# Tropical rainforest, Singapore



## Draiman

_Macaca fascicularis fascicularis_:







Velvet worm of some sort:







Unidentified jumper:







Unidentified pisaurid or lycosid:







Unidentified cricket of some sort:








I apologise for having so few photos right now, but since I'm probably going back to the place this Saturday I'll be sure to post more. Sorry about the pisaurid/lycosid pic as well, I did take the spider home to snap a few photos, but since the spider came from the same place I thought I would post it.


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## Rick McJimsey

Awesome!
I can't wait for more pics!
Stupid question, but are the monkey thingies....friendly?lol


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## Draiman

Rick McJimsey said:


> Awesome!
> I can't wait for more pics!
> Stupid question, but are the monkey thingies....friendly?lol


Lol, I wouldn't call them friendly. In some places they can get *very* aggressive. As recently as last year, some people had their houses invaded and "burgled" by these macaques, and they were, surprisingly, not intimidated of people holding wooden sticks! If they were as large as gorillas I think humans in Singapore would be wiped out.


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## eelnoob

Great macro photography!! Love the jumping spider:drool:


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## Red Eyes

Great pics! Thanks for sharing (as I look out the window at the blanket of snow everywhere).


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## lukatsi

Great photos!
The velvet worm is very cool, please post more of them if you find


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## barabootom

Great photos.  I'm salivating for more.  Thanks.


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## Draiman

eelnoob said:


> Great macro photography!! Love the jumping spider:drool:


Thanks Mad About Cichlids  

Thanks everyone else of course. Here are a few more pics.

Weaver ant, _Oecophylla smaragdina_ (these are very aggressive):







Orb weaver of some sort:


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## T_DORKUS

Nice! :clap: :clap: :clap:
Thanks for sharing.


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## Draiman

T_DORKUS said:


> Nice! :clap: :clap: :clap:
> Thanks for sharing.


I'm not even done yet!


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## Draiman

Went hiking in the jungle again this afternoon and found this huge katydid (among other bugs).


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## Mike

Amazing photos.


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## Draiman

Mike said:


> Amazing photos.


Thanks. Here are some from today.

Some _Heteropoda_ sp.:







Tree jumper, _Phaeacius malayensis_, adult female:







Black-spined Toad, _Bufo melanostictus_:


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## Draiman

Mature male of a rather uncommon jumper species:


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## T_DORKUS

That last jumper is pretty cool- got any dorsal shots of it?  Would love to see what the rest of it looks like!


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## tarcan

stunning jumper! All the pictures are great, thank you for sharing them

Martin


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## Nich

It's a gummy jumper, ; P That is awesome.


Gavin said:


> Mature male of a rather uncommon jumper species:


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## gadunka888

Awesome pics!!!:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: 


i like the one with the velvet worm.


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## Draiman

Thanks everyone. Figured I might as well post this too:


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## burmish101

Great pics, especially the velvet worm and jumpers. I cant wait for velvet worms to hit the hobby some day those things are very cool.


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## Shrike

Great pictures!  Thanks for sharing.


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## Apophis

Very nice shots Gavin!


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## Draiman

Apophis said:


> Very nice shots Gavin!


Thanks!

Pics from today's hike.







A male grooming his lady's, uh, _genitalia_:


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## zes

oh wow, i never knew there are such beautiful bugs in singapore. I guess the next time i go back there I ought to take a more careful look o.o


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## gadunka888

Awesome pics!


Here are some insects and animals from singapore( the pics are horrible)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35209309@N06/3371205341/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35209309@N06/3370212366/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35209309@N06/3373843225/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35209309@N06/3374688662/in/photostream/

The scorpion is native to singapore.


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## bluefrogtat2

great pics as usual gavin,love 'em
andy
ps the ant pic is amazing got an 8x10?lol


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## Marcink125

OMG!!!!! That red orbweaver is gorgeous.
Do you have more pics of it?


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## Miss Bianca

AWESOMEEEEEEEEE!!!


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## Draiman

Thanks for the comments everyone. Here's the larger size:


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## pato_chacoana

Truly amazing pictures Gavin! Thank you for posting them and congrats on your trip  

Best wishes,
Pato


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## Draiman

Thank you Pato.


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## Kugellager

@Draiman - Awsome macro photography! What kind of setup are you using? Do you have a specific macro lense or are you using a telephoto as a macro? Or do you just use a point and shoot?  They are all well lit and very sharp images.

If using an SLR camera what lense and F-stops are you using?

Once again - awsome photography!

John
];')


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## Draiman

Kugellager said:


> @Draiman - Awsome macro photography! What kind of setup are you using? Do you have a specific macro lense or are you using a telephoto as a macro? Or do you just use a point and shoot?  They are all well lit and very sharp images.
> 
> If using an SLR camera what lense and F-stops are you using?
> 
> Once again - awsome photography!
> 
> John
> ];')


Hey there John, thanks!  

