SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN

Scientific Name: Pongo abelii
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Height: 110–150 cm
Weight: 48–93 kg
Gestation: 232–267 days
Number of young: 1

Distribution: The Indonesian island of Sumatra
Habitat: Rainforest

Description: Orangutans have a coarse, shaggy reddish coat. Males look very different to females. An adult male is larger and has a throat pouch and flanges (cheek pads) on either side of its face. Orangutans have very long arms that can stretch as far as 2.6 m. Their hands and feet are used for grasping.

Diet: Orangutans are omnivores. Fruits are their favourite food but they also eat other parts of plants, as well as honey, lizards, termites, birds and eggs.

Breeding: Females usually give birth after 12–15 years of age and the interval between births is an average of nine years.

The young suckle for five to six years. Females may stay with their mum a further six years to learn valuable mothering skills. Males leave their mother at about seven years of age and travel large distances to set up their own territory. Females tend to stay in the same area as their mother when they mature.

Threats: Around 80% of orangutan habitat has been lost to logging and permanent agricultural conversion, in particular for oil palm plantations. Orangutans are also shot for taking food from the plantations and poached for the illegal pet trade. There are believed to be fewer than 6,300 Sumatran Orangutans left in the wild.

At Perth Zoo: Perth Zoo has bred 29 orangutans since 1970 as part of an Australasian breeding program. Perth Zoo also directly supports the conservation of the Sumatran Orangutan in the protected Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia. Projects we support include the reintroduction of orangutans into Bukit Tigapuluh, Wildlife Protection Units, habitat and wildlife monitoring, and community education and development. 

NEPALESE RED PANDA

Other Names: Lesser Panda
Scientific Name: Ailurus fulgensConservation Status: Vulnerable
Body Length: 50–64 cm
Weight: 3–6 kg
Gestation: 110–145 days
Number of young: 1–2

Distribution: Nepal, India, south-west China, Laos, Myanmar, Bhutan
Habitat: Forest

Description: The Red Panda is a reddish-brown colour with white ear rims, cheeks, muzzle and spots above the eyes. Its tail is about 18–50 cm long with alternating light and dark rings. Red Pandas have a false thumb on each hand which helps them to hold onto bamboo stems and leaves and have partially retractable claws which help them to climb. Their paws are completely covered with fur,even underneath.

Diet: Red Pandas are omnivores. Their diet consists mostly of bamboo as well as grasses, acorns, roots, berries and lichen. They will also eat insects, eggs, young birds and rodents.

In the wild: Red Pandas are mostly nocturnal and solitary, but they form pairs during the breeding season. At about twelve months of age, young Red Pandas leave their mother to begin life on their own. Snow Leopards are the natural predators of young and adult Red Pandas and some birds will take cubs in the nest.

Threats: There are fewer than 2,500 adult Red Pandas left in the wild. Habitat destruction and poaching for their fur are threats to the survival of the Red Panda.

At Perth Zoo: Perth Zoo is part of a regional breeding program for the species. Sixteen pandas have been born at Perth Zoo since 1997. Red Pandas can be seen in the Asian Rainforest, near the White-cheeked Gibbon exhibit.

KOMODO DRAGON

Other Names: Komodo Monitor
Scientific Name: Varanus komodoensisConservation Status: Vulnerable
Body Length: up to 3 m
Weight: up to 70 kg
Incubation: 7–8 months
Number of eggs: about 20 

Distribution: Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang
Habitat: Dry, open grasslands and tropical forests

Description: The Komodo Dragon is the largest lizard in the world today. It has sharp claws which it uses to attack its prey, dig resting holes and fight other lizards. Its scales are dark grey-brown. Although the Komodo Dragon cannot hear very well, its ears are visible. Its tail is as long as its body.

Diet: The Komodo Dragon is a carnivore that either scavenges for carrion or ambushes live prey. It eats deer, water buffalo, birds and reptiles. It is the dominant predator in its ecosystem and eats almost any meat available including young Komodo Dragons. However, they are a shy species and attacks on humans are rare.

The Komodo Dragon has a mouth full of about 60 long, curved and serrated teeth. When it ambushes its prey, it attacks either the legs, throat or belly first – depending on the prey’s size. The Komodo Dragon bites its prey, oozing venom from glands located in its bottom jaw, which helps induce shock and stops the prey’s blood clotting. The prey usually dies quickly.

