Myanmar Plants & Animals
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a diverse and beautiful nation in southeast Asia. Its landscape includes lush tropical forests, sprawling coastal mangroves, mountains and drier plains areas. Each of these geographic areas is home to a distinct ecosystem with a rich and diverse population of plants and animals.
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Mammals
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Myanmar is home to a wide range of mammals, including several species that are only found throughout this region. The heavily forested areas of Myanmar harbor leopards, several varieties of mongoose, gibbons and banteng, or wild cattle. Several varieties of bears also live in Myanmar, including Himalayan Bears, Asiatic Black Bears and Malayan Sun Bears.
Elephants
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Myanmar is a safe haven for a large portion of the world's elephants. Approximately 10,000 Asiatic elephants, almost a third of the world's elephant population, live in Myanmar. Most of the elephants here, about 6,000, work in the logging and agriculture sectors of the economy. While many elephant populations are on the decline around the world, the Asiatic elephant population has increased by more than 1,000 elephants since 1944.
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Reptiles, Sea Life and Birds
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Myanmar also boasts an impressive variety of reptiles, sea life and birds.
Over 52 species of venomous snakes live across Myanmar, along with several non-venomous varieties. The snakes here include the Burmese python, king cobra and the green viper.
Sea life in Myanmar includes four species of sea turtles, as well as dolphins and dugongs.
Over 687 resident and migratory bird species are present in Myanmar. Waterways and the southern peninsula are the major habitats for these birds.
Plant Life
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Over 1,000 plant species are native to Myanmar. Plants here are typically either monsoon forest or rainforest in origin. Monsoon vegetation is primarily deciduous, meaning it loses its foliage during the dry season. Rainforest vegetation, on the other hand, is part of the evergreen family. Most of the large vegetation in Myanmar consists of subtropical broadleaf evergreens or alpine scrub. Palm trees and hibiscus trees are also prevalent in the mangrove regions of the country.
Bamboo and Teak
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Myanmar is also home to an impressive variety of flowering trees--almost 25,000 species, including fruit trees and bamboo. Only China contains more varieties of bamboo than Myanmar. The most famous plant life in Myanmar is the teak tree. Myanmar contains 75 percent of the world's teak and thus is a major exporter of this valuable wood. China, Singapore and India are the primary consumers of Myanmar's teak.
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References
- Photo Credit elephant elephant image by Kirubeshwaran from Fotolia.com
