NEW START
As the Chinese government released a policy on December 26 regarding the exempted entry into China from January 8, many WLOL subscribers are planning a trip to other countries in February to start their first journey abroad in three years. We would first like to congratulate everyone. Secondly, we would like to introduce some exciting and rare animals from various countries for your attention.
NO.1~Thailand
Siamese crocodile (scientific name: Crocodylus siamensis): Siamese crocodiles are medium-sized, with the most extended adult reaching four meters and the average at three meters. When the youth are just hatched, they are around 25 centimeters. The snout of the Siamese crocodile is medium in length, slightly concave, and about 1.5 to 1.6 times the width of the base of the bill. There are a pair of short sharp ridges in front of the two eye sockets, an obvious socket between the two eye sockets on the forehead, and the squamous bone protruding into a high crest. The Siamese crocodile’s upper body is dark olive green or light brown green with black spots. Their tail and back have dark horizontal bands, and their belly is white or yellowish white. Siamese crocodile leather has a high reputation across the globe. The bigger the skin, the higher the value. Although there are domesticated Siamese crocodiles, wild populations are mainly distributed in Southeast Asia in Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
NO.2～Indonesia
Komodo dragon (scientific name: Varanus komodoensis): Komodo dragon is an animal of the Varanus genus within the Varanus family. These animals are the most prominent existing lizards in the world today. Komodo dragons are ferocious, with adults eating the young of their kind, sometimes even other adults. Moving around very quickly, they occasionally attack humans but feed on carrion. Komodo dragons search for food kilometers away from their holes.
The Komodo dragon is on the verge of extinction, and only about 5,700 species are left in the wild. Indonesia has established a national park on Komodo Island as home to Komodo dragons.
NO.3~Malaysia
Asian tapir (scientific name: Tapirus indicus): Also known as the Malayan tapir, Asian Tapirs are the giant tapir in the world with a body length of 1.8-2.5 meters, a shoulder height of 90-120 cm, a tail length of 5-10 cm, and a weight of 250-540 kilograms. The Asian Tapir has a very peculiar look. Its nose is like an elephant’s, its hind legs and ears are like a rhinoceros, its feet are like a tiger, its body is like a bear, and its fur is black and white. Its fat body, thick skin, large head, stubby neck, and protruding snout (cylindrical, soft, and drooping, more prominent in females than males) give it a dull appearance.
Asian Tapirs mainly feed on bamboo but also leaves and twigs. These animals are very timid, often swimming away or hiding in the water, only exposing their nose to breathe when the wind comes. Asian Tapirs are listed as endangered animals. In the past 30 years, their numbers in Southeast Asia have been declining rapidly, primarily due to the conversion of forests to palm oil plantations and habitat loss due to other human activities.
NO.4～Japan
Japanese macaque (scientific name: Macaca fuscata): The Japanese macaque is a medium-sized stocky monkey with two subspecies. They have a body length of 47-60 cm, a tail length of 7-12 cm, and a weight of 8 kg-11 kg. Their tails are relatively short, less than a quarter of their body length. Japanese macaque's face is thin, and no swirling hairs radiate around its head. Its forehead is slightly protruding, brow bone is high, eye sockets deep, and shoulder hair short. Its body color is brown, with red cheeks and expressive eyes. Its back has a thick, shaggy fur coat that is gray to brown and sometimes spotted.
Japanese macaques are diurnal and spend most of their time in forests, including deciduous, broad-leaved, and evergreen forests. They feed on seeds, rhizomes, flower buds, fruits, invertebrates, berries, leaves, bird eggs, mushrooms, and grains. The life span of wild Japanese macaques is 28-32 years.
When winter comes, Japanese macaques are often covered with snow, which is why they are also known as the "snow monkeys." Because they live in colder places than their counterparts in the tropics, Japanese macaques have collectively developed the habit of soaking in hot springs. There is a famous "Snow Monkey Soaking Hot Springs" landscape in Nagano-Ken, Japan.
The main reason for the decline in Japanese macaque populations is the destruction of their habitats. This forces the monkeys to find suitable areas outside their habitat for food. An estimated 5,000 macaques are killed each year. Although they are a protected species, they destroy crops and raid nearby farms for food. Troops of macaques invaded villages, chased each other, took food from children, and terrorized residents. This is the main reason why they are hunted.
When the macaques began to invade the hot springs and hot tubs used by nearby residents, the local government of Japan decided to establish the Nagano Macaque Onsen Village dedicated to feeding and saving macaques, also preventing them from raiding nearby farms. In these villages, macaque numbers have skyrocketed.
NO.5～Philippines
Crocodylus mindorensis (Schmidt, 1935) is the scientific name for the Philippine crocodile, a member of the Crocodylidae family of the genus Crocodylus. It is a crocodile species exclusively found in the Philippines and is also commonly referred to as the Mindoro crocodile or the Philippine freshwater crocodile. Although killing these crocodiles in the Philippines is prohibited, their habitat has been dwindling due to ongoing land expansion and irresponsible fishing practices. Therefore, their wild population has been declining.
Philippine crocodiles are long-mouthed carnivorous reptiles like lizards that can consume a wide range of foods. Fish, turtles, birds, and mammals are some of their popular dishes. More enormous crocodiles are also capable of attacking humans and domestic animals. Crocodiles hunt in the water but ascend to the ground to enjoy the sun and reproduce. They frequently float on the water's surface while they wait for an opportunity to capture their prey. It is a master hunter, taking big game like antelope yet allowing crocodile birds to clean its teeth. They also fed on fish, shrimp, mice, and water snails in their youth.
A long time ago, the Philippine crocodile was thought to be a subspecies of the New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae). They are not as large as sea crocodiles but possess the same distribution. According to a 1995 survey, the Philippine crocodile is already the crocodile species that is most at risk of extinction. In the wild, there are fewer than 100 adults. In 10 years, it will go extinct if absolutely nothing is done for their protection.
WLOL says ~
We hope you look forward to traveling more after learning about the many endangered animals in Asia. Animals are not products for sale. We should never sell, purchase, or kill any threatened animal. Let us work together to protect wild animals.