Below you can find a complete list of Malaysian animals. We currently track 269 animals in Malaysia and are adding more every day!
The Southeast Asian island of Malaysia is home to many animals that hold some of the world’s superlative titles, such as the sun bear, the smallest bear on earth, and the king cobra which is the longest venomous snake species in the world. Among these very impressive animals, there is also the popular saltwater crocodile, Malayan tiger, clouded leopard, and Asian elephant!
The Official National Animal Of Malaysia
The official national animal of Malaysia is the Malayan tiger, a subspecies of tiger that is mostly found in the southern and central parts of the country. The animal is very significant to Malaysians and is even depicted on their national coat of arms.
When their original rainforest habitat started to be destroyed, they moved to the Malaysian peninsula.
Where to Find The Top Wild Animals In Malaysia
With such a wide variety of unique wildlife in Malaysia, there are animals to be found everywhere.
The Danum Valley Conservation Area is a great location if you are visiting the island of Borneo’s northern region. Prepare to see clouded leopards, slow loris, a wide array of unique birds, and more. Other national parks such as Taman Negara, Batang Ai, Kinabulu, and Gunung Mulu offer views of some of the nation’s most popular wildlife.
On top of being a great place to see animals, Gunung Mulu National park is the most studied tropical karst area in the world with 17 vegetation zones and marked as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Though they no longer reside in rainforests, Malayan tigers can be found in the states of Pahang, Perak, Kelantan, and Terengganu in Peninsular Malaysia.
The Most Dangerous Animals In Malaysia Today
The majority of Malaysia’s most dangerous animals are snakes, but that doesn’t mean that they are the only animal worth watching out for. Here is a list of the most dangerous wildlife in Malaysia today:
- Saltwater Crocodile– This animal waits underwater, remaining until a victim is close, before exploding out of the water and attacking its prey. While livestock, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and birds are primary targets, this creature also eats people regularly. Despite its name, it can be found in both saltwater estuaries and freshwater rivers, as well as swamps.
- Black Leopard– This quiet, stealthy animal catches its prey between sunset and sunrise, opting for a wide range of animals to call its prey. While humans are at less risk of this species, they have been known to fall victim to attacks in the dark rainforests of Malaysia.
- Mangrove Pit Viper- These notoriously short-tempered snakes are typically black or brown with patches of green. While they are poisonous, people usually do not die from their bite. They are found in the western part of Malaysia, commonly in islands, swampy forests, and coastal mangroves.
- Reticulated Python- These larger snakes have skin that ranges from golden yellow to black with ornate geometric shapes. Humans should be much warier of this species which is known to be aggressive. It delivers a bite that, though vicious, is not venomous. Suffocation by constriction is its chosen method of attacking its victims, humans included.
- Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Sumatran Cobra)- This snake’s bite is just as deadly as the famous king cobra, made worse because it does not have to physically touch its victims. This cobra can spit venom from as far as 3 meters away and it can cause anything from temporary to permanent blindness if it makes contact with eye tissue.
- The world’s longest venomous snake was captured in April 1937 near Port Dickinson in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. This king cobra measured to be 5.71 meters long by autumn of 1939. It remains the Guinness World Record holder to this day.
Endangered Animals in Malaysia
Unfortunately, Malaysia’s national animal, the Malayan tiger, is also one of its most endangered. In 2015, it was classified as a critically endangered species with less than 340 adult tigers located in the wild.
Black shrews are mouse-like mammals and have only ever been spotted in Kota Kinabulu, Sabah. This creature feeds on insects and is so rare that nobody knows whether it remains critically endangered in the wild or if it has fallen into extinction.
The Malayan tapir, a close relative to the rhino and elephant, is another critically endangered animal. Deforestation and hunting are pushing this herbivorous mammal toward the verge of extinction with less than 350 individuals left in the wild.
The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in North Borneo is working to help protect orangutans. Commonly referred to as “man on the forest”, these are gentle and intelligent creatures who are at risk due to habitat loss.
