Think you know everything about the wildlife of Vietnam? Here you can prove your knowledge

As a country rich of biodiversity Vietnam has a lot in store. If you are planning to make a trip to Vietnam, make sure to keep some days left for an adventure through the country's unique wildlife. The swampy river deltas, coastlines, mountain rages and tropical rainforests are home to innumerable species of animals. Overall, that means 310 species of mammals, 296 species of reptiles, 162 amphibian species, 2000 species of marine fish and 700 freshwater species of fish. Also, there are about 889 species of birds and 310 species of land mollusks. In addition to this rich diversity of fauna there is a huge variety of flora as well. About 11400 species of vascular plants and 1030 moss species belong to the Vietnamese wildlife. But with habitat loss, poaching, and using endangered animals for traditional medicines approximately 10% of Vietnam's wildlife is threatened with extinction. If you want to make your vacation as unique as possible, you should look after the following animals, VIETNAM VISA ONLINE composed for you to make your trip to Vietnam as special as it can get.

Many species of the Vietnam wildlife are endangered

As you know now, there are a lot of species in Vietnam that are threatened with extinction. The following enumeration will give you a short overview over the most famous animals in Vietnam and which of them are endangered and which are not.

Great Hornbill

With a large casque on its beak, the Great Hornbill is one of 889 bird species that looks quite weird. As scientists found out, that it has no evident purpose they believe it grew because of sexual selection. Whether there is a purpose or not, you will not have any trouble recognizing this bird. He lives in hilly, old-growth forests all over Vietnam.

Tonkin snub-nosed Monkey

With its upturned nose, tufted ears, and thick pink lips the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey looks almost comical. The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey likes to hang out in groups of 25 to 80 individuals, moving through the trees searching for leaves, fruits, and seeds. Today it is one of the 25 most endangered primate species in the world as it is almost hunted to extinction.

Indian Elephant

Indian elephants are smaller than their African relatives. As their population shrank over the last three generations by almost 50% you will mostly find them in reserves or sanctuaries in the South of Vietnam.

Pygmy Slow Loris

These cute fluffy creatures with their big eyes are everywhere to find in Vietnam except for the Mekong Delta. They crawl along at a meager pace which gives them the name "slow loris", hunting at night for insects, sap, fruits, and nectar. When they are threatened, they freeze, which makes them an easy target for poachers. Their species is still endangered but luckily with a decreasing tendency.

Water Buffalo

With about three million individuals only in Vietnam, the water buffalo is everywhere to find in the rural aeras. As the workhorse of the Vietnamese, they till the rice paddies and haul cards of supplies. Water buffaloes are deeply entrenched in the Vietnamese traditions.

Asian Water Monitor

These species of monitor lizards live near water and can grow up to two meters long. With their powerful tales they can whip off threads and it makes them great swimmers. Because of their beautiful skin and the fact that they are not on the endangered species list, they are hunted for fashion accessories.

Red-shanked Douc

The Red-shanked Douc is the most colorful monkey among all species of primates. With their white forearms, black upper legs and red lower legs and their orange face they have a distinctive appearance and are considered "Queen of primates". They live in groups of 4 to 15 individuals high up in the jungles of central Vietnam. As they are hunted down for traditional medicine, they are critically endangered.

Sun Bear

Taking their name from the bib-shaped white-golden patch on their chest, sun bears are the smallest bears of the world with only 120cm to 150cm in length. Because of habitat loss from deforestation to poachers who hunt them for body parts and fur, their status is vulnerable. If you want to see a sun bear it is more likely to find them in a zoo as in the nature.

Wildlife in Vietnam is endangered

Reading about the many species on the endangered lists is horrific. Therefore, it is important to always keep in mind to behave like what is best to the animals once you go for a safari. If you want further information do not hesitate to contact us or inform yourself about many other topics on our blog.