Fauna and Flora
Sumatra is the only place in the world where tigers, leopards, rhinos and elephants live together.
Sumatra is the only place in the world where tigers, leopards, rhinos and elephants live together.
Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae). This tiger subspecies is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Although the major concentration of tigers in the world is in Sumatra, today fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers exist in the island. Sumatran tigers are the smallest surviving tiger subspecies and are distinguished by heavy black stripes on their orange coats. They are protected by law in Indonesia. Despite increased efforts in tiger conservation, a substantial market remains in Sumatra and the rest of Asia for tiger parts and products. Moreover, tigers are losing their habitat reducing the number of preys. Tigers are very hard to observe, they are noble animals with a very good smell sense. Sightings are very rare although it is quite possible to find its footprints.
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Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi). This beautiful Asian cat, named for its spotted coat, is seldom seen in the wild. They are the smallest of the big cats, secretive and rare in the wild, preferring to remain alone and hidden from view. Its habits remain mysterious.
Clouded leopards roam the hunting grounds of Asia from the rain forests of Indonesia to the foothills of the Nepali Himalayas. Though little information is known about their population sizes, they are considered a vulnerable species. The clouded leopard is considered to form an evolutionary link between the big cats and the small cats. It represents the smallest of the big cats, but is not closely related to the African leopard. |
Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus). This elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to the Indonesia island of Sumatra. Sumatran elephants feed on a variety of plants and deposit seeds wherever they go, contributing to a healthy forest ecosystem. They also share their lush forest habitat with several other endangered species, such as the Sumatran rhino, tiger, and orangutan, and countless other species that all benefit from an elephant population that thrives in a healthy habitat. The subspecies is pre-eminently threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, and poaching. Over 70% of potential elephant habitat has been lost within the last 25 years. Wild elephants can be seen in long trekkings.
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Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Sumatran rhinos are the smallest of the living rhinoceroses and the only Asian rhino with two horns. They are covered with long hair and are more closely related to the extinct woolly rhinos than any of the other rhino species alive today. Calves are born with a dense covering that turns reddish brown in young adults and becomes sparse, bristly and almost black in older animals. Sumatran rhinos compete with the Javan rhino for the unenviable title of most threatened rhino species. While surviving in greater numbers than the Javan rhino, Sumatran rhinos are more threatened by poaching. There is no indication that the population is stable and just two captive females have reproduced in the last 15 years. This shy animals can be seen in long trekkings if we are very lucky.
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Sunbear (Helarctos malayanus). The sun bear is a bear found in tropical forest habitats of Southeast Asia. Over the past three decades it has been a dramatically reduced suitable habitat for the sun bear. The global population is thought to have declined by more than 30% over the past three bear generations. It is also known as the "honey bear", which refers to its voracious appetite for honeycombs and honey. The sun bear is the smallest of the bears. Adults are about 120–150 cm long and weigh 27–80 kg. It is mainly a nocturn animal, being its sightings very rarely during day time.
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Orangutan (Pongo abelii). Sumatra is called the land of Orangutan. It is the main icon of sumatran rainforests. The name orangutan means "man of the forest" in the Malay language. These creatures are the closest living relatives to humans. The Sumatran orangutan is almost exclusively arboreal, living among the trees of tropical rainforests. Females virtually never travel on the ground and adult males do so rarely. Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates; they use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. Adult males are typically solitary while females are accompanied by offspring. Sightings are common when doing overnight trekkings. Semi-wild and wild populations of these apes can be found in the surroundings of Bukit Lawang.
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Pig tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina). Pig tailed macaques have olive brown fur over their bodies, with white undersides and a black patch on top of their heads, with males of this sexually dimorphic species having a head and body length of 50cm and weighing up to 15kg. Pig tailed maccaques are largely frugivorous, and also eat insects, seeds, young leaves, leaf stems, dirt and fungus, They are relatively easy to see on a short trekking.
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Black-Furred Gibbon (Symphalangus syndactylus). Also called siamang, the black-furred gibbon is an arboreal ape native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand, and Sumatra. The siamang is known by starting its day by calling in the early morning; it calls less after midday, with the peak of the calls around 9:00 am to 10:00 am. Most of the siamang's calls are directed to its neighbours rather than to inside its home range. Being the largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be reaching 1,5m in height, and weighing up to 14 kg. The black gibbon inhabits the forest remnants of Sumatra Island and the Malay Peninsula, and is widely distributed from lowland forest to mountain forest and can be found at altitudes of up to 3800 m.