Borneo pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinoceroses, and Sunda pangolins are also all at risk. Pangolins are some of the most heavily trafficked protected animals due to the high price their scales, meat, and skin receives. Thought to be medicinally beneficial, the International Trade in Endangered Species imposed a total ban on all species in order to protect them.
Flag of Malaysia
The flag of Malaysia, also known as the Stripes of Glory, features 14 alternating red and white stripes, a crescent moon and a fourteen-point star. The Malaysian flag design was approved in 1950 and modified in 1963 to its current form. The flag pays tribute to the country’s rulers, their Islamic religion and symbolizes unity and cooperation among their states.
Malaysian Animals
Stunningly beautiful wings
First evolved 100 million years ago!
Renew their horns every year!
They are so named because they "march" in armies of worms from one crop to another in search of food
The male Asian arowana raises the eggs in its mouth
Domesticated for hundreds of years!
It mainly eats mangos and coffee!
Male Atlas beetles have prominent horns that are three times that of females.
Extinct ancestor of all domesticated cattle!
They make a "boop, boop, boop" sound when danger draws near their burrow.
People spin clothing and fishing nets out of these spiders’ silk.
What often prevents more people from falling victim is that the banded krait does not always inject venom in a defensive bite. It saves the venom for hunting prey instead.
Markings give it camouflage!
There are over 1768 known species!
Found everywhere around the world!
Older offspring help care for new hatchlings.
Detects prey using echolocation!
There are 8 different species!
Beauty Rat Snakes are relatively harmless if left undisturbed, only attempting to bite out of fear.
Bed bugs feed for 4-12 minutes.
Rock paintings of bees date back 15,000 years
There are more than 350,000 different species
Also known as the Asian Bearcat!
Not all birds are able to fly!
The biscuit beetle form a symbiotic relationship with yeast
They typically prey on insects!
The blind snake is often mistaken for a worm.
Blood pythons are so called because of the blood red markings on their skin.
These snakes have been introduced to all continents, except Antarctica!
“Mild-Mannered Minimonsters”
Fathers pick up their young and carry them under their wings
Can live its entire life indoors
The most common species of bee!
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!
The camel crickets that are found in the USA are light brown in color. They also have dark streaks all over their body.
Carpenter ants can lift up to seven times their own weight with their teeth!
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!
There are nearly 3,000 different species!
There are about 3,000 documented species!
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!
Has canines that can be two inches long!
Dated to be around 300 million years old!
Pupae are able to undergo diapause to survive poor fruit yield years and winter.
They are busy foragers, always on the move
The most common raptor in the UK!
The common furniture beetle feeds exclusively on wood
Magpies are aggressive when threatened, often “dive-bombing” at intruders
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.
There are over 80 species of coral snake worldwide.
They can fly 35 mph and dive 150 feet below water.
Cosmic caterpillars have spots on their back that look like eyes to scare off predators.
There are nearly 1.5 billion worldwide!
Cow reticulated pythons hatch solid white, then develop spots as they mature.
There are 93 different crab groups
Found throughout the South-East Asian jungles!
Crab Spiders can mimic ants or bird droppings
Many are critically endangered species!
Male crickets can produce sounds by rubbing their wings together
Have changed little in 200 million years!
Crocodylomorphs include extinct ancient species as well as 26 living species today.
A group of these birds is called a Murder.
There are around 40 different species!
Only 2,000 left in the wild!
First domesticated in South-East Asia!
Dog ticks feed on dogs and other mammals
First domesticated 5,000 years ago!
Found in Europe, Africa and Asia!
It's larvae are carnivorous!
Rows of tiny plates line their teeth!
The dung beetle can push objects many times its own weight
Has exceptional eyesight!
They are hermaphrodites, which means they have male and female organs
There are nearly 2,000 different species!
Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!
Spends around 22 hours a day eating!
Its hood is actually made of many elongated ribs.
The fastest creatures on the planet!
False spiders actually prey on black widow spiders and other hazardous spiders
The fiddler crab gets its name from the motion the males make with their over-sized claw during the mating ritual.
