Fauna
Like the flora, the fauna of Thung Yai provides a specific mix of species with Sundaic, Indo-Chinese, Indo-Burmese and Sino-Himalayan affinities due to the sanctuary's particular biogeographic location.
Among the mammal species living in Thung Yai are Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar), various species of macaque (Macaca) und lutung (Trachypithecus), Tiger (Panthera tigris), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) and Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus), Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Gaur (Bos gaurus), Hog Deer (Cervus porcinus), Sambar (Rusa unicolor), Fea's Muntjac (Muntiacus feae) und Sumatran Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) as well as many bat species probably including Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai).
Banteng (Bos javanicus) and Wild water buffalo (Bubalus amee) are known to occur in the adjoining Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary and may exist in Thung Yai too.
Indications for the occurrence of Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) in the area are recorded from the 1980s, but have not been confirmed since then.
Bird species sighted in Thung Yai include White-winged Wood Duck (Cairina scutulata), Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos), Grey Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum), Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus), Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius), Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), Mountain Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus nipalensis), Lesser Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga humilis) and all six species of Hornbill (Bucerotidae) living in Mainland Southeast Asia.
The nomination for the two Wildlife Sanctuaries Thung Yai Naresuan and Huai Kha Khaeng to be a World Heritage Site lists some 120 species of mammal, 400 birds, 96 reptiles, 43 amphibiens and 113 species of fish, but research on the biodiversity in the sanctuaries is sparse.
Read more about this topic: Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary
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