Animals of Sumatra: species, threatened and protected

The agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis) is a tailless small ape of Sumatra's forest canopy, known for its white brow band and its dawn songs.

Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus). Ashy drongos vary across populations in grey tone and movement; photographs and dates improve the interpretation of sightings.

The Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus) is a large-scaled freshwater fish of Sumatra and Borneo, a costly ornamental fish with threatened wild populations.

Asian Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica). The Asian emerald dove uses tropical forest floor and edges; its iridescent green wings are easier to judge in good light.

The Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) is a native Indonesian honey bee that nests in cavities, pollinates plants and is kept for honey.

The Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) is the world's smallest otter, living in family groups in rivers, rice fields and mangroves in Indonesia.

A large semi-aquatic lizard living near rivers, swamps, mangroves and some human-used areas. As both predator and scavenger, it connects aquatic and terrestrial food webs.

The banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) is a neurotoxic krait with full black-and-yellow rings, found in Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Bali.

The banded Malaysian coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis) is a small venomous snake with a red tail and black-and-white belly from western Indonesia.

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is a pale, heart-faced owl that hunts rats in rice fields, oil palm plantations and villages across Indonesia.

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). The barn swallow has blue upperparts, pointed wings and a deeply forked tail; Indonesian records may include seasonal visitors.

The bearded pig (Sus barbatus) is a wild pig with a bristly facial beard from the forests of Borneo and Sumatra, known for mass migrations that follow fruiting.

The binturong (Arctictis binturong) is the largest civet, a tree-dwelling mammal with a gripping tail, found in the forests of Sumatra, Borneo and Java.

Black Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolor). The black giant squirrel is a large forest tree-squirrel; its size and bushy tail distinguish it from the much smaller plantain squirrel.

Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea). The black-naped monarch is a slim, agile flycatcher; sexes differ, and its dark nape band informs the English name.

Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis). The black-naped oriole occupies wooded Asian landscapes; its dark nape pattern and voice help separate it from other yellow birds.

Black-striped Squirrel (Callosciurus nigrovittatus). The black-striped squirrel occurs on Java, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula; its dark side stripe can assist identification in a clear view.

Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike (Hemipus hirundinaceus). The black-winged flycatcher-shrike belongs to a debated woodshrike lineage; citing the scientific name and taxonomic source avoids a misleading family label.

Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya). Junonia orithya has region-dependent common names and many subspecies; wing eyespots and locality should be recorded together.

The blue-crowned hanging parrot (Loriculus galgulus) is a tiny green parrot that sleeps hanging upside down, and the identity animal of Riau province.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus). The blue-tailed bee-eater catches flying insects, and some populations move seasonally; a dated record is more informative than an undated sighting.

Bluespotted Maskray (Neotrygon caeruleopunctata). The bluespotted maskray belongs to a taxonomically revised Neotrygon complex; blue spots alone do not establish species identity without form and locality.

Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis). The brown-throated sunbird uses semi-open Southeast Asian habitats; flower visits and bill shape can be observed without assuming every visit pollinates a plant.

The buffy fish owl (Ketupa ketupu) is an ear-tufted, fish-eating owl of forests and waterways in Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo.

Cerulean Kingfisher (Alcedo coerulescens). This Indonesian kingfisher is metallic blue and white; size and pattern matter because other kingfishers also appear blue.

A blue-green kingfisher with a white collar, often seen in mangroves and on coasts. Numerous subspecies make older names worth checking carefully.

The common hill myna (Gracula religiosa) is a glossy black myna with yellow wattles, famous for its ability to mimic human speech.

Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia). The common iora uses scrub and forest edges; plumage varies among populations, so a photograph from one region may differ from another.

Coppersmith Barbet (Psilopogon haemacephalus). The coppersmith barbet has a red forehead and throat; its repeated metallic-sounding call may be noticed before the perched bird.

Crab-eating Frog (Fejervarya cancrivora). Crab-eating frogs use brackish habitats; salinity studies document tadpole tolerance, but laboratory limits do not justify moving animals into seawater.

The crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela) is a snake-eating eagle of forest edges in Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo, and is protected in Indonesia.

The crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster) is a venomous, spiny, coral-eating starfish whose population outbreaks can devastate coral reefs.

The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is Asia’s wild dog. It lives in packs in the forests and savannas of Sumatra and Java; the IUCN lists it as Endangered.

Diadem Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros diadema). The diadem roundleaf bat belongs to Hipposideridae, not Rhinolophidae; nose shape matters, but a single photograph may not settle identification.

Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis). The Oriental dollarbird has rounded blue wing patches visible in flight, the field mark behind its English name.

Double-spotted Gecko (Gekko monarchus). The double-spotted gecko occurs from southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula through Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi and Maluku to New Guinea and the Philippines; spots alone are insufficient without body shape and locality.

A seagrass-eating marine mammal dependent on healthy coastal waters. Dugong life connects seagrass meadows, sheltered bays, and human activity in shallow seas.

A small bird with a chestnut crown and a black spot on each white cheek. Its proximity to people makes it easy to notice, but sighting records do not measure its population.

