Thank you for sharing. I was there the day you took the picture of the colugo - I still remember Rhett's excitement when he called us to say that there was one on a tree, right in front of the ladder. I have not been back in more than 20 years either, but hope to go in early April, with my wife and (now 15 yo) son. Still missing Sarawak and the forest every day!
Hi Martin. Yes, Rhett got us moving fast when he told us about it. Was it one of the days we were planning the Pulong Tau expedition? Let me know what you see in April please. I heard recently that Lambir has lost a lot of its strangler figs because the seed dispersers are few in number now.
Thanks for this. I've been fascinated by figs since learning the fruit usually contain wasp larvae that serve as a source of protein for apes and monkeys.
Hi Amanda. Apes and monkeys (and more than 1000 other species) prefer to eat ripe figs, which contain no wasp larvae (they will have already turned into the next generation of adult wasps, the females of which will have flown away). Some animals will eat unripe figs if they are short on other food supplies, so they would get the added protein from larvae, but those figs won't taste as sweet.
Mike,
Thank you for sharing. I was there the day you took the picture of the colugo - I still remember Rhett's excitement when he called us to say that there was one on a tree, right in front of the ladder. I have not been back in more than 20 years either, but hope to go in early April, with my wife and (now 15 yo) son. Still missing Sarawak and the forest every day!
Martin.
Hi Martin. Yes, Rhett got us moving fast when he told us about it. Was it one of the days we were planning the Pulong Tau expedition? Let me know what you see in April please. I heard recently that Lambir has lost a lot of its strangler figs because the seed dispersers are few in number now.
It may have been... can't remember exactly.
I'll try to do that... although I won't go in very deep and I might not be able to tell. Still, will aim to be your fly-on-the-tree in Lambir!
PS: if you happen to be in the region, you have a home in Perth!
Thanks for this. I've been fascinated by figs since learning the fruit usually contain wasp larvae that serve as a source of protein for apes and monkeys.
Hi Amanda. Apes and monkeys (and more than 1000 other species) prefer to eat ripe figs, which contain no wasp larvae (they will have already turned into the next generation of adult wasps, the females of which will have flown away). Some animals will eat unripe figs if they are short on other food supplies, so they would get the added protein from larvae, but those figs won't taste as sweet.