Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, 4th to 6th May 2019.

Clouded leopard.

On the morning of the 4th, we were still in Kota Kinabalu and we visited the KK Museum before leaving for Mount Kinabalu, just a few hours drive. I photographed the clouded leopard on display because it was not very likely we would actually see one.

Chinese cemetery, KK.

On our way, I took this photograph of a Chinese cemetery from the moving bus. I had earlier missed photographing another, larger one as we passed it due to not being sufficiently alert. I was told they are on the tops of hills and I think facing North. The next two images are also taken from the moving bus.

Village in forest.

Forest in mist and cloud.

Unidentified moth.

I think we were still en route, though in the hills, and this was somewhere we stopped, probably for lunch.

Leaf litter.

This is the first image from Mount Kinabalu, which is also the location of all following images in this post.

Unidentified orchid.

In the late afternoon, we went for a walk along a road near where we were staying, albeit in the rainforest.

Roadside ferns on dead log.

This is a focus-stacked image. In other words, it combines many exposures at different pints of focus to get greater depth of focus than would otherwise be possible. Admittedly, I was a bit careless with the exposure and there is more noise than there should be (though not visible at small image size).

Unidentified mushrooms.

Another focus-stacked image, taken using a camera that largely automates the process of taking the exposures.

Rainforest foliage.

(Two images combined for depth of focus for this one).

Female Papilio memnon, Common name: Mormon.

We are now back at the Lodge, probably in or near the dining area.

Kuhl’s Creek Frog, maybe

Early next morning, we are on another walk before dawn. These exposures are by torchlight.

Unidentified frog.

In some cases there was very little light. This was 180mm, 1/400sec, f6.3 @25,600 ISO and is a 70% crop.

Spider’s web.

Funghi on log.

Mt Kinabalu.

(Now later in the morning). Mount Kinabalu lies within a World Heritage Site, Kinabalu Park. It is the highest mountain in Sabah at 4,095 metres.

Juvenile female leaf insect (Phylliidae).

Remarkable camouflage from this leaf insect. A 47 million year fossil indicates they have changed little over time.

Orchid.

In the afternoon we visited the local Botanical Gardens and I took some focus-stacked images of orchids.

Orchid.

“A recent botanical survey of the mountain estimated a staggering 5,000 to 6,000 plant species (excluding mosses and liverworts but including ferns), which is more than all of Europe and North America (excluding tropical regions of Mexico) combined.”.

Longicorn beetle: Family Cerambycidae, possibly Dihammus species.

In the evening we went for another night walk.

Unidentified Gecko.

Stick Insect – Phasmid.

Unidentified caterpillar.

Kinabalu Torrent Frog?

Unidentified Bird.

These last two images are near the Lodge, on the morning of the 6th.

Indigo Flycatcher.

Geckoes and Indri at Mantadia

Jul19

23rd October 2015. Mantadia, Madagascar.

We were due to head back to Tana but had enough time for another hour of two in Mantadia.

A day gecko playing hide-and-seek in the fronds…

An Indri, distant at first, then coming very close.

Indri have the most amazing calls, eerie and musical, echoing through the forest. You really appreciate how loud they can be when you are close. The calls travel several kilometres. Do have a listen to this audio recording.

This particular Indri was rescued as an infant and reared by rangers. They don’t usually come so close, just a few feet away.

Masters of Camouflage

Jul16

22nd October 2015. Mantadia, Madagascar.

Most images from deep in the rainforest of Mantadia National Park….

Young Indri high in the tree tops.

Young Indri leaping.

Indri.

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Collared Nightjar.

Leaf-tailed gecko. Uroplatus Fimbriatus or Uroplatus Giganteus. As our bus was very slowly passing, some roadside workers stopped our bus and called us over.

The Uroplatus species might be the same animal or might conceal a number of species.

OK, you probably can’t see it (and it is not in peak focus).

It’s clearer here. From the other side of the tree.

Perhaps you still can’t see it. Maybe try clicking on the image to expand.

You can see one of the rear legs now. The tail is beside it. The head is further down.

It is said they face downwards on the trunk so that avian predators cannot see their eyes from above.