If prey manages to break free, the Komodo Dragon can track it for up to three days, smelling the air with its long, forked tongue. They can smell meat up to 4 km away. Eventually, when the prey dies, the Komodo Dragon tucks into its meal. However, it usually has to compete with other dragons attracted by the scent.

Breeding: Breeding occurs between May and August. Males conduct vicious battles to claim females and territory. The winning Komodo Dragon flicks its tongue at the female to initiate courtship.

Female Komodo Dragons can lay viable eggs without needing to mate with a male. This is known as parthenogenesis. It is thought that this ability helped Komodo Dragons start new populations on islands and other uninhabited areas. 

Threats: Komodo Dragons are only found on a few Indonesian islands. Between 2,500 and 5,000 dragons remain. They are hunted for the illegal pet trade or killed for body parts. This has led to fewer large, egg-laying females. The poaching of their main prey species (deer) and human encroachment on their habitat have also contributed to them becoming a threatened species.

The Komodo National Park – which includes the islands of Komodo and Rinca – was established in 1980 to protect the dragons and their habitat.

At Perth Zoo: You can see Perth Zoo’s young male Komodo Dragon, called Raja, in the Asian Rainforest, next to the otters.

Visit the Komodo Dragon’s Australian relative, the Perentie, in the Reptile Encounter at Perth Zoo.

Did You Know? After Komodo Dragons hatch, they are vulnerable to being eaten by adult dragons. They scurry up trees and stay there until they’re big enough and return to the ground.

ASIAN SMALL-CLAWED OTTER

Other Names: Oriental Short-clawed Otter
Scientific Name: Aonyx cinereaConservation Status: Vulnerable
Body Length: 45–61 cm
Weight: 1–5 kg
Gestation: 60–64 days
Number of young: 1–6

Distribution: North-west India to south-east China, Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Sumatra
Habitat: Rivers, streams, lakes, rice paddies and estuaries.

Description: The Asian Small-clawed Otter is the smallest of the otters. Its short, sleek coat is dark brown. They have reduced webbing on their feet and hands which gives them greater touch and dexterity. This species of otter can be seen ‘playing’ with sticks and pebbles.

Diet: Small-clawed Otters are carnivores and eat crabs, fish, and small molluscs including snails.

In the wild: Asian Small-clawed Otters are highly social, forming small groups of relatives of 4–12 animals and pairing for life. The female is dominant and the male will hunt for the female and her pups as they develop. The young are independent after 80 days of age.

Threats: All 13 otter species are threatened by the destruction of their aquatic habitats through pollution, urban development and the agriculture industry. Otters are still hunted for their skins and are caught and injured in fishing nets. Land-bound otter species are regularly killed on roads which pass through their natural habitats.

At Perth Zoo: Perth Zoo’s Asian Small-clawed Otters can be seen in two exhibits in the Asian Rainforest.

Did you know? Asian Small-clawed Otters have been trained by Malay fisherman to catch fish.

Otters close their nostrils and ears when they swim.

ASIAN ELEPHANT

Other Names: Indian Elephant
Scientific Name: Elephas maximusConservation Status: Endangered
Body Length: Up to 3.5 m
Weight: 2–5 tonnes
Gestation: 18–22 months
Number of young: 1

Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Indochina, South East Asia
Habitat: Forests, rainforests

Description: Asian Elephants are smaller than African Elephants and have smoother, darker skin and smaller ears. They also have a single, finger-like projection on their trunks, whereas the African Elephant has two. Elephants have large, ridged teeth so they can eat coarse bark, leaves, branches and grass. They use their trunks to pull down branches and strip trees.

Diet: Elephants are herbivores, often eating up to 160 kg of vegetation per day.

In the wild: The basic family unit is made up of about six members and consists of a mature female, her current offspring and juvenile offspring. These groups join other related family units to create a herd. Male offspring leave the group when they reach seven years of age and join herds during the breeding season only. Because of their size, elephants don’t have any natural predators.

Threats: There are two threats to their survival: habitat destruction from farming and logging; and poaching for the ivory trade.

At Perth Zoo: Perth Zoo’s Asian Elephants can be seen in the Asian Rainforest. Come for the ‘Elephants – Asia’s Jungle Giants’ presentation at 10 am (at the Bull Elephant exhibit) and at 1:45 pm (at the Elephant Amphitheatre) every day.

Did you know? Every year, mature male elephants go through a period called ‘musth’ (pronounced ‘must’) which signals their readiness for mating.

Elephants can use low frequency sound waves for communication between members of the herd and individuals outside the herd up to 15 km away.