Borneo - Sabah, Sarawak

[The Snark]

OP, I remember the moths hitting the windows. Panic! We're maiming these beautiful animals! So we turned the lights off and sat there in the dark getting eaten alive by mosquitoes we couldn't see to smack at and where they were getting into the room.

Sorry I meant two narrow. Great pics Dark Raptor, I'm loving this thread.

Later, Tom

Seem to narrow (down, become smaller, lessen), or, seem too narrow (too small for this species)?
As metatarpal of the Latrodectus compared to the Steatoda.

 

[Philth]

Seem too narrow (too small for this species)

 

[The Snark]

Seem too narrow (too small for this species)

I've been trying to keep up with these little identifiers that are so obvious to people oriented with them. It's like when I had 45 head of horses in the corrals and would offhandedly tell someone to 'go get Peanuts over there... that roan' and the person would be bewildered at what was so obvious to me.

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

Awesome pictures! And yes, Tom's right, that's not a Lampropelma species. Looks terrestrial, beyond that I have no idea.

 

[Micrathena]

Blowin' my mind! I love the jumping spiders! So diverse...

 

[Dark Raptor]

Thank you

Awesome pictures! And yes, Tom's right, that's not a Lampropelma species. Looks terrestrial, beyond that I have no idea.

Maybe a new, undescribed species... I should return there and capture more specimens, this time not only in the pictures

This time various animals and plants set:

Endemic Rhododendron, Kinabalu National Park.

Young mangrove trees, Kota Kinabalu

Malayan tiger Panthera tigris jacksoni. Lok Kawi.

Gibbons, Lok Kawi.

Dried fish, Gaya Island.

Palm leaf. Kota Kinabalu.

Myrmecophilous plant, Kinabalu National Park.

Another shot, with longhorn beetle taking off...

Jumping spider, Mulu.

Lizard, Mulu.

 

[Smokehound714]

Holy crap, that's a good shot. That's easily your best of the entire set, IMO.


I would continually pinch myself if i were there, it just wouldnt feel real to me.. You guys'r living the dream!

spectacular photographs!

 

[Dark Raptor]

Holy crap, that's a good shot. That's easily your best of the entire set, IMO.

Thanks I hope, these are better

Darkling beetle, Kinabalu National Park.

I would continually pinch myself if i were there, it just wouldnt feel real to me.. You guys'r living the dream!

spectacular photographs!

There were animals, taking care of that

Nasty Dorcus sp. stag beetle, Kinabalu National Park.

Land leech, Kinabalu National Park.

 

[The Snark]

Re: the Leech. The most amazing animal in the world.
-It can barely move, walking on it's 'head' and the end of it's tail, yet it sometimes can move faster than the speed of light as they converge on you the moment you sit down.
-They can apparently live on air. Billions suddenly attacking your campground in virtually animal free zone near the upper limits of the tree line areas of the Himalayas... but what do they eat when they can't find the rare mammal up there?
-They can squeeze through microscopic holes. Go ahead and duct tape your boots and socks. You will still find leeches when you take them off.
-They don't have eyes or noses but will unerringly converge on your body.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Luckily it was a dry season and I found (or they found me) only three specimens

(...)
-They don't have eyes or noses but will unerringly converge on your body.

I can't agree with that. They've got one or more pairs of eyes and chemical receptors on the head provide a sense of smell.

Few years ago I was taking pics of water leeches, sometimes they had 8 or 10 eyes. It was very helpful in their identification.

 

[antinous]

First off, let me say I'm jealous beyond belief haha. It's been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to travel to Borneo and I hope once I finish my BS in zoology I'll be able to go there on an internship haha. I know this might be overstepping by limit, but was the trip particularly expensive?

Secondly, amazing pictures! I love the macros and I'm planning to get into photography! I especially love the macros!

 

[Dark Raptor]

Thanks

(...)I know this might be overstepping by limit, but was the trip particularly expensive?

I don't know how expensive are flights from US, but from Europe, it is possible to find a ticket for less than 400-500$, both ways.
When you get there, it is really cheap. We've been booking hostels via hostelworld.com ect. You can find bed, in 4 person room, for 2,5-5$/night. Food (except sea food - which is really strange thing in the city with seaport) is very, very cheap. We bought food at lokal markets. Sometimes 1$ for meal (rice, meat, vegetables... and a lot of sambal spicy sauce). In this climate, you don't eat too much... we spent more money on isotonic drinks (1$ for 2L). That saves your ass
Bus tickets, taxis, if you buy everything directly from the driver, are also very cheap. The same thing with local activities, botanical gardens, ZOOs ect.
The only thing that was so expensive that we didn't choose was climbing on Kinabalu Mountain. 300-400$ for two day trip...

So, if we are talking about something different than animals and plants. Few pictures showing more human environment... but also few landscapes.

My wife with captured echinoderm.

Canopy walk in Mulu National Park.

Sunset over Kinabalu National Park.

Fisherman in Kota Kinabalu port.

Water Village, Gaya Island.

Kundasang, small town near Kinabalu Mountain.

When you buy cruise directly from the fishermans, it is much, much cheaper than with travel agency. Gaya Island.

Klias River. Sabah.

Mamutik Island, near Kota Kinabalu.

"Slums" in Kota Kinabalu. People in Malaysia are extremely friendly. They welcomed us with the smile everywhere we came. You can feel save even in places avoided by most tourists.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Few pictures from the rainforest...

Ducula forsteni, Sabah.

Lutra sumatrana, Sabah.

Phyllomimus sp., Kinabalu NP, Sabah.

Zanna terminalis, Mulu, Sarawak.

Strangler fig, Sabah.

Crocodilus porosus, Sabah.

Nycticorax nycticorax, Sabah.

Unknown lizard, Kinabalu NP, Sabah.

...and another unknown lizard, Kinabalu NP, Sabah.

Unknown frog, Mulu, Sarawak.

 

[Greg Pelka]

Sabah is indeed an amazing place. With some short breaks I've spent there almost 1 year.
Getting there is not comlicated, sightseeing, tourism also. Malaysia is not a 3rd world country. It's 2 and a half

Darku, good that you're sharing your photos also here!

Greetings from short trips to Philippines! Soon, i'm flying back to Sabah

 

[Dark Raptor]

(...)Greetings from short trips to Philippines! Soon, i'm flying back to Sabah

Lucky man Now, I have only pictures... to wach again and again

Jackfruit

Waterfall near Kota Kinabalu

Assasin bug

Cyrtonops punctipennis

Palm plantations. Few years ago, there was a junge down there...

Rainforests dissapear with terrifying speed. During my trip, I saw these situations too often...

Anthropopression is really strong. I wish they could avoid mistakes we made in Europe...

Anoplophora elegans, another victim of anthropopression. Many interesting beetles, and most reptiles I found there, were "converted" to two dimensions.

Ants in their leaf-hive.

Orchid

 

[Scourge]

Fantastic photos! The Theraphosid is from the subfamily Selenocosmiinae, possibly Phlogiellus, or maybe even something new.