Home to some of the world's most unique wildlife, the Indonesian archipelago is comprised of
some 17,500 islands.
Indonesia takes up less than 1.5% of the world's land but is in fact home to more than 15%
of the wildlife found on Earth.
It sits between the continents of Asia, and Australia, which gives the region an incredibly
diverse range of animals.
In the western end of the country, you will typically find species that are also commonly
found in Asia, but as you head east, you'll soon run into species that are more commonly
found in Australia.
Before we begin, help us out by clicking the like button!
Now, here are 10 Unique Animals Only Found in Indonesia.
Number 10: Javan Gibbon Also known as the silvery gibbon, the Javan
gibbon is a primate that is endemic to the Indonesian island of Java, where it can be
found in rainforests with an altitude of up to 8,000 ft.
They are bluish-grey in color and have a dark grey, sometimes black, cap.
They have long, curved fingers and, when compared to their hind limbs, have unusually long forelimbs.
They weigh around 8 kg and can climb trees incredibly well.
This rare species has a diet that consists of fruit, leaves, and flowers and, like every
other gibbon species, they don't have a tail.
On average, the female gives birth once every three years.
The young live with their family for around 18 months, until they are fully mature, usually
around nine to ten years old.
This relatively slow spawning habit has led to a pretty low population for the rare species,
with an estimated 2500 Javan gibbon left.
Since 2008, the species has been classified as endangered by the IUCN.
Number 9: Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise In 1863, German zoologist Heinrich Agathon
Bernstein discovered that the Wilson's bird-of-paradise considers Waigeo Island their home.
This rare animal is endemic to Indonesia and is distributed across the hill and lowland
rainforests of Batanta and Waigeo Islands off West Papua.
These incredible birds are rather small, only reaching a length of up to 16 cm.
They weigh around 60 grams and males are usually red and black in color, with a yellow mantle
on their necks.
They have light green mouths, rich blue feet, and have two curved violet tail feathers.
Their heads are naked blue and have an incredible cross pattern on them.
Females are brown and have a bare blue crown.
The crown of the bird's head is so bright, that it's even visible at night.
The species is classified as near threatened by the IUCN, due to many factors such as habitat
loss, and human exploitation.
Number 8: Turquoise Monitor This incredible-looking lizard is found on
the Halmahera and Maluku Islands of Indonesia.
The turquoise monitor lizard can be found in a black to brown, and grey to brown color,
detailed with a vibrant turquoise-colored pattern.
Their underside is usually light yellowish to turquoise in color and sometimes accompanied
by a black pattern.
The turquoise monitor lizard can grow up to about 110 cm in total length and has a diet
that consists mainly of crustaceans, scorpions, grasshoppers, and even frogs.
Unfortunately, not much else is known about this amazing lizard because they're incredibly
hard to find.
Number 7: Bleeding Toad The bleeding toad, sometimes also referred
to as the fire toad, or Indonesia tree toad is a species endemic to the West Java island
of Indonesia.
More specifically, they are found around Mount Gede, Mount Pangaro, and south Sukabumi.
As mountain-dwelling toads, they live in altitudes of up to 6000 feet above sea level and are
commonly found near small mountain creeks.
They are medium-sized toads that have dark red or purple bodies with sharp red or yellow
marbling on their back and legs.
They can grow around 30 mm in length, with females sounds being larger, growing up to
40 mm.
When stressed or threatened, the bleeding toad secretes a substance from its skin.
This, along with its sharp red detailing, gives the species its name.
The females lay their eggs in slow-moving streams and creeks.
Unfortunately, the species is in drastic decline for unknown reasons, but the eruption of a
nearby mountain in 1987 certainly didn't help.
In fact, this species is so rare that it is said that only one Bleeding Toad was sighted
between 1990 and 2003.
Number 6: Celebes Rainbowfish Celebes rainbowfish are endemic to Sulawesi,
which was formerly known as Celebes, in the country of Indonesia.
More specifically, these rare fish are found only near the town of Maros.
They dwell in bodies of water like streams and estuaries that have fresh to mildly salty
water and live in areas with dense vegetation.
They spend most of their days hiding in the leaves of nearby plants, where they can easily
find most of their food which consists of insects, shrimps, worms, or debris left by
other creatures.
As for their appearance, the Celebes rainbowfish are among the smallest in the rainbowfish
family.
