South East Asia Scary Stuff

Beware, animals! Scary stuff you may run into.

Ok, so maybe not that scary, but here's a brief look at some of the animals you can expect to come across in South East Asia.

Hey, we think Orang-utans are scary OK ... they can rip your arms off!

Orang-utans
Mainly found in Malaysia, Orang-utans are very intelligent and use large leaves as umbrellas to keep dry in the rain and small leaves as cups to drink water. In Malay orang means "person" and utan is derived from hutan, which means "forest." Thus, orang-utan literally means "person of the forest." See... scary!

Komodo Dragons
The Komodo dragon, found in Indonesia, is the largest lizard, reaching 10 feet. It is a clever hunter; once the komodo knows its prey's travel routes, it will wait to ambush them!

Bengal Tigers
Now we are getting into "scary" territory! The Bengal tiger is a nocturnal and greatly feared predator. Their are thought to be only about 4,000 left on the planet due to poachers (their were 50,000 at the beginning of the 20th Century!). To be honest, it's pretty hard to spot a tiger, so you'd have to be pretty unlucky to be attacked by one!

Proboscis Monkey
The proboscis monkey is found only on the island of Borneo. They live almost exclusively in mangrove forests, but can also be found in lowland rainforests - so to see one in the wild you're going to need your walking shoes!

The King Cobra
One to avoid! It lives in the rainforests of Southeast Asia and can grow to 12-18 feet! The King Cobra forms a hood when it feels threatened. When threatened, it also raises up one third of its length and may sway toward you. But we're sure you knew that from Indiana Jones!

Asian Elephant
The Asian elephant has smaller ears than it's African cousin and has been domesticated for centuries. It is intelligent and docile when well treated - an elephant ride is usually a must for visitors to the region!

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