Below you can find a complete list of Southern Indonesian animals. We currently track 188 animals in Indonesia (Southern Borneo) and are adding more every day!
The tropical rainforests, peat swamps, freshwater swamp forests and mangroves in Indonesia (Southern Borneo) are home to all kinds of unique animals. Some of the more recognizable ones include orangutans, Siamese crocodiles, and the Bornean slow loris. In terms of species, Indonesia (Southern Borneo) is home to 222 mammals, 420 birds, 394 fish and more than 150 species of reptiles and amphibians.
The Official National Animal of Indonesia (Southern Borneo)
The national animal of Indonesia is the Komodo dragon. The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in existence and is endemic to Indonesia. These creatures can grow as long as 10 feet and weigh up to 300 pounds. This large, powerful mammal has a long history stretching back about a million years!
Indonesia is home to Komodo National Park. This park was created in 1980 to offer protection to Komodo dragons so they wouldn’t become extinct. These creatures now have a conservation status of Vulnerable. The exact population of this animal is unknown.
A couple other animals serve as national emblems of Indonesia. The national bird is the Javan hawk-eagle. This majestic eagle has an intricate pattern of dark and light brown feathers along with a black crest atop its head. These birds are considered an Endangered species.
The Asian arowana is the national fish of Indonesia. The Asian arowana is a freshwater fish that can reach a length of 35 inches. These fish are said to resemble the Chinese dragon and are considered symbols of good luck. The Asian arowana is categorized as Endangered.
The Most Dangerous Animals in Indonesia (Southern Borneo) Today
Not surprisingly, the rainforests and swamps of Indonesia (Southern Borneo) are home to a few dangerous animals. Luckily, many of these animals stay hidden most of the time. The most dangerous animals in Indonesia (Southern Borneo) include:
- Saltwater Crocodiles – Saltwater crocodiles are dangerous because of their size, speed, and ability to stay hidden until they’re ready to strike. Male saltwater crocodiles can grow as long as 19.8 feet and weigh as much as 2,200 pounds! Furthermore, they can swim a short distance at a rate of 18 mph. From 2007 to 2016 there were 221 attacks on humans by crocodiles resulting in 129 deaths.
- Sun Bear – Looking at its name it doesn’t seem like a sun bear would be threatening. But they are known for their aggressive nature. Though these are small bears standing at about 28 inches tall and weighing between 140 and 150 pounds, they have long, curved claws and powerful teeth. The number of people attacked by sun bears is unknown. But villagers in Indonesia (Southern Borneo) recognize the serious danger posed by sun bears and avoid going into their territory.
- White-Lipped Green Pit Viper – This is a bright green snake with yellow eyes. It is venomous and responsible for 50 percent of all venomous snake bites in Indonesia. This snake stays in the trees and attacks its prey from above. Most people who are bitten do not see this reptile until it’s too late. The good news is though their bite is painful, the venom is not deadly to humans in most cases.
- Water Monitor – This is a large species of lizard measuring up to six feet, seven inches in length and sometimes weighing up to 100 pounds. These animals usually stay away from humans, but can be dangerous if encountered. Their long tail is what makes them dangerous. They have the power to swiftly whip their long, powerful tail causing deep cuts requiring stitches. Their bite is venomous though their venom is considered mild.
Where to Find the Top Wild Animals in Indonesia (Southern Borneo)
The muddy mangroves, freshwater swamp forests, and rainforests are home to many unique animals. Here are some places where you can see unique and famous wildlife in Indonesia (Southern Borneo).
- Orangutans – Orangutans live in the tops of trees in rainforests as well as around mangrove swamps. Tanjung Puting National Park and Gunung Palung Park are home to many orangutan families.
- Proboscis Monkey – These odd-looking monkeys live in mangrove forests. Proboscis monkeys are also found in Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonesia.
- Sun Bear – Sun bears live around swamps and in tropical forests. You can see them in Tanjung Puting National Park.
- Clouded Leopard – These mammals are adept climbers living deep in the Indonesian rainforests. Some of these leopards live in Kutai National Park. These leopards stay so well-hidden, they were once thought to be extinct.
- Yellow-Throated Marten – This small mammal resembles a ferret. They have a tropical forest habitat and many live in Kutai National Park.
- Gibbon – These tropical rainforest dwellers are acrobats swinging on branches and moving with agility through the trees. They can be seen in Sebangau National Park.
Endangered Animals
Habitat loss due to logging activity, construction, and land expansion is one of the threats to many wild animals living in Indonesia (Southern Borneo). Hunting and environmental pollution are other threats that have caused many unique animals to go on the Endangered species list. Some examples of Endangered or Critically Endangered (almost Extinct) wildlife in Indonesia include:
- Orangutan
- Siamese crocodile
- Proboscis monkey
- Bornean gibbon
- Asian arowana
- Hairy-nosed otter
- Bornean peacock pheasant
Southern Indonesian Animals

Admiral Butterfly
Stunningly beautiful wings

Ant
First evolved 100 million years ago!

