Proboscis monkey - Nasalis larvatus at Bako National Park

I only have a video clip of Proboscis monkey found at Telok Paku in Bako National Park, Kuching. Since the Proboscis Monkey was perched high up on the tree canopy, I could not get a proper still photo of the monkey. He was obscured by leaves and I was quite a distance from it.

The Proboscis Monkey is endemic to Borneo's low elevation mangrove forests, swamps, and lowland riparian forests. A distinctive trait of this monkey is the male's large protruding nose from which it takes its name.

Anyway, below is a short clip on the Proboscis monkey that you can stumbled upon at Telok Paku beach.


YouTube: Proboscis live

Due to ongoing habitat loss and hunted in some areas, only about 7000 are known to still exist in the wild. In Sarawak, the population of this species has declined from 6500 in 1977 to only 1000 in 2006. The Proboscis Monkey is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Other names

While the official Indonesian name for this monkey is Bangkatan, an Indonesian nickname is 'monyet belanda', meaning 'Dutch monkey' or 'Orang Belanda', the Indonesian word for 'Dutchman', as Indonesians noticed the Dutch colonisers often also had a large belly and nose.

Side notes:

If you ever saw a photo of Proboscis monkey that is nicely shoot (like those appeared in National Geographic), I can tell you that it takes time for the photographer to stalk the monkey and take a picture of it. With slight noise, the monkey will move away. In addition, unless you too are perched on another tree, you will not get a clear photo from the ground due to obstruction by branches and leaves.

Special link:
* Proboscis Monkey Project by Kristina Medici

Black butterfly, Yellow Ixora

Photo of an unidentified black butterfly perched on petals of yellow Ixora flowers.



More on Ixora flowers: Ixora coccinea flower, Flame of the Woods, Jungle Flame

More on butterfly:
* Tropical Butterfly - Junonia Orithya Madagascariensis - Eyed Pansy - Blue Pansy
* Moths and Butterflies, Series #1

Sunset photo of Telok Assam, Bako National Park, Sarawak

Here are some shot on sunset at Telok Assam, Bako National Park, Sarawak. For great sunset photos, be at the beach between 6:30pm until dark.

On most days, the beach spread far outward the sea due to low tide.


Zooming toward the mountain with a fishing boat in the foreground.



Normal shot from the beach. Take note of the clouds !



Another sunset photos shot toward Telok Paku.

Related post:
* Telok Assam, Bako National Park, Sarawak

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Telok Assam, Bako National Park, Sarawak

Below are some photos taken at Bako National Park, Sarawak. The spot is midway between Telok Assam and Telok Paku at Bako National Park.

To reach the spot, you need to track around 0.4KM from from Telok Assam towards Telok Paku. Bako National Park is managed by Sarawak Forestry. Visit their site at www.sarawakforestry.com.

Once you reached Telok Paku beach, you might stumble upon Proboscis monkeys near the shore.


Afternoon sun glitter


Dead stumps on the shore line. The mountain peak at the background is Mt. Matang.


Dead stumps on the shore line


Dead stumps on the shore line. Left is Telok Assam and toward the right is Telok Paku (not visible)

Related post:
* Sunset photo ofTelok Assam, Bako National Park, Sarawak

More information on Bako National Park

Tropical Pond Damselfly (Enallagma civile)

The Damselflies below are the same one captured in different posture. The photo was shot at a pond. Another challenging shot because the damselfly are so tiny like no bigger than a match stick.


12x zoom: Damselfly perched on a tiny twig


12x zoom: Damselfly perched on a tiny twig


Sport mode: Damselfly in mid flight

UPDATES:
* Dec 09, 2008: Red cyan tropical damselfly - Series #2

Tropical Gerridae - Water Skaters

The family Gerridae contains insects commonly known as water striders, water bugs, magic bugs, pond skaters, skaters, skimmers, water scooters, water skaters, water skeeters, water skimmers or water skippers.

These are predatory insects which rely on surface tension to walk on top of water. They live on the surface of ponds, slow streams, marshes, and other quiet waters. They can move very quickly, up to 1.5 m/s.

Tropical spider - Series #1

This is the first series on Tropical Spider. Not the best photo but the only one that is clear. The rest of the photos are either blurred or out-of-focus.

The background are the flower pots.

It was a difficult shot as the spider is so tiny and it keep moving. Macro shot is not easy if the object is tiny as the camera processing logic seems to focus better on larger object or better coloured object.



Rest assure, there will be more series on Tropical Spider. Keep visiting this blog for updates.

Updates:
* Sep 10, 2008: Common Huntsman Spider - Series #2

Photo of Pristella maxillaris - X-ray fish - Series #2

This is the second series on photos of tropical freshwater X-Ray, transparent fish or glass fish. The fishes are probably belonging to the species Pristella maxillaris.


Cropped, X-Ray fish (Pristella maxillaris)


Cropped, X-Ray fish (Pristella maxillaris)

Related posts:
* Tropical Transparent Fish - Glass Fish - X-Ray Fish - Series #1

For more hi-resolution photos, check out my Flickr Fish Gallery #1 or Fish Gallery #2

Photo taken at Sarawak Museum Aquarium.