Sunday, May 1, 2011

Flora & Fauna


Indonesia claims an amazing fauna, from Sumatran tigers and orangutans to Komodo dragons, and a rich flora, Including Rafflesia, the world's Largest Flower. As palm oil plantations replace more and more of the forest, Indonesiastruggles to protect its endangered species but Efforts are afoot to save the last Sumatran tigers, Komodo dragons and the orangutans. No other country claims Such a rich diversity of fauna and flora and Among the 17,000 or so Indonesian islands, there are still large areas unmapped Nowhere animals and plants live undisturbed.
Indonesia Endangered Species, Sumatran Tigers and orangutans 400-500 Sumatran tigers in the wild number, Including 100 in the mount around the Leuser National Park. Measuring just over two meters, They are the world's smallest tigers and cans move at amazing speed. Narrow stripes, mane and Beard Pls Provide perfect camouflage while stalking preys Them webbed feet make excellent swimmers. Poachers and loss of habitat to agriculture are the greatest threats but a conservationpolicy is in place to halt the decline.
Also found in mount Leuser orangutans are endemic on the critically endangered list. Rarer and Smaller Than those in Borneo, They feed on fruit and Insects and live Mostly in the trees for safety. Numbers are down to A Few Thousands. The Thirty Hill National Park has set up a breeding program while the Bukit Lawang sanctuary rehabilitates injured or once captive animals before releasing Them in the wild. Orangutans live up to 50 years. Komodo Dragons, Indonesia Amazing Fauna
Komodo dragons capture everyone's imagination as The Largest living lizards and descendants of three million year old Australian specimens. Having migrated to Indonesia, later isolated by rising sea levels, They stretch up to three meters, with a tail as long as Their body, a set of 60 teeth and a tongue renewable cans the which detect carrion over 4km away. They climb trees, dive down to four meters and run up to 20km/hour. Cans Females lay viable eggs without male fertilization, with the Incubation period of 7-8 months and reached adulthood in 3-5 years. Besides Komodo, the giant lizards are found on Flores, east of Bali and a couple of other islands. Four to Five Thousands Remain in the wild, deemed 'vulnerable', but protected by the Komodo National Park.


Rafflesia and Indonesia Flora
Indonesia's flora Also reflects a wide range of Ecosystems,encompassing both the Australian and Asian specimens. Some40 000 species of flowering plants have been Recorded,Including 3000 trees, 5000 orchids, medicinal plants and 6000plus 122 varieties of bamboo. Top biodiversity hotspots includeSundaland in the west with 15,000 endemic species, Wallaceawith the islands of Sulawesi and Moluccas, and the still largelyunchartered Papua.
Indonesia has three national flowers, the Fragrant sambacjasmine, orchid in the orchid and the stunning Rafflesia arnoldi,discovered in Sumatra by Stamford Raffles. Growing on therainforest floor, measuring a meter of across and weighing up to11 kg, it's the World's Largest flower, with no leaves but aneffective trap to swallow up Insects. It's an amazing sight, butbeware of the smell, overwhelmingly Rotting flesh.

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