List of mammals of Singapore
Mammals in Singapore currently number about 65 species.[1] Since the founding of modern Singapore in 1819, over 90 species have been recorded, including large species such as tigers, leopards and sambar deer. Most of these have since become extinct largely due to rapid urban development, with occasional large mammals such as Asian elephants swimming across the Straits of Johor from Johor, Malaysia.[2]
Many surviving species have critically low population numbers, the most seriously endangered being the cream-coloured giant squirrel, last sighted in 1995[3] and now possibly extinct. The banded leaf monkey is also down to around 50 individuals. However, some species may be rediscovered in more remote parts of the country, such as the Malaysian porcupine which was found on Pulau Tekong in 2005,[4] and the greater mousedeer on Pulau Ubin in 2009.[5]
The most commonly seen native mammals are the long-tailed macaque and the plantain squirrel. The largest terrestrial mammal that can still be found is the wild pig, which is common on the offshore islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong, but also found on the mainland. The largest mammals in Singapore, however, are marine creatures such as dugongs and dolphins. The colugo is also doing well, but these are rarely seen due to their elusiveness and camouflage.
List of mammals
Order Eulipotyphla (insectivores)
Family Soricidae (shrews)
- House shrew (Suncus murinus) - urban
- Malayan shrew (Crocidura malayana) - forest
Order Pholidota (pangolins)
Family Manidae (pangolins)
- Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) - Bukit Timah, Bukit Batok, Central Catchment, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Western Catchment, Labrador
Order Carnivora (carnivores)
Family Herpestidae (mongooses)
- Short-tailed mongoose (Herpestes brachyurus) (doubtful)
Family Viverridae (civets)
- Binturong (Arctictis binturong) - Bukit Panjang (likely escapee)
- Three-striped palm civet (Arctogalidia trivirgata) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment
- Masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) - Central Catchment, Pulau Tekong (unconfirmed)
- Sumatran palm civet (Paradoxurus musangus) - Uncommon but widespread in forests, as well as parks and suburban areas with tall trees
- Large-spotted civet (Viverra megaspila) (doubtful)
- Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga) - Central Catchment
- Large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha) - Jalan Bahar, unconfirmed sightings in Central Catchment, Lornie Road, Old Holland Road, Pulau Tekong, may be confused with Malay civet
- Small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) (doubtful)
- Otter civet (Cynogale bennettii) (doubtful)
Family Mustelidae (weasels, otters and relatives)
- Small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) - Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Western Catchment,
- Smooth otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) - Sungei Buloh, Woodlands, Punggol, Pasir Ris, Changi, Pulau Ubin, Tanah Merah, East Coast, Marina Reservoir, Rochor Canal, Pandan Reservoir, Ulu Pandan Canal, Jurong Lake, Sentosa, Pulau Semakau[6]
- Hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) (doubtful)
Family Felidae (cats)
- Domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) - widespread stray populations in urban areas
- Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) - Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Western Catchment, Central Catchment, Sungei Buloh
- Flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps) (extinct)
- Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) (extinct)
- Tiger (Panthera tigris) (extinct)
- Leopard (Panthera pardus) (extinct)
Family Canidae (dogs)
- Domestic/feral dog (Canis lupus familiaris) - widespread feral and stray populations
Order Sirenia (sea cows)
Family Dugongidae (dugong)
- Dugong (Dugong dugon) - Straits of Johor, Singapore Strait
Order Proboscidea (elephants)
Family Elephantidae (elephants)
- Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) - Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong (visitor)
Order Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)
Family Tapiridae (tapirs)
- Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) - Pulau Ubin, Changi (visitor)
Order Cetacea (cetaceans)
Family Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
- Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) - Singapore Strait
- False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) - Tuas (vagrant)
- Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) - Straits of Johor, Singapore Strait
- Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) - Singapore Strait
Family Phocoenidae (porpoises)
- Finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) - Singapore Strait
Family Physeteridae (sperm whale)
- Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Singapore Strait (carcass)
Order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)
Family Suidae (pigs)
- Wild boar (Sus scrofa) - Western Catchment, Lim Chu Kang, Kranji, Bukit Batok, Bukit Timah, Central Catchment, Kent Ridge, Sengkang, Punggol, Coney Island, Lorong Halus, Pasir Ris, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong[7]
Family Cervidae (deer)
- Sambar (Rusa unicolor) - Bukit Brown, Central Catchment
- Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) - Central Catchment
Family Tragulidae (mousedeer)
- Lesser mousedeer (Tragulus kanchil) - Central Catchment
- Greater mousedeer (Tragulus napu) - Pulau Ubin, Western Catchment
Family Bovidae (bovids)
- Domestic cattle (Bos taurus) - Pulau Ubin (lone free-ranging individuals)
Order Rodentia (rodents)
Family Muridae (mice and rats)
- Asian house mouse (Mus castaneus) - urban
- Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) (introduced) - urban
- Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) - urban
- Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)
- Malaysian wood rat (Rattus tiomanicus)
- Annandale's rat (Rattus annandalei) - forests
- Brown spiny rat (Maxomys rajah)
- Red spiny rat (Maxomys surifer) (possibly extinct)
Family Sciuridae (squirrels)
- Plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) - common, widespread
- Finlayson's or variable squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii) (introduced) - Bidadari, Woodleigh
