Wildlife of Singapore
Encyclopedia
Singapore
has a surprisingly diverse wildlife
despite its rapid urbanisation. Most of the fauna
that has remained exists in various nature reserves such as the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
.
. In 1819, when a British
trading post was first established on the island, Singapore was still nearly entirely covered in rainforest
s. During that time it still contained flora
similar to the Malay Peninsula
but the biodiversity
of the fauna
was even then relatively low. Following the establishment of the trading post, a rapid deforestation
began due to crop cultivation and was largely completed by the 20th century. By some estimates there had been a loss of 95% of natural habitats in Singapore in the past 183 years. Because of the deforestation over twenty species of freshwater fish
and 100 species of bird
as well as a number of mammals have gone locally extinct. A 2003 estimate has put the number of extinct species as over 28%.
In modern times, over half of the naturally occurring fauna and flora in Singapore is present only in nature reserves, which comprise only 0.25% of the land area of the country. Estimates made in 2003 have said that the rapid habitat destruction will culminate in a loss of 13-42% of populations in all of Southeast Asia
.
To combat these problems the Singaporean government has made the Singapore Green Plan
in 1992 and the new Singapore Green Plan 2012 to continue it. The plan aims to keep tabs on the unstable populations of fauna and flora, to place new nature parks and to connect existing parks as well as to set up a "National Biodiversity Reference Centre" (now known as the National Biodiversity Centre
). The last goal has been reached in 2006 when the centre was founded (it also accomplished the establishment of two new nature reserves in 2002). Since its foundation it has been formulating various specific initiatives including attempts to conserve the Hornbill
and the rare Dragonfly
Indothemis limbata.
of mammal
s (out of 11 different orders
) including 21 species
of Bat
and three species of non-human primate
s. Currently the only introduced species in Singapore is the Variable Squirrel. The abundance of bats however has been decreasing rapidly due to a habitat loss of over 95%.
s (out of which roughly 164 species are residents).
s, a total of about 107 species (4 of which are introduced). Most of the species, roughly 60, are snake
s (mainly Colubrid snakes
).
).
.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
has a surprisingly diverse wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
despite its rapid urbanisation. Most of the fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
that has remained exists in various nature reserves such as the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a small 1.64 square kilometer nature reserve near the geographic centre of the city-state of Singapore, located on the slopes of Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore's highest hill standing at a height of 163.63 metres, and parts of the surrounding area...
and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a nature reserve located in the Northwest area of Singapore. It is the first wetlands reserve to be gazetted in Singapore in the year 2002, and its global importance as a stop-over point for migratory birds was also recognised by the Wetlands International's...
.
History
Singapore's environment has changed rapidly due to the quick urbanisation and the immense population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
. In 1819, when a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trading post was first established on the island, Singapore was still nearly entirely covered in rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s. During that time it still contained flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
similar to the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
but the biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of the fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
was even then relatively low. Following the establishment of the trading post, a rapid deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
began due to crop cultivation and was largely completed by the 20th century. By some estimates there had been a loss of 95% of natural habitats in Singapore in the past 183 years. Because of the deforestation over twenty species of freshwater fish
Freshwater fish
Freshwater fish are fish that spend some or all of their lives in freshwater, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 0.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, the most obvious being the difference in levels of salinity...
and 100 species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
as well as a number of mammals have gone locally extinct. A 2003 estimate has put the number of extinct species as over 28%.
In modern times, over half of the naturally occurring fauna and flora in Singapore is present only in nature reserves, which comprise only 0.25% of the land area of the country. Estimates made in 2003 have said that the rapid habitat destruction will culminate in a loss of 13-42% of populations in all of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
To combat these problems the Singaporean government has made the Singapore Green Plan
Singapore Green Plan 2012
Singapore Green Plan 2012 is a government blueprint for environment sustainability in Singapore, prepared by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources....
in 1992 and the new Singapore Green Plan 2012 to continue it. The plan aims to keep tabs on the unstable populations of fauna and flora, to place new nature parks and to connect existing parks as well as to set up a "National Biodiversity Reference Centre" (now known as the National Biodiversity Centre
National Biodiversity Centre (Singapore)
The National Biodiversity Centre is a branch of the National Parks Board and serves as Singapore’s one-stop centre for biodiversity-related information and activities. It manages all available information and data on biodiversity in Singapore...
). The last goal has been reached in 2006 when the centre was founded (it also accomplished the establishment of two new nature reserves in 2002). Since its foundation it has been formulating various specific initiatives including attempts to conserve the Hornbill
Hornbill
Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
and the rare Dragonfly
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
Indothemis limbata.
Mammals
Singapore has roughly 60 speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s (out of 11 different orders
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
) including 21 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
and three species of non-human primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s. Currently the only introduced species in Singapore is the Variable Squirrel. The abundance of bats however has been decreasing rapidly due to a habitat loss of over 95%.
Birds
Singapore is the occasional home of 365 species of birdBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s (out of which roughly 164 species are residents).
Reptiles
Singapore contains a relatively large amount of reptileReptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, a total of about 107 species (4 of which are introduced). Most of the species, roughly 60, are snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s (mainly Colubrid snakes
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
).
Amphibians
Singapore has 28 species of amphibians (out of which two species, the Painted Bull Frog and the American Bullfrog, are introduced speciesIntroduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
).
Flora
Singapore currently contains 1193 species of native vascular plants, of which approximately 675 are critically endangeredCritically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
.