Found across mainland Europe and Asia!
Fire Eels are not true eels.
The firefly produces some of the most efficient light in the world
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air
The Flowerhorn fish is an artificial species; it does not exist naturally
There are more than 240,000 different species!
Can glide up to 90 meters!
Only 12 species are considered "true foxes"
There are around 7,000 different species!
Among the largest bats in the world
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world
Named for the Arabic word for love poems
There are thought to be over 2,000 species!
Originally known as the Desert Rat!
The most common type of urban roach
The largest fish in its genus
Found in dense jungles and tropical forests!
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!
Males form large mating swarms at dusk
Most closely related to the Sheep!
Migrates between Europe and Asia!
There are 29 different species!
There are 11,000 known species!
The green rat snake catches its meals in midair!
One of the most invasive species in the world
Able to run as quickly backwards as forwards!
Can reach speeds of over 50 mph!
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do. Most toxins are excreted.
Thought to be one of the oldest mammals on Earth!
Inhabits wetlands around the world!
There are only 8 recognized species!
Stunning bird with a stinky way to deter predators!
The bird has a massive horn on its bill!
Has evolved over 50 million years!
Horseflies have been seen performing Immelmann turns, much like fighter jets.
Thought to have orignated 200,000 years ago!
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around. Some cartwheel while others do handsprings or backflips.
Found in swamps, marshes and wetlands!
Found throughout south-east Asia!
There are an estimated 30 million species!
Some can jump 50 times the length of their bodies
The term "pecking order" comes from junglefowls' hierarchies among both sexes
The checkered keelback of the east Indies can detach its tail and grow it back, much like a lizard.
Comes out only during a rainstorm or just afterward
They are the longest venomous snake in the world.
Females look similar to males but don’t come in shades of blue
Inhabits wetlands and woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 5,000 species worldwide!
Spends much of the time high in the trees!
There are 11 different species!
The offspring of a lion and tiger parents!
There are around 5,000 different species!
Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day.
Ear tufts make it look bigger!
Often hangs upside down while feeding!
The lorikeet has a long brush-like tongue with fine hairs on it
They are found across Europe, Asia and Africa!
Also known as the Oriental Civet!
It's called the five-step snake because if a person is bitten, they can walk about five steps before dying.
Found in less-dense jungles!
Mangrove snakes have small fangs that are more like enlarged teeth at the back of their jaw.
Found throughout Asia, India and China!
There are 2,500 known species worldwide!
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
During migration, Monarch Butterflies may travel 250 or more miles each day.
Range in size from just 1 to 3 foot!
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!
Some species are thought to carry a weak venom!
There are around 260 known species!
The monocled cobra is responsible for the highest fatality rate of any snake in all of Thailand.
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!
Only the female mosquito actually sucks blood
There are 250,000 different species!
Found on every continent on Earth!
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!
The muntjac is the smallest type of deer in the world
Roamed Asia and Europe for around 100,000 years!
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long
Able to regrow lost or damaged limbs!
Unlike other pigeons, Nicobar pigeons don't fly in haphazard flocks but in columns or single file.
Named more than 1,000 years ago!
There are more than 5,000 species.
Females are about four times the size of males
They reuse nesting sites for 70 years!
There are 13 different species worldwide
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees
Bad eyesight, but great sense of smell
Paradise Flying Snakes can glide over 100 yards!
Can live for up to 100 years!
Most commonly found on the Indian mainland!
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!
The pheasant-tailed jacana is the only species in its family that migrates long distances.
Thought to have been domesticated in 9,000 BC!
They can find their way back to their nests from up to 1300 miles away.
Found in mountainous regions and rocky areas
They make whistling and quacking noises
Some of these snakes flatten their neck and raise their heads to imitate cobras if they’re threatened.
Pit vipers's fangs fold up into their mouths when they don't need them.
The male broods the eggs and baby fish in his mouth.
There are 500 different species!
There are 30 different species worldwide!
The mantis can turn its head 180 degrees.