The false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a slender-snouted crocodilian of the peat swamps of Sumatra and Borneo, listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

Fawn Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros cervinus). The fawn roundleaf bat is a hipposiderid recorded across parts of Southeast Asia and Australia; colour alone is unreliable for similar bats.

Image: museum specimen

The giant featherback (Chitala lopis) is a knife-backed predatory freshwater fish of Java, Sumatra and Borneo, and South Sumatra's identity animal.

Golden-bellied Gerygone (Gerygone sulphurea). The golden-bellied gerygone is a small acanthizid occurring in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries; the English name describes its belly.

Gray-rumped Treeswift (Hemiprocne longipennis). The grey-rumped treeswift belongs to Hemiprocnidae rather than the true swift family and may be seen perched as well as flying.

The great argus (Argusianus argus) is a large pheasant with eye-spotted wings from the forests of Sumatra and Borneo, and West Sumatra's identity animal.

Great Egret (Ardea alba). The great egret is a widespread large white heron; compare body size, bill shape and leg colour with smaller egrets.

Green Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenea). The green imperial pigeon is a large forest pigeon; its size and green wings help separate it from smaller green-pigeons.

Green Paddy Frog (Hylarana erythraea). The green paddy frog occurs in Southeast Asia and formerly appeared under Rana; wetland observations do not measure local abundance or status.

Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus). The hair-crested drongo is a dicrurid formerly grouped with another drongo; record the taxonomy and region used by each source.

A forest hornbill with long central tail feathers and a solid casque. Hunting for casque trade makes habitat protection and reduced demand particularly important.

Horsfield's tarsier (Cephalopachus bancanus), or mentilin, is a big-eyed, insect-eating primate and Bangka Belitung's identity animal, hit by forest loss.

House Swift (Apus nipalensis). The house swift is an apodid spending much time on the wing; wing shape and nesting context are safer clues than unverified claims about flight physiology.

The humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is the largest wrasse, a hump-headed reef fish threatened by the live reef fish trade.

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) is a coastal dolphin with a spotted belly that is fully protected in Indonesia.

Keeled Slug Snake (Pareas carinatus). The keeled slug snake is a pareid associated with feeding on slugs and snails; a group name does not prove every individual meal.

Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar). The lar gibbon is a tailless, long-armed canopy primate; Sumatran records need care near the ranges of other gibbons.

Large Flying-fox (Pteropus vampyrus). The large flying fox is a Southeast Asian fruit bat; its size and fruit-feeding ecology differ from many smaller insect-eating bats.

The lesser short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) is a common small fruit bat of Indonesian towns and forests that spreads seeds and pollinates flowers.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta). The little egret is smaller than the great egret; wetland identification benefits from checking size, bill and leg characters together.

A social primate using forests, riversides, mangroves and settlement edges. Food and human encounters vary by place; frequent sightings do not describe the condition of the whole population.

The Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga) is a ground-dwelling, black-spotted civet with a black-and-white banded tail, common in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo.

The Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus) is a highly venomous black-and-white banded krait of Sumatra, Java and Bali that is active at night.

The Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) is a large, quilled, nocturnal rodent of Sumatra and Borneo that is widely hunted for meat and trade.

The black-and-white tapir is Asia’s only tapir. Forest, water, and safe movement space support its life in Sumatra.

Malaysian Pied-Fantail (Rhipidura javanica). The Malaysian pied-fantail is a rhipidurid; a fanned tail and black-and-white pattern aid identification around forest edges and gardens.

The marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is a small, marble-patterned wild cat with a very long, bushy tail, living in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo.

The Nias hill myna (Gracula robusta), or beo nias, is the largest hill myna, endemic to Nias, North Sumatra's identity animal, and Critically Endangered.

The oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) is a black-and-white songbird that was once common on Java but is now rare there because of trapping.

The painted terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) is a Critically Endangered estuary and mangrove turtle; breeding males show a white head with a red stripe.

Pink-necked Green-Pigeon (Treron vernans). The pink-necked green-pigeon is a green pigeon often noticed in fruiting trees; its English name refers to the pink neck, not a parrot.

Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus). The plaintive cuckoo is a widely distributed Asian cuckoo; voice and place are valuable because several small cuckoos look alike.

Poisonous Rock Frog (Odorrana hosii). Hose's frog is associated with rocky stream settings in Southeast Asia; a common name is no reason to handle an unidentified frog.

Prevost's Squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii). Prevost's squirrel shows strongly contrasting fur colours that vary regionally and occupies forests in Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.

Puff-faced Water Snake (Homalopsis buccata). The puff-faced water snake occurs in tropical Southeast Asian waters; head shape and wet habitat matter more than colour alone.

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea). The purple heron is a long-necked heron associated with marsh vegetation; brownish colour alone is insufficient without checking shape.

Reinwardt's flying frog (Rhacophorus reinwardtii) is a green, broadly webbed tree frog of the forests of Java and Sumatra that lays eggs in foam nests.

The rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) is a large hornbill with an upturned orange-red casque, found in Sumatra, Java and Borneo; Vulnerable.

