Rare mammals recorded in Borneo – Malaysia

While on a wildlife-watching trip to Sabah, Borneo, May 21 to June 5, 2011, Jeffrey Harding and I saw several rare and endangered mammal species whose distributions are not well known. Following is a list of the rarest ones with notes on location, elevation, and conservation status. Elevations were taken with a Barigo altimeter. Conservation status notes are based on IUCN (2011). Taxonomy follows Wilson & Reeder (2005). Evidence included field notes and photographs for most species mentioned below. I offer these notes in case they may be of use in future conservation efforts or distribution studies.


Rare mammals recorded in Borneo -Malaysia
While on a wildlife-watching trip to Sabah, Borneo, May 21 to June 5, 2011, Jeffrey Harding and I saw several rare and endangered mammal species whose distributions are not well known.Following is a list of the rarest ones with notes on location, elevation, and conservation status.Elevations were taken with a Barigo altimeter.Conservation status notes are based on IUCN (2011).Taxonomy follows Wilson & Reeder (2005).Evidence included field notes and photographs for most species mentioned below.I offer these notes in case they may be of use in future conservation efforts or distribution studies.
Order: Carnivora Small-toothed Palm Civet, Arctogalidia trivirgata stigmaticus: not listed as endangered, but population decreasing and range poorly known.I photographed (Fig. 1) one at night on the middle Kinabatangan River feeding on figs.Unlike the illustrations in Payne et al. (1985) and Francis (2008), this individual has thin, dark lateral bars on its sides and stripes on the side of its neck, in addition to the usual dark longitudinal stripes on the back.

Orangutan,
Pongo pygmaeus (endemic, endangered): two groups along the middle Kinabatangan River: a female with a juvenile, and a lone male.
Proboscis monkey, Nasalis larvatus (endemic, endangered): Six troops along the middle Kinabatangan River and one troop of the alpha male, at least three adult females and several infants and juveniles on the Klias River.

Slender treeshrew, Tupaia gracilis (endemic):
Poring Hotsprings, Kinabalu National Park, 800 m.The species is difficult to separate from the Lesser Treeshrew, Tupaia minor, without taking foot or skull measurements, but a photograph (Fig. 6) shows a long, narrow tail and colouring exactly as pictured and described by Payne et al. (1985).We believe we saw both species at this location but obtained no photographs of T. minor.A highlight of our trip was a flood that put our camp on the middle Kinabatangan River and much of the surrounding lowlands under water, concentrating terrestrial wildlife on a hill behind our camp.Among them was a large herd of bearded pigs, Sus barbatus.
Driving around Sabah by car, boat, and bus, it was easy to see why so many mammals are endangered.From Sepilok to the middle Kinabatangan River by car-a straight-line distance of about 80 km-the road was lined with palm oil plantations that often stretched to the horizon.Along the river itself, authorities, with cooperation of local people, have tried to protect a corridor of intact primary forest, with some success.Even so, in many places, the palm oil and logging companies have bull-dozed right to the river's edge.