Antelope
Renew their horns every year!

Armyworm
They are so named because they "march" in armies of worms from one crop to another in search of food

Asian Palm Civet
It mainly eats mangos and coffee!

Atlas Moth
Adult atlas moths do not eat - they live off fat they stored as larvae.

Aurochs
Extinct ancestor of all domesticated cattle!

Banana Spider
People spin clothing and fishing nets out of these spiders’ silk.

Banded Palm Civet
Markings give it camouflage!

Barb
There are over 1768 known species!

Barn Owl
Found everywhere around the world!

Bat
Detects prey using echolocation!

Bear
There are 8 different species!

Bed Bugs
Bed bugs feed for 4-12 minutes.

Bee
Rock paintings of bees date back 15,000 years

Beetle
There are more than 350,000 different species

Binturong
Also known as the Asian Bearcat!

Bird
Not all birds are able to fly!

Black Widow Spider
They typically prey on insects!

Bornean Orangutan
Known to use large leaves as umbrellas!

Borneo Elephant
The smallest species of elephant!

Bumblebee
The most common species of bee!

Butterfly
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!

Camel Cricket
The camel crickets that are found in the USA are light brown in color. They also have dark streaks all over their body.

Cat
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.

Caterpillar
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!

Catfish
There are nearly 3,000 different species!

Centipede
There are about 3,000 documented species!

Chicken
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!

Cockatoo
Highly social, smart, and chatty bird.

Cockroach
Dated to be around 300 million years old!

Common Buzzard
The most common raptor in the UK!

Common House Spider
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.

Common Spotted Cuscus
Has a long, strong prehensile tail!

Cormorant
They can fly 35 mph and dive 150 feet below water.

Cow
There are nearly 1.5 billion worldwide!

Cow Reticulated Python
Cow reticulated pythons hatch solid white, then develop spots as they mature.

Crab
There are 93 different crab groups

Crab-Eating Macaque
Found throughout the South-East Asian jungles!

Crab Spider
Crab Spiders can mimic ants or bird droppings

Crane
Many are critically endangered species!

Cricket
Male crickets can produce sounds by rubbing their wings together

Crocodile
Have changed little in 200 million years!

Crocodylomorph
Crocodylomorphs include extinct ancient species as well as 26 living species today.

Deer
There are around 40 different species!

Dog
First domesticated in South-East Asia!

Donkey
First domesticated 5,000 years ago!

Dragonfly
It's larvae are carnivorous!

Duck
Rows of tiny plates line their teeth!

Dung Beetle
The dung beetle can push objects many times its own weight

Eagle
Has exceptional eyesight!

Earless Monitor Lizard
These lizards can practically shut down their metabolism and appear comatose for long periods.

Earthworm
They are hermaphrodites, which means they have male and female organs

Earwig
There are nearly 2,000 different species!

Eel
Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!

Elephant
Spends around 22 hours a day eating!

Emerald Tree Monitor
They lay their eggs in termite nests!

Equatorial Spitting Cobra
Its hood is actually made of many elongated ribs.

Falcon
The fastest creatures on the planet!

Fire-Bellied Toad
Found across mainland Europe and Asia!

Firefly
The firefly produces some of the most efficient light in the world

Fishing Cat
Scoops fish out of the water using it's paw!

Flea
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air

Fly
There are more than 240,000 different species!

Flying Squirrel
Can glide up to 90 meters!

Fox
Only 12 species are considered "true foxes"

Frog
There are around 7,000 different species!

Fruit Fly
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world

Gazelle
Named for the Arabic word for love poems

Gecko
There are thought to be over 2,000 species!

Gerbil
Originally known as the Desert Rat!

Gibbon
Found in dense jungles and tropical forests!

Glass Lizard
Can grow up to 4ft long!

Glowworm
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!

Goat
Most closely related to the Sheep!

Golden Oriole
Migrates between Europe and Asia!

Goose
There are 29 different species!

Grasshopper
There are 11,000 known species!

Green Bee-Eater
Mainly eats honeybees!

Hamster
Able to run as quickly backwards as forwards!

Hawk Moth Caterpillar
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do. Most toxins are excreted.

Hedgehog
Thought to be one of the oldest mammals on Earth!

Heron
Inhabits wetlands around the world!

