Partners ASEAN Member States Brunei Darussalam
Brunei Darussalam      PDF  | Print |  Email

brunei_flag

Recorded species:

  • 300 resident bird species
  • About 100 non-flying mammal species
  • 5 large terrestrial herbivorous mammal species - bearded pig, two mouse deer species, barking deer, and sambur deer.
  • 81 species of flora, of which 48 are flowering plants and 33 are ferns
  • 500 species of fish and insects
  • 12 species of shrimp

Species in the 2004 IUCN Red List
Endangered
  • Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
  • Banteng (Bos javanicus)
  • Bornean tree shrew (Tupaia longipes)
  • Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
  • Otter civet (Cynogale bennetti)
Vulnerable
  • Bay cat (Catopuma badia)
  • Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
  • Dugong (Dugong dugon)
  • Flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps)
  • Indian smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
  • Marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata)
  • Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina)
  • Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus)

Description

In Brunei, six forest types are distinctly identifiable. Mixed dipterocarp forests have the largest cover, and include species of meranti (Shorea) and urat mata (Parashorea). Peat swamp forests include endemic species such as Shorea albida and Dryobalanops rappa. Montane forests are confined to the high elevations and characteristic flora includes ground orchid (Entomophobia kinabaluensis) and bamboo (Kinabaluchloa nebulensis) as well as many species of the insectivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthes). Species that thrive in heath forests range from the two-layered Coelenterata (earthworms) to highly developed primates such as the Bornean gibbon.

The mammal and bird population of Brunei Darussalam is similar to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo as a whole. Mammals active during the daytime include tree shrews, squirrels, and monkeys and apes, while the shrew, moon-rat, pangolin, civet, wildcat, flying lemur, and flying squirrel are active at night. There are five large terrestrial herbivorous mammal species: bearded pig, two mouse deer species, barking deer, and sambur deer. The clouded leopard is Brunei Darussalam’s largest wildcat species. Endemic species include the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), which is restricted to mangroves and specialises in eating leaves, and the tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis). A great majority of bird species are exclusively forest dwellers. All eight Bornean species of the larger birds - eagles, pheasants, and hornbills - occur in the country. The most evident of all bird groups are the brownish colour babblers, which feed on insects in the lower levels of the forest canopy. The Bornean bristlehead (Pityriasis gymnocephala), a noisy black bird with a red and orange head, is found principally in peat swamp and kerangas forests. Two species of crocodiles occur in Brunei Darussalam - the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and the false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii).



Sources:

  • 2007. Brunei Country Report. 2nd ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference. Sabah, Malaysia.
  • Brunei Forestry Department (http://www.forestry.gov.bn/)