River Toad (Phrynoidis asper). The river toad is a Southeast Asian bufonid; 'giant' is a relative common name, not a fixed size for every individual.

Rock Pigeon (Columba livia). Rock pigeons include wild-type birds and free-living domestic descendants; an urban record need not represent an original wild population.

The rufous-tailed shama (Copsychus pyrropygus), Aceh's ceumpala kuneng, is a forest songbird of Sumatra and Borneo and Aceh's identity animal.

The sambar (Rusa unicolor) is Indonesia's largest deer, found in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo; it is Vulnerable and protected in Indonesia.

Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata). Adults show scale-like marks across the breast and belly, a brown back and a stout dark bill; young birds are plainer.

Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trochileum). The scarlet-headed flowerpecker is an Indonesian-endemic dicaeid; the male's red head is a clue, making sex and age relevant to identification.

The largest gibbon, with a throat sac that amplifies its calls. Group life connects communication, infant care, and connected forest.

Silvered Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus). Silvered leaf monkeys use coastal, mangrove and riverine forest; presence at one site cannot stand for their status across Borneo or Sumatra.

The smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is Indonesia's largest otter, with short sleek fur, living in family groups in rivers, swamps and mangroves.

The sooty-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster) is a black-capped bulbul native to Java and Bali, common in gardens and towns but widely trapped for sale.

Southern Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina). The southern pig-tailed macaque has a relatively short pig-like tail; it differs from long-tailed macaques and occurs on the Malay Peninsula (southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia), Sumatra, Bangka and Borneo.

The southern red muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) is a small deer with short antlers and tusks, found in Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and Lombok.

A small, long-tailed dove with white spots on a black neck patch. It uses open land, gardens and forest edges while searching for seeds.

The spotted seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) is a small horse-headed fish whose males carry the young; it lives in seagrass and estuaries and is widely traded.

The straw-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) is a large, straw-crowned bulbul now Critically Endangered because of trapping for the bird trade.

A large herbivore that disperses seeds and shapes forests. Its conservation needs connected movement space and solutions developed with communities living nearby.

A great ape of northern Sumatra’s forest canopy. Its future depends on connected forests, regenerating trees, and safe coexistence with people.

The smallest living rhino and the only two-horned Asian rhino. Isolated populations make finding mates and protecting habitat particular challenges.

The Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri) is a striped, nocturnal rabbit found only in Sumatra's mountain forests, and is very rarely seen.

Sumatran Surili (Presbytis melalophos). The Sumatran surili is a forest primate endemic to Sumatra, with forest loss and fragmentation reported as pressures in parts of its range.

The last surviving Sunda Island tiger population lives in Sumatra. Protecting forest, prey, and movement routes supports a whole living landscape.

The world’s smallest bear climbs trees and uses varied forest foods. Its Indonesian name, honey bear, does not describe its entire diet.

A cloud-patterned forest cat from Sumatra and Borneo. Long-term research helps reveal the life of this rarely seen animal.

Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus). The Sunda colugo is neither lemur nor bat; a skin membrane between its limbs lets it glide between trees.

The Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus) is a venomous snake-eater of Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Bali, separated from O. hannah in 2024.

A scaled, ant- and termite-eating mammal threatened by illegal trade. Climbing and secretive behaviour make direct observation difficult.

The Sunda scops owl (Otus lempiji) is a small owl with short ear tufts that lives in forest, gardens and wooded parks in Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Bali.

The Sunda slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) is a slow, venomous nocturnal primate of Sumatra, threatened by the pet trade and protected in Indonesia.

An orangutan species described in 2017 from Batang Toru. Its exceptionally restricted range makes protection of remaining forest especially important.

Thomas’s Langur (Presbytis thomasi). Thomas's langur is restricted to northern Sumatra; habitat loss is reported as a pressure, while each local group needs separate assessment.

The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large striped shark that eats almost anything and is among the sharks most often involved in bites on people.

Wagler's Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri). Wagler's pitviper is a venomous Southeast Asian snake; the 'temple' nickname comes from a well-known site, not every habitat.

White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus). This waterhen has a dark body and conspicuously white face and breast; records should include the waterside vegetation where it was seen.

White-headed Munia (Lonchura maja). The white-headed munia uses wetlands and grassy places; the adult's white head helps identification, while young birds are harder to separate.

White-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus). The edible-nest swiftlet makes a nest largely of hardened saliva; nest harvesting is a human activity separate from the bird's own life cycle.

The white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus) is a forest songbird with a rich song whose Indonesian populations have fallen through trapping for trade.

Wild Boar (Sus scrofa). Wild boar have both native and human-transported populations; wild, domestic and feral animals must not be combined into a single population claim.

The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is a black-and-white, day-biting mosquito and the main carrier of dengue virus in Indonesia.

A songbird with a conspicuous yellow vent that often uses gardens, parks and forest edges. Local studies document fruit and insect feeding.

Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata). This small dove has a relatively long tail, fine black-and-white barring over grey-brown plumage and a soft repeated coo.

Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis). The zitting cisticola uses open grassy cover; its repeated short call in flight can reveal it before plumage details are clear.