WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Cob Web & Morning Mist

Simply Pretty - Actias maenas

I was amazed by this beautiful creature early in the morning. Over excited! That is what i feel when i saw this moth on the wall of our house in the camp site. It was really really and totally amazed me. This was my first encounter of this species of moth. I tried to Google it and at first i didn't find any match images on the net. I keep on searching and finally i found a brief info about this species.

Actias maenas, also known as Actias leto, can be found from north-central India east to Malaysia and from there it ranges south to Borneo. The subspecies A. maenas diana can be found on Sumatra and Bali. Actias maenas is quite variable in coloration throughout its range. In addition, the females have much shorter tails and fewer markings, making them look like a different species. In the wild, larvae feed on the foliage of Averrhoa, Schima, Adinandra, Canarium, and Turpina but have been reared in captivity on many other species, including Cider Gum (Eucalyptus gunnii) and Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata). This huge moth prefers lowland forests and is not easy to find. - Quote from God of Insects.

Interesting isn't it? God creates such a pretty creature on this earth. I still feel i am very luck this time cause i found this new species of moth. My first encounter. Feel happy and proud of it. (^___^).. Till then. 

Tagal System - Pelian Fish

I am so sorry for the post that i deleted yesterday. It suppose to be a video of the fish that i took but an error occurred when i upload the video here. So, today i do a posting on the same title. A collection of few photos and my experienced with all the fishes. I did wrote about the story of Tagal System before in my post: Swimming With The FISH - Tagal System. That was a year ago. I often visit this village and if i have time, i will spent my time visit the stream/river next to this village.

 According to the villagers, this year is the 3rd year of the establishments of this Tagal in their river. So, this year is suppose to be the harvesting year. However, the river always get flooded and the fish often brought by the water to the down river. But, as you can see the fish is quite large in size already but this species, they called them Pelian Fish can grow as large as half meter long. This one still very small, it's only about 20cm.

 As we reach the river bank, suddenly all the fish came out. They seems to aware of our present and i am sure they know that we will feed them. Maybe because they already get used of it. If people come by, they will get free food. He he he... But, this time something more interesting to be experienced by us. The villager told us that the fish is now tame. They are not afraid of people anymore but still not that tame ya.So, we want to see and experienced it by ourself.

 I told my friend that i want to step into the river and feed them there. I want them to come near to me and eat from my hand. As a few seconds, more fish come and tried to steal the food from my hand. I just keep it in my hand and let them get it from there. 

 I am kinda overexcited and as you can see, there a lots of fish around me. What a great experienced. I wish i brought my clothes and swim with them there. Ha ha ha... 

Mission to Complete

Dear Blogger Friends,

I have decided to offline for a while from blogging world. Not for a long time but only for 87 days. I have a mission to be completed this coming 87 days...mmm...nope..it's 85 days left now.

So, i may not update this blog regularly since i need to concentrate with my mission. I create new blog dedicated to this mission at: MY 87 DAYS MISSION. If you guys wonder what is my mission visit this blog. Yai! I really need to work hard on it.

Wish me luck guys! Till then!

Dragonfly

Dragonflies and damselflies are among the largest and most colourful insects. They are carnivorous and can hunt prey while flying about. They breed in water. The eggs hatch into a brown nymph which spends up to four years in the water before emerging as the colourful adult. Both are belong to the order Odonata. Order Odonata divide into three suborders: Zygoptera, the damselflies; Anisoptera, the dragonflies; and Anisozygoptera, a group somewhere in between the two. The Anisozygoptera suborder includes only one or two living odonates.

Dragonflies and damselflies are large or moderate sized predaceous insects. The body is long, often slender. The head is big with very large and prominent eyes. The antennae are thin and very short. They have four wings which are approximately the same size. The wings are membraneous with many veins. They have six legs with hooks. Hooks are also found on the tail end of males for clasping females. Nymphs of dragonflies and damselflies are aquatic.

How to differentiate between these two suborders? Here is some information that you can use to identify whether it is dragonflies or damselflies.

i. Dragonflies are big and acrobatic in flight. They like to attract attention. Damselflies are small and dainty and only fly short distances.

ii. Dragonfly resting or feeding holds its four wings straight out from its body. Damselflies at rest hold their wings folded or slightly spread, but close to their bodies.

iii. The fore and hind wings of a damselfly are the same shape. They all have narrow bases at the point of attachment to the abdomen. The wings of a dragonfly are different shapes. The fore wings have narrow bases while the hind wings are wide at the base.

iv. The aquatic nymphs of dragonflies and damselflies are also different. Nymphs of the damselflies have three tails like projections. These are gills, and are absent in dragonfly nymphs.

