Plants & Animals Found in the Dipterocarp Forests

Orangutan commonly live among trees of the Dipterocarpaceae family.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

According to the Rainforest Relief website, the majority of Asia's rainforests are dipterocarp forests; and trees from the Dipterocarpaceae family account for 80 percent of their total tree populations. These tropical, hardwood trees live long lives and can grow to exceptional heights. Most importantly, the trees within dipterocarp forests create habitats for a variety of other organisms.

Ensurai

One of the trees in the Dipterocarpaceae family that provides benefits for other plants and animals within dipterocarp forests is the eunsurai (Dipterocarpus oblongifolius). The ensurai commonly grows along riverbanks and can reach heights of approximately 131 feet. As the government of Sarawak's official website notes, while the twisted trunks and branches of ensurai trees provide climbing spaces for plants like ferns, orchids, hoyas and rhododendrons; the reddish, winged fruits of the trees provide food for fish.

Unlike most trees in the dipterocarp forest, "strangler" figs (Ficus, multiple species) begin their lives on the branches or in the nooks of other trees, such as those in the Dipterocarpaceae family. According to Blue Planet Biomes, the figs then send out multiple thin roots, which snake down and around host trees until eventually reaching the soil. These parasitic trees can reach 148 feet in height, and their waxy leaves typically block their host trees' access to the sun; effectively "strangling" the host trees to death.

The large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is the largest species of fruit bat in the world. As The Telegraph website states, a full-grown large flying fox can achieve a wingspan of 6 feet. While having their largest populations in the dipterocarp forests of Malaysia, these flying foxes also inhabit other parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand. The large flying foxes live amongst the trees and have diets made up of fruits, flowers and leaves. As The Telegraph mentions, the flying foxes are important to the forest biome, as they pollinate many of its plants.

Perhaps the most well-known animal found in the dipterocarp forest is the orangutan. The orangutan is a long-limbed great ape with reddish-orange hair and curved hands and feet. It is the largest tree-dwelling animal in the world. According to the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, a full-grown male orangutan can weigh up to 200 lbs. and reach 4 1/2 feet in height, while a female can weight up to 110 lbs. and reach 4 feet in height. While there are two different species of orangutan, the Sumatran (Pongo abelii) and the Bornean (Pongo pygmaeus), you can only distinguish between the two using DNA testing.