Close-up of the eye and part of the head.

Less than technically perfect because it required focus stacking and I did not shoot enough images.

A vertical band at the far left is bark from the tree.

Stick insect.

Chameleon.

Back at Andasibe now, a chameleon by torchlight at night.

Frog, species unidentified.

Entering Mantadia

Jul16

22nd October 2015. Mantadia, Madagascar.

From Andasibe, we drove to the Mantadia National Park. This is not far but took some time because the condition of the road meant that we were driving at perhaps 20 km/hr. This is a glimpse of the town near Adasibe.

This image and the following three show people and views on the road to Andasibe.

Now in Mantadia National Park, an orchid.

An ants’ nest. On the side of a tree due to seasonal flooding on the ground.

Funghi, perhaps on a fallen log.

These flowers look a bit like those of the Australian shrub Correa but are the flowers of a vine.

Stick Insect.

Gecko.

Short-legged ground roller.

Chameleons and Lemurs at Andasibe

Jul15

21st October 2015. Andasibe, Madagascar.

Some images from the botanical wonderland in Andasibe National Park.

Giraffe-necked weevil.

Dragonfly.

Grasshopper?

Giant Day Gecko.

Chameleon, unidentified species.

Sparrow Hawk.

Boa.

Indri.

Perhaps a Vanga?

Area sacred to local peoples.

Parson’s Chameleon.

Not a Bamboo Lemur but a Brown Lemur eating Bamboo.

Fosa!

Jul7

(17th to) 18th October 2015. Kirindy, Madagascar.

The first three images are at nighttime by torchlight. They should really have been in the previous post for the previous day but I missed them because the time I had set on one of my cameras was out by seven hours.

You can see how this gecko could be fairly well camouflaged in the leaf litter. It is Mocquard’s Madagascar Ground Gecko or Paroedura bastardi. Why bastardi I have no idea.

A large spider on the trunk of a tree, no doubt well camouflaged in many situations.

Probably a Vanga.

Back in the morning of the correct day, this is a red-fronted lemur. This is how you grasp the trunk of a tree with your foot.

We came to Kirindy, with its very primitive accommodation, for a chance of seeing a Fosa (formerly, fossa). The fosa is Madagascar’s top carnivore.

It is about 1.7 metres in length, including the long tail. It mainly preys on lemurs, which comprise 50% of its diet.

Originally thought a cat or a civet or a mongoose, DNA has established it has an ancient ancestry with no close relatives. It has no problem climbing trees. It is widespread but rare in all locations and is thus vulnerable, especially to habitat destruction.

We walked around in the forest in the morning, hoping to see one, only to find it visiting the camp when we returned for lunch. The camp attendants were feeding it. Ah well, not truly a wild sighting but at least we did see one.

A bright magenta dragonfly.

Red-fronted brown lemur.

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Iguana – Opluris cuvieri.

Frogs, geckos and snakes at Peyrieras

Jun25

13th October 2015. Peyrieras Nature reserve, Marazevo, Madagascar.

There around 300 species of frog currently identified in Madagascar with many others identified by DNA analysis but awaiting description. Consequently, it is not surprising that I am unable to identify this one.

Golden mantella (red form).

This is a tiny frog. It is brightly coloured to warn of its poisonous nature but still has some predators. It is restricted to three small regions and is critically endangered.

This one of the three boa species in Madagascar, probably the Eastern Tree Boa. Madagascan boas are most closely related to the boas of Central and South America, which has been suggested as evidence for a land bridge at some ancient time between South America and Madagascar, through Antarctica.

This is the Nile Crocodile. Swimming is not advised because they have the most ferocious bite of any animal.

Unknown plated lizard or skink.

Giant Madagascar Day Gecko.

It is diurnal, whereas most Madagascan geckos are nocturnal, and reaches a length of 30cm.

Madagascan Flying Fox, the largest bat in Madagascar.

The leaf-tailed geckos show amazing capacities for camouflage. They commonly stay facing downwards on trees, possibly to avoid avian predators catching the glint of their eyes. Not sure of the identification of this one. The next three images are also of leaf-tailed geckos. We were later to see one in the wild.