The native wildlife that should be Singapore’s national animal
Recently, a netizen raised the question of what people would choose as Singapore’s national animal.
In a post on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group on 2 March, they specified that the animal has to be native to Singapore, but could otherwise even include insects.
Source: @ylint on Instagram
Answers ranged from serious choices such as otters to joking responses such as the annoying ‘uwu bird’.
Here are the top picks according to netizens, and what you should know about them.
1. Pangolins suggested as good choice for national animal
One netizen gave the classic pick of the Sunda pangolin, an adorable animal beloved in Singapore.
Source: Jamie Allott on Facebook
The most trafficked mammal in the world, there are only about 100 Sunda pangolins left in the country.
Due to their slow speed and Singapore’s increasing urbanisation, pangolins are at risk of being killed in road accidents.
Source: @ylint on Instagram
The BBC wildlife series ‘Asia’ has even featured the pangolins and Singapore’s conservation efforts.
2. Otters and their (alleged) embodiment of Singaporean lifestyle values
Another extremely popular answer was the smooth-coated otter.
Source: @ylint on Instagram
A commenter joked that it embodied Singaporean lifestyle values such as family togetherness and dining out.
Source: Facebook
Singapore’s otters are also arguably the most internationally recognised out of all the native wildlife.
They were featured in a BBC Earth documentary episode, which aired in April 2024.
Additionally, the turf wars between different otter families in Singapore’s waterways has caught the attention of international netizens, with one such Reddit video receiving nearly 84,000 upvotes.
As fearless as they are cute, otters have even been seen harassing much larger crocodiles.
Source: Bernard Photojournals on Facebook
3. The Asian koel: Singapore’s natural alarm clock
Another netizen suggested the animal with the most recognised call in Singapore — the Asian koel, also known as the ‘uwu bird’.
Source: Bird Society of Singapore
Both named and nicknamed after their distinctive calls, the koel is the bane of people trying to get some sleep after a long day.
However, it is unclear if the koel counts as a native species. Asian koels were previously recorded as a rare migrant in Singapore.
These birds are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species and outsourcing the childcare to them.
Koels parasite on the effort of house crows, which were introduced into Singapore’s ecosystem via escaping from captivity.
With their ‘hosts’ present in Singapore, the koels let themselves in as well.
Source: @BNHSIndia on X
4. The towering crane (not the bird)
Keeping in line with the bird theme, another netizen recommended the crane as Singapore’s national animal.
Source: Facebook
Oh wait, that’s a different kind of crane.
A denizen of the urban jungle, the tower crane is an ever-present sight in Singapore, particularly in its native habitat of construction sites.
It probably isn’t getting picked as Singapore’s national animal, though.
5. Freshwater crab: Singapore’s most unique native animal
The original poster (OP) also proposed an interesting candidate in the form of the Singapore Freshwater Crab.
Source: NParks
According to NParks, this crab species is entirely unique to Singapore, and is found nowhere else on Earth. It’s hard to get any more ‘native’ than that.
In 2012, the critically endangered Singapore Freshwater Crab was included as one of the world’s 100 most threatened species.
Conservation efforts are ongoing, with two generations of offspring produced as of 2023.
Source: Dr Tan Heok Hee via NParks on Facebook
A definite downside of the crabs would be their lack of cuteness compared to animals such as the pangolin and otter when it comes to public opinion.
Sadly, good looks do take you far in modern society.
Why Singapore’s national animal shouldn’t be the lion
Currently, Singapore doesn’t officially have a national animal, but it’s the lion for all intents and purposes.
Not only are we the “Lion City”, but Singapore’s coat of arms also uses a lion to symbolise the country. It stands opposite Malaysia’s national animal, the Malayan tiger, representing historical ties.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Singapore also has the iconic lion head symbol that sees frequent usage.
However, the lion as Singapore’s national animal comes with one significant problem — lions aren’t native to Singapore and likely never have been.
The other major animal mascot for Singapore is the Merlion, which isn’t even native to reality.
Source: Jay Ang on Unsplash
Numerous native wildlife species facing threats
Other names thrown into the ring included the king cobra, the endangered Raffles’ banded langur, and your noisy neighbourhood roosters.
Image courtesy of Dr Francis Seow-Choen
While it is highly unlikely that any of the suggestions will ever triumph over the lion in terms of national iconography, they do showcase Singapore’s wide native biodiversity.
Notably, quite a few of the animals brought up in this article face threats due to habitat loss and increasing urbanisation.
Image courtesy of Jamie Allott
Hopefully, we can appreciate our native wildlife enough to prevent what could be a national animal from disappearing from Singapore altogether.
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Featured image adapted from Jamie Allott on Facebook and @ylint on Instagram.