I don't actually use any expensive gear. Simply a Nikon D40, 18-55mm kit lens, macro filter (10x magnification I _think_) and a flash diffuser. The diffuser plays a huge role.

For macro I typically go from f/8 to f/13. Beyond f/13, you get diffraction and you end up losing (some) sharpness, not to mention depth of field - I'm a big fan of bokeh (bokeh is the out-of-focus areas in a photo, but I'm sure you know this; I'm saying this more for the benefit of other members who may be new to photography )!

I do plan on getting the AF-S VR Nikkor 105mm Micro (they call it "micro", but it's really a macro lens; the lens isn't "micro" either - it's rather bulky and heavy) once I have enough cash though. Or perhaps the 60mm, also a macro lens.


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## Kugellager

Cool...so the diffuser is the key.  I have a Canon Rebel Xsi with an 18-55 kit lense as well...also have a Tamron 28-300 Telephoto which I use more often for the macro shots. I moved up to an SLR from a Sony DSC-F717 about a year ago and am still learning the SLR.

I must admit I have not played with my 18-55mm much in that respect...Will have to use that one more often.  I figured you didn't go way high in the F-stops because of the bokeh...It definitely makes the subject 'pop' when it is razor sharp and the background is unfocused.

Since I do not have a jungle to play in locally I usually do mine in a little photo stage I have fabricated for bug shots.  I use a couple of basic reflector lamps to which I set my white balance and use a subatrate as close to what I can find that will mimic the natural environment (for scorpions).

Your info will definitely help me with my " in the wild" macro-photography.

Thanks,

John
];')


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## WS6Lethal

FANTASTIC pictures. The jumper looks like he's wearing goggles!


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## Draiman

WS6Lethal said:


> FANTASTIC pictures. The jumper looks like he's wearing goggles!


Thanks.


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## Draiman

Me 







We found a number of these funnel-burrows in trees and tree stumps. There was a spider in this one, and it's now with me (sorry for the horrible quality; I didn't want the spider to get away).


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## JC50

The rain forest looks like a great place to find many interesting insects and animals.


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## MaartenSFS

I was under the impression that Singapore was quite small, although Hongkong is small and there's plenty to see there (But a lot bigger than Singapore). Where exactly did you take these photos? Also, WHAT WAS IN THE HOLE??? :?


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## Draiman

MaartenSFS said:


> I was under the impression that Singapore was quite small, although Hongkong is small and there's plenty to see there (But a lot bigger than Singapore). Where exactly did you take these photos? Also, WHAT WAS IN THE HOLE??? :?


Singapore is indeed tiny. From Wikipedia:

_"The Republic of Singapore is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 710.2 km2 (274.2 sq mi), Singapore, a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia, is by orders of magnitude larger than Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and Vatican City, the only other surviving sovereign city-states."_

This, coupled with the fact that 95% of Singapore's originally forested land has been cleared and urbanised, means there is actually very, very little rainforest left. In fact, about 50% of Singapore's animals have already gone extinct (including the tiger, _Panthera tigris_), many of which were endemic to the island, and this was only after the British authorities began to make records; even more were already extinct before that. Most of the island's forests now are secondary forest, with almost nil megafauna. There is very, very little primary forest left. It's a tragic situation. I am quite certain that some theraphosid species found in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia would have been found in Singapore as well (_Selenocosmia, Haplopelma_ sp.), had the rainforest not been so ruthlessly cleared.

But I digress. So why do you want to know where _exactly_ I took the pictures? Do you know Singapore well enough to know what I'm talking about if I were to give you the name of a place?

I'll try to get a picture of the spider I found in that burrow.


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## JC50

It is a shame that places like you speak of are being taken,all over the world and unfortunately species will and do become extinct,because of growing populations and sometimes greed alone.The big problem is that too little are aware of the ultimate price we all pay for these actions in so many ways.


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## MaartenSFS

Draiman said:


> Singapore is indeed tiny. From Wikipedia:
> 
> _"The Republic of Singapore is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 710.2 km2 (274.2 sq mi), Singapore, a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia, is by orders of magnitude larger than Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and Vatican City, the only other surviving sovereign city-states."_
> 
> This, coupled with the fact that 95% of Singapore's originally forested land has been cleared and urbanised, means there is actually very, very little rainforest left. In fact, about 50% of Singapore's animals have already gone extinct (including the tiger, _Panthera tigris_), many of which were endemic to the island, and this was only after the British authorities began to make records; even more were already extinct before that. Most of the island's forests now are secondary forest, with almost nil megafauna. There is very, very little primary forest left. It's a tragic situation. I am quite certain that some theraphosid species found in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia would have been found in Singapore as well (_Selenocosmia, Haplopelma_ sp.), had the rainforest not been so ruthlessly cleared.
> 
> But I digress. So why do you want to know where _exactly_ I took the pictures? Do you know Singapore well enough to know what I'm talking about if I were to give you the name of a place?
> 
> I'll try to get a picture of the spider I found in that burrow.


