Wildlife of Singapore

A crab-eating macaque, a primate native to Singapore

The wildlife of Singapore is surprisingly diverse despite its rapid urbanisation. The majority of fauna that remain on the island exist in nature reserves such as the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.[1]

In 1819, Singapore was mostly covered in rainforests. During that time, it still contained flora shared with the Malay Peninsula, but even then, the biodiversity of fauna was relatively low. Following the establishment of the British trading post, rapid deforestation began due to crop cultivation, and was largely completed by the 20th century. By some estimates, there has been a loss of 95% of the natural habitats of Singapore over the course of the past 183 years.[2] Due to the deforestation, over 20 species of freshwater fish, 100 species of bird, and a number of mammals became locally extinct.[3] A 2003 estimate put the proportion of extinct species as over 28%.[4]

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 Singapore's land area.[2] 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.[5] To combat these problems, the Singaporean government made the Singapore Green Plan in 1992 and the new Singapore Green Plan in 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. In addition, there were plans to set up a National Biodiversity Reference Centre (now known as the National Biodiversity Centre).[6] The last goal was reached in 2006 when the centre was founded (it also accomplished the establishment of two new nature reserves in 2002[7]). Since its foundation it has been formulating various specific initiatives including attempts to conserve the hornbill and the rare dragonfly Indothemis limbata.[8]

## Fauna

[edit]

Main article: Fauna of Singapore

### Mammals

[edit]

See also: List of mammals of Singapore

Singapore has roughly 80 species of mammals (out of 11 different orders) including 45 species of bats and three species of non-human primates.[9] Currently, the only introduced non-domestic mammal species in Singapore is the variable squirrel.[10] The abundance of bats however has been decreasing rapidly due to habitat loss of over 95%.[11]

### Birds

[edit]

See also: List of birds of Singapore

Singapore is the occasional home of 395 species of birds (out of which roughly 180 species are resident).[12]

### Reptiles

[edit]

See also: List of reptiles of Singapore

Singapore contains a relatively large number of reptiles, a total of about 110 species (4 of which are introduced).[13] Most of the species, roughly 75 are snakes (mainly Colubrid snakes).[14]

### Amphibians

[edit]

See also: List of amphibians of Singapore

Singapore has 30 species of amphibians (out of which two species, the painted bull frog and the American bullfrog, are introduced).[15]

## Flora

[edit]

Main article: Flora of Singapore

Singapore currently contains 1358 known species of native vascular plants, of which approximately 759 are critically endangered.[16]

## Urban environment interactions

[edit]

Singapore's land area is dominated by urban development that is interspaced by natural reserves, waterways, parks and a large interlinked network of over 300 km of park connectors (PCN).[17] The indigenous fauna that has adapted to the urban environment includes the following:

* Smooth coated otters (Lutrogale perspicllata) have expanded to 17 families "fishing for tilapia in waterways and sleeping under bridges". There were reports of people who had their prized koi collection decimated by hungry otters.[18]
* Long tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) numbered more than 2,000 according to a 2015 census. There were reports of macaques scaling Housing and Development Board buildings and invading homes.[19]
* Oriental pied hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) are native to Singapore, though the species declined to the point of local extinction during the 19th century.[20] These birds made a comeback, having established a thriving population on Pulau Ubin and on occasion, can be sighted throughout Singapore.[21]
* Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are native to Singapore with some weighing up to 100 kg. They have been sighted in urban areas close to forested areas. There are reports of wild boars attacking people who have strayed into their territory.[22]

Other wildlife sightings include the following:

* Critically endangered Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica)[23][24][25]
* Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) which re-colonised the Central Catchment Reserve after escaping from the zoo in the 1970s.[26] In 2023, there was a report of road kill along the Bukit Timah Expressway.[27] In February 2024, according to the journal Conservation Science and Practice, the mammal's population is believed to be increasing in several forested regions, including areas within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve near MacRitchie and Bukit Timah.[28]

## See also

[edit]

* Environmental issues in Singapore

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Parks Singapore".
2. ^ a b Brook, Barry W.; Navjot S. Sodhi; Peter K. L. Ng (24 July 2003). "Catastrophic extinctions follow deforestation in Singapore". Nature. 424 (6947): 420–426\. doi:10.1038/nature01795. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 12879068.
3. ^ Corlett, Robert T. (July 1992). "The Ecological Transformation of Singapore, 1819-1990". Journal of Biogeography. 19 (4). Blackwell Publishing: 411–420\. doi:10.2307/2845569. JSTOR 2845569.
4. ^ "Extinctions in Singapore". Animal Planet News. 14 August 2003. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
5. ^ "Singapore is more wild than you think". The Straits Times.
6. ^ "National Initiatives". National Biodiversity Reference Center. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
7. ^ "History of Biodiversity Conservation in Singapore". National Biodiversity Reference Centre. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
8. ^ "Initiatives". National Parks Singapore. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
9. ^ "National Biodiversity Centre Mammal List". Archived from the original on 12 March 2014.
10. ^ "List of mammal species present in Singapore" (PDF). Global Biodiversity Information Facility. June 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
11. ^ Lane, David J. W.; Kingston, Tigga; Lee, Benjamin P. Y.-H. (2006). "Dramatic decline in bat species richness in Singapore, with implications for Southeast Asia". Biological Conservation. 131 (4): 584–593\. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.03.005. ISSN 0006-3207.
12. ^ "National Biodiversity Centre Bird List". Archived from the original on 12 March 2014.
13. ^ "National Biodiversity Centre Reptile List". Archived from the original on 12 March 2014.
14. ^ "List of reptile species present in Singapore" (PDF). Global Biodiversity Information Facility. March 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
15. ^ "National Biodiversity Centre Amphibian List". Archived from the original on 12 March 2014.
16. ^ "Singapore Red Data Book" (PDF). p. 2\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2012.
17. ^ "Know Our Recreational Connectivity". pcn.nparks.gov.sg. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
18. ^ "Slippery, hungry, sometimes angry: Singapore struggles with 'unparalleled' otter boom". The Guardian. 23 October 2022. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
19. ^ "About 2,500 cases of monkey-related feedback received in Singapore each year". CNA. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
20. ^ Davison, Geoffrey (2012). "Hornbills in the Lion City". NParks Buzz. 4.
21. ^ "Rare sighting of 8 hornbills loitering along Pasir Ris HDB corridor". mothership.sg. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
22. ^ "Bukit Panjang wild boar attacks: More traps to be placed, fences extended after 2 injured". CNA. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
23. ^ Zikri, Arif (10 November 2022). "In Singapore, critically endangered pangolin spotted by apartment residents in car park, rescued by animal group (video)". Malay Mail. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
24. ^ "Man Spots Rare Sunda Pangolin Crossing S'pore Road, Makes Sure It Gets To Safety". Must Share News - Independent News For Singaporeans. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
25. ^ "Endangered Sunda Pangolin Walks Along S'pore Footpath, Shuffles Up To Human & Sniffs Camera". Must Share News - Independent News For Singaporeans. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
26. ^ Ang, Qing; Teo, Josiah (27 February 2023). "Sambar deer making a return in Singapore, study shows" - via The Straits Times.
27. ^ "Sambar deer killed in accident along BKE". CNA.
28. ^ "Sambar deer making a return in Singapore, study shows". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* National Biodiversity Centre, Singapore
* National Parks Board, Singapore

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