Honey Bee
There are only 8 recognized species!

Hoopoe
Stunning bird with a stinky way to deter predators!

Horse
Has evolved over 50 million years!

Horsefly
Horseflies have been seen performing Immelmann turns, much like fighter jets.

Housefly
The fly has no teeth

Human
Thought to have orignated 200,000 years ago!

Huntsman Spider
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around. Some cartwheel while others do handsprings or backflips.

Ibis
Found in swamps, marshes and wetlands!

Insects
There are an estimated 30 million species!

Jumping Spider
Some can jump 50 times the length of their bodies

King Cobra
They are the longest venomous snake in the world.

Kingfisher
Inhabits wetlands and woodlands worldwide!

Kissing Gourami
The kissing gesture that the kissing gourami displays is not a mating gesture

Ladybug
There are more than 5,000 species worldwide!

Leopard Cat
There are 11 different species!

Liger
The offspring of a lion and tiger parents!

Lizard
There are around 5,000 different species!

Long-Eared Owl
Ear tufts make it look bigger!

Long-Tailed Tit
Often hangs upside down while feeding!

Magpie
They are found across Europe, Asia and Africa!

Malayan Civet
Also known as the Oriental Civet!

Masked Palm Civet
Found throughout Asia, India and China!

Mealybug
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.

Millipede
Some species have a poisonous bite!

Mole
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!

Mongoose
Range in size from just 1 to 3 foot!

Mongrel
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!

Monitor Lizard
Some species are thought to carry a weak venom!

Monkey
There are around 260 known species!

Moorhen
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!

Moth
There are 250,000 different species!

Mouse
Found on every continent on Earth!

Mule
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!

Neanderthal
Roamed Asia and Europe for around 100,000 years!

Nematode
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long

Newt
Able to regrow lost or damaged limbs!

Nightingale
Named more than 1,000 years ago!

Orangutan
Shares 97% of its DNA with humans!

Orb Weaver
Females are about four times the size of males

Otter
There are 13 different species worldwide

Owl
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees

Parrot
Can live for up to 100 years!

Peacock
Most commonly found on the Indian mainland!

Pheasant
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!

Pig
Thought to have been domesticated in 9,000 BC!

Pika
Found in mountainous regions and rocky areas

Pipe Snake
Some of these snakes flatten their neck and raise their heads to imitate cobras if they’re threatened.

Pond Skater
There are 500 different species!

Porcupine
There are 30 different species worldwide!

Proboscis Monkey
Natively found on the island of Borneo!

Quail
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!

Rabbit
There are more than 300 different species!

Rat
Omnivores that eat anything!

Rat Snakes
Rat snakes are constrictors from the Colubridae family of snakes.

Redback Spider
The redback spiders found in New Caledonia differ from other populations in that they don’t practice sexual cannibalism and don’t bite people as much.

Reticulated python
These popular pets can get big enough to kill their owner.

Rhinoceros
It's horns are made from keratin!

River Turtle
Inhabits freshwater habitats around the world!

Robin
There are more than 45 species in Australia alone!

Rodents
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, likes to be in and around bodies of water. Because of this, the Catholic Church in South America decided that it was a fish, and people were allowed to eat it during Lent and First Fridays.

Rooster
Will mate with the entire flock!

Salamander
There are more than 700 different species!

Scorpion
There are around 2,000 known species!

Sea Eagle
The sea eagle tends to mate for life with a single partner

Seahorse
Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!

Sheep
Around 35 million in the English countryside!

Shrimp
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!

Skunk
Also known as the Polecat!

Slow Worm
Found widely throughout British gardens!

Smokybrown Cockroach
Has up to 45 eggs per egg case

Snail
There are nearly 1,000 different species!

Snake
There are around 4,000 known species worldwide

Sparrow
There are 140 different species!

Squirrel
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!

Stick Insect
There are more than 3,000 different species!

Stoat
Average adults weigh about 200 grams!

Sun Bear
The smallest species of bear in the world!

Swan
Populations have been affected by pollution!

Tapir
Most closely related to horses and rhinos!

Tarantula Hawk
Tarantula hawks are excellent pollinators, especially for milkweed.

Tarsier
Each eye weighs more than their whole brain!

Termite
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!

Tiger Beetle
The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world

Tortoise
Can live until they are more than 150 years old!

Tree Frog
Found in warmer jungles and forests!

Turtles
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.

Vinegaroon
Vinegaroons can spray 19 times before the glands are depleted

Viper
Vipers are one of the most widespread groups of snakes and inhabit most

Vulture
There are 30 different species worldwide!

Wasp
There are around 75,000 recognised species!