No, I don't know Singapore well enough, but was just curious because a friend joked that Singapore had no rainforest (He has been there) and there still seems to be something left after seeing your photos. Though, don't worry, most of the forest and rainforest in the world will be gone soon. The fact of the matter is that people are greedy and think only of the present.


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## Draiman

MaartenSFS said:


> No, I don't know Singapore well enough, but was just curious *because a friend joked that Singapore had no rainforest* (He has been there) and there still seems to be something left after seeing your photos. Though, don't worry, most of the forest and rainforest in the world will be gone soon. The fact of the matter is that people are greedy and think only of the present.


Your friend is right. Well, pretty much. There is some primary forest left, like I said earlier, but there is very, very little megafauna left, and the area is completely isolated from other (secondary) forested areas in the country. Also, due to granite quarrying in the past, the water table in the area is decreasing and the rainforest is drying up. Very unfortunately, most of the country's rare and endemic species are only, or predominantly, found in this isolated tract of primary forest. It's a tragic situation, like I said.


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## zes

which part of it? I can think of a couple of more forested areas. Is it one of the offshore islands?
You might want to check out an area rather near to Seletar reservoir, I don't exactly know the place name only know how to get there, there is a small nice marsh with lots of little critters (tonnes of mudskippers)


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## Draiman

zes said:


> which part of it? I can think of a couple of more forested areas. Is it one of the offshore islands?
> You might want to check out an area rather near to Seletar reservoir, I don't exactly know the place name only know how to get there, there is a small nice marsh with lots of little critters (tonnes of mudskippers)


Yeah, but most of those forested areas were previously cleared, and therefore now have very little animal life. For instance, the local population of _Lampropelma violaceopes_ is almost certainly completely diminished.


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## zes

yea its a pity, can't help it though, high population tiny land =\


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## Draiman

I finally got round to taking a few shots of this spider.

So, out of this hole:







Came this spider:







I'm not 100% certain about its identification, but it's most likely the common selenocosmiine, _Phlogiellus inermis_.


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## MaartenSFS

Nice.. I would guess the same as you. They supposedly have some species on the Chinese/Vietnam border. I'm considering going back to China.

Can you travel to Malaysia easy enough from Singapore? They have a lot more there.


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## Draiman

MaartenSFS said:


> Can you travel to Malaysia easy enough from Singapore? They have a lot more there.


Of course. Getting them across the border is the problem. 

I might move to Malaysia sometime in the not-so-distant future - it's spider wonderland over there.


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## MaartenSFS

Draiman said:


> Of course. Getting them across the border is the problem.
> 
> I might move to Malaysia sometime in the not-so-distant future - it's spider wonderland over there.


The big issue is, of course, finding a job (unless you are retired). Malaysia is truly insane, but has a lot of third world problems. It's best to live near a well-protected reserve or park that you can be sure won't be cut down anytime soon. That's what I would do if I went back to China.


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## Draiman




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## Draiman

Some dragonfly:







Unidentified jumper; could well be a new species:


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## Draiman

I have no idea what this is.


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## Treynok

These pictures look great and just the flora shots of the jungle make me want to go there lol, let alone all the insects and arachnids you find.


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## Matt K

I really like the jumper.  Jumping spiders may be among my favorites....


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## blooms

Draiman said:


> Of course. Getting them across the border is the problem.


SO how did you get them across the border?  I live in China and would love to be able to hop a train into southeast asia and get me some haplos or selenocosmias.  One can dream can't they?


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## MaartenSFS

blooms said:


> SO how did you get them across the border?  I live in China and would love to be able to hop a train into southeast asia and get me some haplos or selenocosmias.  One can dream can't they?


Actually you don't need to cross the border, they are found in Guangxi and Hainan, although I never found any myself.


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## JC

Very cool images. Wish I lived there.


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## Draiman

_Menemerus bivittatus_, adult female:













Here she began baring her chelicerae at a large, aggressive, carnivorous weaver ant, _Oecophylla smaragdina_:













Same individual:







Further down the broadwalk, I came across this brilliantly colored jumper. No idea what species he is though.







Some strange fly:


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## Draiman

Mature female _Telamonia dimidiata_.


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## Miss Bianca

How pretty Gavin!! 

Blackberry wallpaper-status..


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## Draiman

_Liocheles_ mother with 1st instar scorplings, _in situ_:







I found an entire communal group of these scorpions under a pile of rock slabs, at least 20 individuals of various ages and sizes.


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## Draiman

Ever wondered why everyone wants to emigrate to the tropics?


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