- Three-striped ground squirrel (Lariscus insignis) (extinct)
- Slender squirrel (Sundasciurus tenuis) - Bukit Timah, Bukit Batok, Central Catchment, Singapore Botanic Gardens
- Cream-coloured giant squirrel (Ratufa affinis) (extinct)
- Shrew-faced ground squirrel (Rhinosciurus laticaudatus) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment
- Red-cheeked flying squirrel (Hylopetes spadiceus) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment[8]
- Horsfield's flying squirrel (Iomys horsfieldii) - Bukit Batok, Bukit Timah, Central Catchment[9]
- Red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista) (extinct)
Family Hystricidae
- Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) - Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Bukit Timah, Central Catchment, Western Catchment[10]
Order Chiroptera (bats)
Family Pteropodidae (Old World fruit bats)
- Lesser dog-faced fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) - widespread in both urban and forest habitats
- Horsfield's fruit bat (Cynopterus horsfieldii) (indeterminate)
- Cave nectar bat (Eonycteris spelaea)
- Common long-tongued fruit bat (Macroglossus minimus)
- Dusky fruit bat (Penthetor lucasi) - Bukit Timah
- Malayan flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) (visitor, former resident)
- Geoffroy's rousette (Rousettus amplexicaudatus) (indeterminate, possibly extinct)
Family Emballonuridae (sheath-tailed bats)
- Lesser sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura monticola) - Bukit Timah, Pulau Ubin
- Pouched tomb bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus)
- Black-bearded tomb bat (Taphozous melanopogon)
Family Nycteridae (hollow-faced bats)
- Southeast Asian hollow-faced bat (Nycteris tragata) - Central Catchment
Family Megadermatidae (false vampires)
- Lesser false vampire (Megaderma spasma) - Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin
Family Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats)
- Glossy horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus lepidus) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment
- Woolly horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus luctus)
- Lesser woolly horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus sedulus) (indeterminate, possibly extinct)
- Lesser brown horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus stheno) (indeterminate, possibly extinct)
- Trefoil horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus trifoliatus) - Central Catchment, Pulau Tekong
Family Hipposideridae (Old World leaf-nosed bats)
- Bicolored roundleaf bat (Hipposideros bicolor) - Bukit Timah
- Ashy roundleaf bat (Hipposideros cineraceus) - Pulau Ubin
- Fawn roundleaf bat (Hipposideros cervinus) (indeterminate, possibly extinct)
- Ridley's roundleaf bat (Hipposideros ridleyi) (indeterminate, possibly extinct)
Family Vespertilionidae (evening bats)
- Hardwicke's woolly bat (Kerivoula hardwickii) - Central Catchment, Pulau Tekong
- Singapore whiskered bat (Myotis oreias) - endemic to Singapore but possibly globally extinct[11], but might not actually exist[12]
- Whiskered myotis (Myotis muricola)
- Lesser large-footed myotis (Myotis hasseltii) - Pulau Ubin
- Horsfield's large-footed myotis (Myotis horsfieldii) - Central Catchment
- Asiatic lesser yellow bat (Scotophilus kuhlii)
- Lesser bamboo bat (Tylonycteris pachypus)
- Greater bamboo bat (Tylonycteris robustula)
- Javan pipistrelle (Pipistrellus javanicus)
- Narrow-winged pipistrelle (Pipistrellus stenopterus)
- Brown tube-nosed bat (Murina suilla) - Pulau Tekong
Family Molossidae (free-tailed bats)
- Naked bulldog bat (Cheiromeles torquatus) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment
- Wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat (Chaerephon plicatus) (indeterminate, possibly extinct)
Order Scandentia (treeshrews)
Family Tupaiidae (treeshrews)
- Common treeshrew (Tupaia glis) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Portsdown, Bidadari, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Jurong Hill, Sungei Buloh, Western Catchment
Order Dermoptera (colugo)
Family Cynocephalidae (colugo)
- Malayan colugo or Malayan flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus) - Bukit Timah, Bukit Batok, Central Catchment
Order Primates (primates)
Family Lorisidae (lorises)
- Sunda slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment, Pulau Tekong
- Pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) - Central Catchment (escapee)
Family Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys)
- Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) - Bukit Timah, Central Catchment, Sungei Buloh, Western Catchment, Bukit Batok, Woodlands Waterfront, Admiralty Park, Punggol, Coney Island, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Sentosa, Sisters Islands, lone individuals occasionally seen in parks and urban areas elsewhere in Singapore
- Southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) (extinct) - individuals (escapees?) seen in Pasir Ris, Central Catchment
- Banded leaf monkey (Presbytis femoralis) - around 50 left in Central Catchment
- Dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus) - Kent Ridge (escapee)
Family Hominidae (great apes)
- Human (Homo sapiens)
Note: (extinct) means locally extinct in Singapore.
See also
References
- ↑ "List of mammal species present in Singapore". Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "Singapore is more wild than you think". The Straits Times. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ "Endangered squirrels". Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "The Tekong porcupine". Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "Rediscovery of greater mousedeer on Pulau Ubin" (PDF).
- ↑ "Otters of Singapore". Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "The status on Singapore island of the Eurasian wild pig" (PDF).
- ↑ "New locality records for two species of flying squirrels in Singapore" (PDF).
- ↑ "New locality records for two species of flying squirrels in Singapore" (PDF).
- ↑ "Malayan porcupine in Western Catchment Area" (PDF).
- ↑ "Myotis oreias". Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "The identity of Vespertilio oreias Temminck, 1840—solving a taxonomic puzzle". Retrieved 10 September 2017.