Water Buffalo
Has been domesticated for thousands of years!

Water Dragon
Spends most of it's time in the trees!

Weasel
The smallest carnivorous mammal in the world!

White Tiger
None have been seen in the wild for 50 years!

Wild Boar
Males have a top tusk to sharpen the bottom one!

Wolf
Thought to date back more than 300,000 years!

Wolf Spider
Carnivorous arachnid that hunts its prey.

Woodlouse
This animal can roll up into a ball

Woodpecker
There are 200 different species!

Zebu
There are around 75 different species!
Southern Indonesian Animals List
- Admiral Butterfly
- Ant
- Antelope
- Armyworm
- Asian Palm Civet
- Atlas Moth
- Aurochs
- Banana Spider
- Banded Palm Civet
- Barb
- Barn Owl
- Bat
- Bear
- Bed Bugs
- Bee
- Beetle
- Binturong
- Bird
- Black Widow Spider
- Bornean Orangutan
- Borneo Elephant
- Bumblebee
- Butterfly
- Camel Cricket
- Cat
- Caterpillar
- Catfish
- Centipede
- Chicken
- Cockatoo
- Cockroach
- Common Buzzard
- Common House Spider
- Common Spotted Cuscus
- Cormorant
- Cow
- Cow Reticulated Python
- Crab
- Crab-Eating Macaque
- Crab Spider
- Crane
- Cricket
- Crocodile
- Crocodylomorph
- Cuckoo
- Deer
- Dog
- Donkey
- Dormouse
- Dragonfly
- Duck
- Dung Beetle
- Eagle
- Earless Monitor Lizard
- Earthworm
- Earwig
- Eel
- Elephant
- Emerald Tree Monitor
- Equatorial Spitting Cobra
- Falcon
- Fire-Bellied Toad
- Firefly
- Fishing Cat
- Flea
- Fly
- Flying Squirrel
- Fox
- Frog
- Fruit Fly
- Gazelle
- Gecko
- Gerbil
- Gibbon
- Glass Lizard
- Glowworm
- Goat
- Golden Oriole
- Goose
- Grasshopper
- Green Bee-Eater
- Hamster
- Hawk Moth Caterpillar
- Hedgehog
- Heron
- Honey Bee
- Hoopoe
- Horse
- Horsefly
- Housefly
- Human
- Huntsman Spider
- Ibis
- Insects
- Jumping Spider
- King Cobra
- Kingfisher
- Kissing Gourami
- Ladybug
- Leopard Cat
- Liger
- Lizard
- Long-Eared Owl
- Long-Tailed Tit
- Magpie
- Malayan Civet
- Masked Palm Civet
- Mealybug
- Millipede
- Mole
- Mongoose
- Mongrel
- Monitor Lizard
- Monkey
- Moorhen
- Moth
- Mourning Gecko
- Mouse
- Mule
- Neanderthal
- Nematode
- Newt
- Nightingale
- Orangutan
- Orb Weaver
- Otter
- Owl
- Ox
- Parrot
- Peacock
- Pheasant
- Pig
- Pika
- Pipe Snake
- Pond Skater
- Porcupine
- Proboscis Monkey
- Quail
- Rabbit
- Rat
- Rat Snakes
- Redback Spider
- Reticulated python
- Rhinoceros
- River Turtle
- Robin
- Rodents
- Rooster
- Salamander
- Scorpion
- Sea Eagle
- Seahorse
- Sheep
- Shrimp
- Skunk
- Slow Worm
- Smokybrown Cockroach
- Snail
- Snake
- Sparrow
- Squirrel
- Stick Insect
- Stoat
- Sun Bear
- Swallowtail Butterfly
- Swan
- Tapir
- Tarantula Hawk
- Tarsier
- Termite
- Tiger Beetle
- Tortoise
- Tree Frog
- Turtles
- Vinegaroon
- Viper
- Vulture
- Wasp
- Water Buffalo
- Water Dragon
- Weasel
- White Tiger
- Wild Boar
- Wolf
- Wolf Spider
- Woodlouse
- Woodpecker
- Zebu
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What types of animals live in Borneo?
Lots of different animals live in Borneo including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fish.
Are there dangerous animals in Borneo?
Yes. Water monitors, sun bears and saltwater crocodiles are three examples of dangerous animals in Borneo.
What is the most dangerous animal in Borneo?
There’s a lot of dangerous wildlife in Borneo. But, the venomous, Yellow-lipped sea krait snake is one in particular to watch out for.
Are there gorillas in Borneo?
No, but there are orangutans in Borneo. Though gorillas and orangutans are in the same family, they each belong to their own genus.