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!
There are more than 300 different species!
Omnivores that eat anything!
Rat snakes are constrictors from the Colubridae family of snakes.
Not exclusively carrion eaters, these birds are also opportunistic hunters
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.
These popular pets can get big enough to kill their owner.
It's horns are made from keratin!
Inhabits freshwater habitats around the world!
There are more than 45 species in Australia alone!
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.
Will mate with the entire flock!
Ferrets were used during the Revolutionary War to keep down the rat population.
There are more than 700 different species!
Male sambars will compete for mates by clashing together with their antlers
The sand crab burrows beneath the sand with its tail
Parents use low calls to tell their chicks to freeze and lie still when danger lurks.
There are around 2,000 known species!
The sea eagle tends to mate for life with a single partner
Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!
Around 35 million in the English countryside!
The short-eared owl is one of the most widespread owl species in the world, covering five continents.
The spinal column of the shrew Scutisorex somereni is so strong and reinforced that it can support the weight of an adult human.
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
Can live in low-oxygen environments!
Some skinks lay eggs in some habitats while giving birth to skinklets in other habitats.
Found widely throughout British gardens!
They glide around on one foot, which is aided by the slime they produce
Has up to 45 eggs per egg case
There are nearly 1,000 different species!
There are around 4,000 known species worldwide
There are 140 different species!
They prey on spiders to feed their larvae or they parasitize other spider wasps.
The Spinosaurus is the biggest carnivorous dinosaur ever discovered!
The shell serves as both a defense and camouflage!
Males battle each other over females and territory
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 3,000 different species!
Average adults weigh about 200 grams!
They can’t sing like other birds.
Populations have been affected by pollution!
Most closely related to horses and rhinos!
Tarantula hawks are excellent pollinators, especially for milkweed.
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!
The American robin is called the robin because its red breast reminded European settlers of the robin back in the old country.
They inject hosts with a chemical that stops them from feeling the pain of the bite
The largest feline in the world!
The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world
They like to burrow into aquarium sand.
The Tokay gecko gets its onomatopoeic name from its "To-kay!" barking call.
Can live until they are more than 150 years old!
They make music with their wings
Found in warmer jungles and forests!
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.
Vinegaroons can spray 19 times before the glands are depleted
Vipers are one of the most widespread groups of snakes and inhabit most
There are 30 different species worldwide!
The walking catfish can move on land while breathing air
There are around 75,000 recognised species!
Has been domesticated for thousands of years!
Spends most of it's time in the trees!
The smallest carnivorous mammal in the world!
There are two different types of white ferrets!
None have been seen in the wild for 50 years!
Males have a top tusk to sharpen the bottom one!
Thought to date back more than 300,000 years!
Carnivorous arachnid that hunts its prey.
This animal can roll up into a ball
There are 200 different species!
One of the top 100 worst invasive species!
There are around 75 different species!
Malaysian Animals List
Animals in Malaysia FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What animals live in Malaysia?
Malaysia is home to 368 species of fish, 746 species of birds, 300 species of mammals, 379 reptile species, and 198 amphibian species.
What dangerous animals live in Malaysia?
Malaysia’s diverse climate means that it is home to a variety of dangerous animals, most notably the saltwater crocodile, black leopard, mangrove pit viper, reticulated python, and equatorial spitting cobra (Sumatran cobra).
What is the biggest animal in Malaysia?
The Asian elephant is the biggest land mammal in Asia, therefore it is also the largest in Malaysia.
What animals live in the Malaysian jungle?
The Malaysian jungle is home to black leopards, elephants, rhinos, civets, tree squirrels, silvered leaf monkeys, and many other unique creatures.
What is Malaysia’s national animal?
The official national animal of Malaysia is the Malayan tiger.
What is the most dangerous animal in Malaysia?
The pit viper is regarded as the most dangerous animal in the country.
What is the most rare animal in Malaysia?
The rarest animal in Malaysia is the black shrew which is thought to be critically endangered but is so rare that there is debate over whether it is already extinct.