Males of this rare species can grow up to 8 cm, with females being a little smaller,
growing up to a length of 7 cm.
Males have yellow and blue colorations on their bodies and fins and their dorsal and
ventral fins are black and elongated.
This is quite different from the females, which are typically found less colorful.
Their population has drastically declined due to many factors, such as pollution and
the local ornamental fish business.
We're now halfway through our video.
If you're still with us, comment the Indonesian flag emoji down below!
Number 5: Wallace's golden birdwing What an incredible sight to behold!
The Wallace's golden birdwing is a species of butterfly endemic to Indonesia and can
be found in the northern region of Maluku.
It gets its name from Alfred Russel Wallace, who described the species all the way back
in 1859.
In his book, The Malay Archipelago, he recounts that the bird's beauty and brilliancy were
indescribable.
He even went on to say that he almost fainted when the rare butterfly opened and fluttered
its wings upon being released.
And, just like Wallace, we think this butterfly is seriously indescribable.
Number 4: Bornean flat-headed frog It's the first and only known lungless frog.
The Bornean flat-headed frog breathes entirely through its skin.
This species is incredibly rare and had previously only been collected twice, and they were 20
years apart.
It was later rediscovered in 2008, and since then plenty more sightings were recorded in
the areas it resided in.
It is only one of two in its genus, the other being the Philippine flat-headed frog found
in the Philippines.
These two species of frogs are quite old, having evolved from amphibians 65 million
years ago.
That's around the time dinosaurs went extinct.
They grow up to a length of 3 inches, with females being slightly larger than males.
Unfortunately, this species is currently threatened by habitat destruction, mostly because of
illegal gold mining in the local area.
Number 3: Sumatran Orangutan This species of orangutan is one of three
found in the northern areas of Sumatra, the other being the Bornean orangutan, and the
Tapanuli orangutan.
This unique animal hangs out in the trees of tropical rainforests and almost never travels
on the ground.
They seem to have a tightly-knit social circle and prefer to eat together.
Males grow to around 5 and a half feet tall and weigh around 200 pounds.
Females are typically smaller, they average around only 3 feet tall and weigh less than
a hundred pounds.
They used to be distributed over the entire island of Sumatra, and sometimes further down
south into Java, but are now restricted to just the northern part of the island.
Aside from habitat loss, these orangutans are also sometimes traded illegally as pets,
leading to its assessment as being critically endangered.
Number 2: Javan Hawk-eagle The national bird of Indonesia, the Javan
Hawk-eagle is considered the symbol of all the country's rare species.
It's only found on the island of Java and is one of the world's most endangered raptors.
The bad news doesn't end there, however, as the species is also not very well known mostly
due to its incredible rarity.
From what we do know, the Javan hawk-eagle stands at just less than 25 inches, with its
white-tipped crest giving it an extra boost in the height department.
The body of these raptors is caramel brown in color, but their wings are much darker
and more intricately patterned.
Sexes of this species are a little hard to tell apart, as they look quite similar to
each other.
If you're feeling lucky, the Javan hawk-eagle is typically found in humid tropical forests
found in East Java.
Or, you can take the easy route and see them in captivity, as some zoos in the local area
sometimes have them around.
You're nearly at the end of our video!
We're on a mission to find and document all of Earth's wildlife.
Make sure you're subscribed, that way you'll always be notified of our latest videos.
Number 1: Komodo dragon Perhaps the most well-known animal on this
list, the komodo dragon is endemic to Indonesia, more specifically, to the island of Komodo
and some other islands with names that, for your sake, we won't try to pronounce.
They usually live in a wide range of habitats found on the islands, but mainly in the tropical
savanna forests.
True to being unique, these rare creatures are the largest living lizards in the world.
They are apex predators, dominating the other species in their areas.
Although they might seem heavier, these lizards typically weigh around 150 pounds, although,
there have been some found to weigh as much as 350 pounds.
The komodo dragon has a venomous bite that's very lethal; they have glands in their mouths
that secrete toxic proteins when they bite.
Sexes of this species are quite difficult to figure out, though males do tend to be
a little larger, it still remains a challenge for many researchers to differentiate them.
Hey, thanks for watching!
Want to suggest a video or have something to say?
Lеt uѕ knоw in thе comment section below.
Check out our Wildlife playlist for more videos like this one.