They lives in groups of up to six individuals with an average home range of 23 hectares. They are not very common but can be seen in short trekkings. |
White-furred Gibbon (Hylobates lar), The sumatran lar gibbon also known as the white-furred gibbon, is a primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. It is one of the better-known gibbons and very closely related to the black gibbon. It shares the tree tops with orangutans, which, like the gibbon, rarely come out of the trees due to predators, such as tigers and possibly sun bears. Since they live at the top of high trees, as well as the black gibbon, they are not very easy to observe.
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Long tail Macaque (Macaca fascicularis). Probably the most successful primate species in Southeast Asia (besides Homo sapiens), the Long-tailed Macaque is to be found in a wide range of habitats including primary and secondary forest, mangroves, plantations and the outskirts of towns and villages. Its success is largely due to a varied diet of fruits, leaves, small mammals and birds, shellfish and crabs, as well as human leftovers. It can be identified by the length of its tail, by the shape of the muzzle, and its colour, which is generally grey-brown or reddish-brown. It has a noisy, aggressive temperament and sometimes travels in large troupes of up to 30. Very easy to see.
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Thomas's langur (Presbytis thomasi) is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is endemic to NorthSumatra, Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat lossThomas Leaf Monkey. Less common than macaques, they are also quite easily seen in short trekkings.
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Reptiles and Amphibians. Both groups are highly represented in the Gunung Leuser Eco System. Among the most famous are several species of Python, the King-Cobra, Black Cobra, Banded Krait, Sumatra Pit Viper, Mangrove snake, many species of Frog, Turtle, Lizard, Iguana. Usually snakes are very shy and flee, whenever they get aware of human beings. Whenever you spot snakes, do not disturb them or do not approach. Crocodiles can still be spotted at lower Alas area. One of the most common ones is the monitor lizard that can be seen in the picture at the right. These lizards can reach up to 1,8m long.
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Birds. Especially along the Alas river there is a big variety of birds, such as many species of Hornbill, Pheasant, Parrot, Eagle, Kingfisher, Bee-eater, Owl, Wodpecker. Nevertheless there are also many kinds of birds in the jungle, but due to very dense vegetation it is more difficult to watch them. To sight birds you should bring a pair of binoculars. Generally you will see birds on all our trekking and expedition trips very frequently.
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And the most elusive one, the Orang Pendek...
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"It walked straight across the valley in front of me, thirty meters away. So close! I didn't expect it. I certainly didn't expect to see it so clearly. It was walking between two trees, vegetation to about hip level. This gorgeous, graceful, very strongly built primate, a big ape, walking out of a legend and into broad daylight, lit up by the sun. If I'd seen it concealed in undergrowth, I could have said, "Well, I saw 'something'." But I didn't see "something". I saw an orang pendek..."
-Debbie Martyr
Orang Pendek (Indonesian for "short person") is the most common name given to a cryptid, or cryptozoological animal, that reportedly inhabits remote, mountainous forests on the island of Sumatra. Reported from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, the orang-pendek is described a red-furred bipedal ape-man about four feet tall. It is supposed to be attractive and graceful, and has been sighted by many natives.
-Debbie Martyr
Orang Pendek (Indonesian for "short person") is the most common name given to a cryptid, or cryptozoological animal, that reportedly inhabits remote, mountainous forests on the island of Sumatra. Reported from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, the orang-pendek is described a red-furred bipedal ape-man about four feet tall. It is supposed to be attractive and graceful, and has been sighted by many natives.
Flora
Gunung Leuser also hosts an unbelievable variety of more than 8.000 plant species. Among them there are Giant Trees, Palms, flowers, Orchids, Mangrove Trees, etc. From all plants, Rafflesia (seen in the picture) and Amorphophallus are the most spectacular ones. Both are common on tours, if it is the correct floration time.
Gunung Leuser also hosts an unbelievable variety of more than 8.000 plant species. Among them there are Giant Trees, Palms, flowers, Orchids, Mangrove Trees, etc. From all plants, Rafflesia (seen in the picture) and Amorphophallus are the most spectacular ones. Both are common on tours, if it is the correct floration time.