Tuesday 28 June 2016

Langkawi's Arachnid: Giant Forest Scorpion

While walking on this path in the rainforest of Langkawi, I heard a soft voice from below. "Hey you nitwit human! Look where you are stepping on!" I looked down on the ground. It continued babbling and I heard it saying, "...get off my path... this is our forest.. nitwit humans destroying our home ... get off!"

I looked at it and spoke to it softly, "Sorry pal for our existence and our crimes towards your forest. But yea, you are right about humans being nitwits. By the way, you are very beautiful looking creature. Please pose awhile for my camera."
Heterometrus spinifer

Heterometrus spinifer

Heterometrus spinifer

Heterometrus spinifer

It started to be impatient and it lifted up its telson.
Heterometrus spinifer


Thursday 23 June 2016

Nature Guides' Day Out

Some of the things we do as nature guides when there are no tours on that day or even for that week would be us being "tourists". Our plan for that morning was to tour around the cable car or Skycab to check out any new developments. We rarely go there. Somehow, we ended up on a forest trail instead of doing the touristy cable car thingy.

We explored the rainforest.

Our first delight on the trail was a Blue-Winged Pitta! It called and it was close. As usual how a pitta is like, it spied on us from behind the bush. We caught a glimpse of it when it flew out and then it dashed further into the forest. Typical pitta. 

Next...
Draco blanfordii

Draco blanfordii with dewlap

A strange colourful caterpillar which is my first time seeing it.
Colourful caterpillar


Resins from a timber tree
Not long after...
A "tourist" caught in the act!
And another "tourist"!
A creature moved and spotted on the ground.
Can you spot this creature?
Microhylas genus


Lastly,
Butterfly - Cupha erymanthis

The weather with grey cloudy sky was very kind to us except for the merciless mosquitoes. The entire area was quiet and we were the only tourists on the forest trail. We simply love this place during the Ramadan. At the same time, we were happy with our decision to ditch the Skycab plan after receiving an awkward treatment. We felt the warm welcome from Mother Nature and our time spent in the forest was worthwhile in the end.
Mandy, another nature kaki!

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