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WILDLIFE OF BORNEO
Borneo's forests are highly biodiverse. According to WWF, the island is estimated have at least 222 species of mammals (44 of which are endemic), 420 resident birds (37 endemic), 100 amphibians, 394 fish (19 endemic), and 15,000 plants (6,000 endemic) -- more than 400 of which have been discovered in surveys since 1994.
Here is a brief look at some of Borneo's better known species of animals.
Birds
Borneo is perhaps best known for its hornbills -- eight species are found on the island. Large and noisy but also colorful and charismatic, hornbills have remarkable nesting behavior where the female is sealed on a tree hollow during the nesting period. At this time she is completely dependent on the male for food -- if he is captured or killed, the female and her offspring will die.
Mammals
As in most tropical rainforests, the vast majority of mammals on Borneo consist of bats and rodents, which play important ecological roles -- including seed dispersal and insect population control -- in the forest ecosystem.
There are 13 species of primates on the island, the best-known of which are the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), gibbon (Hylobates muelleri), and long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis). Borneo is also home to the banteng (Bos javanicus), a species of wild ox; the highly endangered Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis); the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), which is smaller in stature than mainland elephants; the Sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus).
Orangutan
The Orangutan is a great ape with long arms and reddish brown fur. Orangutans are presently found only in rainforests on Borneo and Sumatra, though they were once widely distributed in southeast Asia (as far as southern China). Today orangutans are highly endangered in the wild due to habitat loss (the destruction of rainforests for logging and agriculture) and the illegal trapping of baby orangutans for the pet trade. WWF estimates there were around 55,000 Bornean orangutans in 2004, but the number has since dropped largely as a result of widespread forest fires and increased clearing for oil palm plantations. In August 2006, the Wildlife Conservation Society-Indonesia Program said that Indonesia's population of orangutans stands at 20,000, down from 35,000 in 1996. Due to its slow rate of reproduction, environmental groups have warned that red ape could go extinct in the wild without urgent conservation measures. Genetic analysis has recently concluded that there are three subspecies of orangutan in Borneo: Pongo pygmaeus morio, the Northeastern Borneo orang-utan, Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii, the Central Borneo orang-utan and Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus, the Northwest Borneo orang-utan. For more on the orangutan, take a look at orangutan articles and orangutan pictures
Proboscis monkey
The proboscis monkey lives only in the swampy lowland rainforests of coastal areas of Borneo and the Mentawai Islands. These large monkeys are best known for the male's large protruding nose. Proboscis monkeys are social animals, living in groups of 10 to 32 individuals led by a single dominant male. The local name for the proboscis monkeys is 'orang belanda', meaning 'Dutchman'. Indonesians say the with their big noses and red faces, they resemble the Dutch who used to have colonial control over Indonesia. The proboscis monkey is highly endangered -- less than 7000 are thought to exist in the wild
Müller's Bornean Gibbon
Müller's Bornean Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri) is endemic to the island of Borneo, inhabiting the northern and eastern part of the island. In the southwest of the island it is replaced by the Agile Gibbon. Gibbon are a type of ape that live in monogamous pairs. A couple's territory is usually defended by song. Like all gibbon, Müller's Bornean Gibbon is characterized by the long arms which are used to brachiate through the rainforest canopy. Müller's Bornean Gibbon eats fruit. There are three subspecies: Müller's Gray Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri muelleri), Abbott's Gray Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri abbotti), and the Northern Gray Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri funereus).
Sun bear
The Sun Bear is the world's smallest bear at approximately 4 ft (1.2 m) in length. It lives primarily in the tropical rainforests of southeast Asia. Primarily nocturnal, the sun bear is omnivorous feeding on a variety of plants and animals. Borneo has an endemic subspecies, Helarctos malayanus. Sun bears are today threatened by habitat loss and poaching, both for meat and medicinal purposes -- many Chinese believe sun bear parts have special healing powers. Sun bear are listed by the IUCN as endangered and protected by CITES.
Clouded leopard
The clouded leopard is a medium-sized cat found throughout southeast Asia. Recently (2002) added to the IUCN Red List, the clouded leopard is considered "vulnerable" due to habitat desctruction and poaching for its coat. The clouded leopard is also sometimes available as a delicacy on menus in southeast Asia. Borneo has an endemic subspecies known as Neofelis nebulosa diardi.
Borneo Elephant
The Bornean Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is an elusive elephant limited to only a small part of northeastern Borneo. WWF says that there are five main concentrations of the elephant which is thought to have a total population of 1,000 - 1,500. The Bornean Pygmy Elephant is an endemic subspecies of the Asian elephant.
Borneo Rhinoceros
The Borneo Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni), an endemic subspecies of the Sumatran rhino, is the world's smallest rhino. It is also one of the most endangered with a population of less than 100 individuals. Poaching for its horn -- believed by the Chinese to have medicinal qualities even more potent than African rhino horn -- is the greatest threat to the species.
