
Yak Animal
- Scientific name: Domestic yak: Bos grunniens; Wild yak: Bos mutus
- Type of animal: Mammal
- Family: Bovidae
- Conservation status: Domesticated / Vulnerable
Like the water buffalo, there is a domestic and wild yak. The domestic yak is one of the most emblematic animals of Asie. It is a powerful animal mounted and used to pull agricultural machinery.
The yak has many adaptations for living at high altitudes, including large lungs and blood capable of carrying a large amount of oxygen.
The yak was domesticated thousands of years ago. It is descended from the wild yak, which is still found in alpine grasslands and tundra in China and India. The wild yak has a Vulnerable conservation status; less than ten thousand individuals are thought to remain in the wild.
Yaks have extremely dense coats and specialized horns that allow them to cut through the thickest snow and ice in search of food.
Yaks usually give birth to a single calf in the height of summer, when conditions are mildest. The calf is up and walking in less than 10 minutes, ready to keep moving with the rest of the herd.
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