Hope this info will help those who did not know about this pretty insects. This three photos are the best shots that i ever did for a dragonflies. I never success to capture any of their photos before. I was lucky that this guy did not move while i am trying to get closer to him. Next time i will try to get a photos of damselflies but i know it will be more difficult to get. Till then!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY -- Another Ferns

Cricket Again?

 Trying to hide from me. He turn his back and ignoring my existence. Perching on the wild orchid's flower.

Me? Still trying to get his photos. Behind the petals of the flower hiding Mr. Ant. Moving so fast until i missed him in both of my photos. It's okay Mr. Ant, i will get you some other time. Till then!!

1000 visitors from 47 countries

First of all, i want to thanks all my viewers, friends from near and far for viewing and visit my site. At 2240 hrs today my site has reach 1000 visitors from 47 countries counted since 27th March 2010. This widget i add to my blog 4 months ago just to know which country is my viewers were from.

The highest viewers must be from my own country, friends from Malaysia with 364 views, followed by United States with 291 views and United Kingdom with 150 views.

Thank you so much for all of your support and i will keep on update my blog with more stories and photos of wildlife of Borneo. It is my passion and i will keep on doing it. I love nature so much and will share it with all of my viewers. Till then!!

Hunting Butterfly..... Again!

After I saw Mr. Green Cricket, i met this little friend not far from me. I want to take his picture while his wings flipped but he seems to be avoiding me. I tried my best to get his shots and these two is some of it. I still remember early this year i did hunt for a butterfly photos as well. See Hunting Butterfly where i captured a butterfly photos on flowers. Hmm..still i find it is difficult to get pretty picture of Mr. Butterfly. It is okay, i will keep on tried my best to get another one after this.

A tiny one with brown in colour. There was a big round eyes on the back of the wings. It is for sure just to do some camouflage and protect him from his predator. 

I will not give up Mr. Butterfly, i will get another species next time. There are a lots of different species of butterfly in Bornean forest. Till then!

Comouflage & Mimicry by Mr. Green Cricket

Camouflage and mimicry are adaptations some animals use as protection from predators. An animal that uses camouflage looks like things in its environment. It might look like a leaf, a twig, or a rock. Animals that use mimicry use colors and markings to look like another animal.

That is what Mr. Green Cricket doing. They just look like the green leaf where both of them perch. I almost overlook them for my first glance but then i realize there was something on the leaf. 

Just looks like the green leaf. The coloration is really similar. 

However, i only got the chance for about two minutes to captured their photos. This two is the best that i can get. They really gave me their best pose. Enjoy their photos. Till then. 

Spider Web & Mr. Spider

As early as 6am in the morning when we enter the forest we will see them on the ground. Sometimes we just ignore their occurrence because we want to see something more interesting without realizing that they are great as well. As part of the forest resident, i may say they are quite amazing. Below i post a few shots that i took during my recent trip into the forest of Sabah. 

This web is quite thick and big on the ground. Because of the morning mist, the web covered by the mist. 

They even make a web on the small Mimosa pudica trees. 

I love this one very much because even though the water drops on the web, it still can stays there. Quite tough structure for a spider web.

Suddenly, one of them came out. Maybe he notice my presence there and feel uncomfortable. But then, i manage to get the shots of this spider. 

See, it looks very pretty. 

I left him alone and hope i didn't step on any of them while i am walking on that trail. Anyway, it was great to realize and acknowledge they are part of the nature in any forest that i visit. Till then.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Logging Truck

Fungi Collections - Part 1

I did wrote two entries about fungi before. There were three related posts about fungi with the title WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - FUNGI, Fungi - Consumable or Poisonous? and Fungi - Consumable or Poisonous 2. But for this post i change the title to Fungi Collections because i can not give information on consumable or poisonous fungi. So, with this entry i just want my reader to see the different species or type of fungi that i found when i walk in the Borneo rain forest. To share how diverse we are with so many species of plants and animals. 

Here are three different species of fungi that i found during my recent trip to one of the forested area where i work. As far as i know these three species is not consumable but i am not sure if all of it poisonous. I can't tell more info about it. Huh! Will come up with more of my fungi photo collections after this. Enjoy!