Flora and Fauna
In the upper and middle reaches, the river flows through dense tropical forests; the forests are rich in flora and fauna and are the subject of international research. Discoveries of new species are frequent, such as of the Kapuas mud snake (Enhydris gyii), which was discovered in 2003–2005 by the German and American herpetologists. This species is remarkable in that it can spontaneously change its skin color, similar to the chameleon.
About 300 species of fish have been identified in the river, of which 234 are of high economical value. They belong to 120 genera and 40 families with the two major groups being carp and catfish. More than 30% of the species originate from the sea and inhabit the delta areas. Owing to the warm climate and abundance of food, most fishes breed all through the year with only a few species like fire eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia) having certain reproduction periods. The number of individuals per species is relatively low. The large variety of species may be explained by the fact that some 6,000 years ago, the Kapuas River was connected to the rivers of South Sumatra, Java and Malay Peninsula. Apart from fish, there are numerous crabs, prawns, water striders and other aquatic insects. The rich flora and fauna results in very complex food chains, with fishes consuming foods ranging from fruits to other fish. For example, Hemirhamphodon pogonognathus feeds exclusively on terrestrial insects. The abundant fruits and seeds enter the river after falling from large trees which bend over its waters. The feeding habits of the fish in the Kapuas River are distributed as follows: 54% are omnivores; 36% are carnivorous and eat other fish (14%), insects (5%) and mixed small forest animals (17%). The remaining 10% are herbivorous, with 4% of them specialising in algae.
Otters and crocodiles are common in the Kapuas River, but frogs are nearly absent. Agile Gibbon (Hylobates agilis), Müller's Bornean Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri), Prevost's Squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii) and treeshrews inhabit the trees above the river.
There are two national parks on the river banks, Betung Kerihun with an area of 8,000 km² and Danau Sentarum (area 1,320 km²), the latter includes the Kapuas Lakes.
Read more about this topic: Kapuas River
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