Banteng
The Banteng is a type of wild cattle found widely in southeast Asia. Banteng grow to about 1.6 metres at the shoulder and 2.3 m in head-body length. Banteng bulls can weigh up to a metric ton (2200 lbs). Banteng have been domesticated in some parts of southeast Asia. Today there are probably less than 10,000 pure strain Banteng left in the wild.
BORNEO WILDLIFE NEWS 
98% of orangutan habitat in Borneo, Sumatra gone by 2022 -- 2/6/2007
A report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today warns that illegal logging is rapidly destroying the last remaining habitat for orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra. The report says that up to 98 percent may be destroyed by 2022 without urgent action.
Live fish trade causing massive depletion of coral reef species -- 1/24/2007
According to a new study conducted by Cambridge University researchers off the northern coast of Borneo, the live reef fish trade is having a major impact on marine populations.
Pictures of species discovered in Borneo rainforest -- 12/19/2006
Yesterday's announcement by WWF that 52 previously unknown species were discovered in the fast-disappearing rainforests of Borneo brings the total number of 'new' species found on the island to more than 400 since 1994.
52 species discovered in Borneo rainforest -- 12/18/2006
In 2006 scientists discovered 52 species in the highly threatened rainforests of Borneo according to a new report from WWF, an environmental group working to preserve the biodiverse 'Heart of Borneo' from further destruction.
Unknown species of lizard discovered in Borneo -- 12/11/2006
A previously unknown species of lizard was discovered in Borneo by Chris Austin, assistant curator of herpetology at Louisiana State University's Museum of Natural Science. Photos and the scientific name of the lizard, which was discovered while Austin was conducting field research in Sarawak, will be unveiled in the March 2007 edition of Journal of Herpetology.
Fires in Indonesia kill 1,000 endangered orangutans -- 11/6/2006
1000 orangutans perished this year in forest fires that raged across Borneo and Sumatra according to a conservationist interviewed by Reuters. Willie Smits, an ecologist at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation in Indonesia, told Reuters that the fires forced hungry orangutans into agricultural areas where they were killed as pests. Orangutans are known for feeding on fruit of oil palm and other crops in fields adjacent to forest areas.
Color-changing chameleon snake discovered in jungles of Borneo -- 6/27/2006
Scientists discovered a species of snake capable of changing colors. The snake, called the Kapuas mud snake, resides in the rainforest on the island of Borneo, an ecosystem that is increasingly threatened by logging and agricultural development.
Saving Orangutans in Borneo -- 5/24/2006
A look at conservation efforts in Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo. I'm in Tanjung Puting National Park in southern Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. At 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) Tanjung Puting is the largest protected expanse of coastal tropical heath and peat swamp forest in southeast Asia. It's also one of the biggest remaining habitats for the critically endangered orangutan, the population of which has been great diminished in recent years due to habitat destruction and poaching. And orangutans have become the focus of a much wider effort to save Borneo's natural environment. We are headed to Campy Leakey, named for the renowned Kenyan paleontologist Louis Leakey. Here lies the center of the Orangutan Research Conservation Project. Established by Birute Mary Galdikas, a preeminent primatologist and founder of the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), the project seeks to support the conservation and understanding of the orangutan and its rain forest habitat while rehabilitating ex-captive individuals. The Orangutan Research Conservation Project is the public face of orangutan conservation in this part of Kalimantan, the Indonesia-controlled part of Borneo. Borneo, the third largest island in the world, was once home to some of the world's most majestic, and forbidding forests. With swampy coastal areas fringed by mangrove forests and a mountainous interior, much of the terrain was virtually impassable and unexplored. Headhunters ruled the remote parts of the island until a century ago.
13 rare rhinos found in Borneo survey by WWF -- 3/17/2006
World Wildlife Fund today released the results of a field survey from the island of Borneo which found that poaching has significantly reduced Borneo's population of Sumatran rhinos, but a small group continues to survive in the "Heart of Borneo," a region covered with vast tracts of rain forest.
Mysterious pgymy elephants being tracked across Borneo by WWF -- 12/16/2005
The same satellite system used by the U.S. military to track vehicle convoys in Iraq is helping World Wildlife Fund shed light on the little-known world of pygmy elephants in Borneo.
Mysterious carnivore found in Borneo rain forest -- 12/5/2005
WWF researchers may have discovered a new, mysterious carnivore species in the dense, central forests of Borneo.
New fox species discovered in jungle of Borneo -- 5/10/2005
Scientists may have discovered a new species of fox-like mammal in the rainforests of Borneo. The animal was caught on film by an automatic infra-red camera positioned in the forest of the Kayam Menterong National Park in the Indonesian section of the island during a survey by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Scientists say the animal is has a reddish-colored coat, a bushy tail, and slightly extended back legs, suggesting that it may be partly arboreal. Local hunters failed to recognize the creature from the pictures.
REFERENCES
WWF Germany, Borneo: Treasure Island at Risk, June 2005 [pdf, 773 KB]
Wikipedia
mongabay.com
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