Natural History Notes

A young Ghost's Foot Tree. Mature trees can reach 12 feet high. The unusual looking leaves of this palm-like tree makes it easily identified amongst the diverse trees in the rainforest. The leaves are broad, reaching 1 feet in diameter, and are borne in whorls at the end of the branches. Each leaflet of the palmately lobed leaves is narrowed near the base before broaden again,  forming a distinctive shape resembling a footprint or snowflake. It is a sparsely branched tree, and the slender stem is dotted with many conical spikes. The umbellate inflorescence consists of numerous stalked whitish flowers. Flowers and inflorescence of Ghost's foot Tree. In Sumatra, peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, Ghost’s Foot Tree ( Trevesia sp. ) is also known as Pohon Tapak Hantu, Daun Tapak Rimau and Kruang Davud. Several species are native to this region such as Trevesia burkii , T. cheirantha and T. palmata. Because of its unique leaves, it is sometimes used as an ornamental plant. In trad

The sparrow-sized Black-thighed Falconet is one of the smallest raptor in this part of the world. It is identified by its very small size, black ear covert, and white underparts washed with rufous. Juvenile has white parts of the head strongly tinged with rufous.  Black-thighed Falconet on a stag. Because of its unobtrusive characteristics, it is usually overlooked by most people. Sometimes, especially from some distance away, it might be confused with a shrike , but the latter generally stays closer to the ground. Juvenile Black-thighed Falconet This tiny raptor favours forest clearings and survives well near human settlements with lots of trees such as villages and agricultural land. It sits and waits on exposed perch such as a dead tree, and sometimes on telephone pole or wire. From this vantage point, it scans around for its favourite food including dragonflies or butterflies which it usually catches on the wings. Related Post Types of Birds: Shrikes

A stingless bee collecting resin. Stingless bees are widely distributed in tropical regions, but they are most diverse in Southeast Asia partly due to the high numbers of resinous trees. They collect resins, such as those from dipterocarps trees in the rainforest, to be used as construction material for their nest which are built inside tree trunks. Resins also serve as protective material that deters predators including ants and wasps from attacking their colony. A stingless bee visiting Asystasia flower. Like honeybees, stingless bees feed primarily on nectar, but they are also known to opportunistically take honeydew, fruit juice, and carrion, among many others. When visiting tubular flowers, they habitually cut a hole near the base of the flower using their mandible, for easier access to nectar source. Locally, stingless bees are known as lukut (Philippines), kelulut (Malaysia) and emmu (Sulawesi). Locals have been rearing these social bees for honey usi

Blooming Rafflesia keithii Rafflesia is a remarkable plant not only because of its huge flower but also due to its unusual life history. Found in forested areas across southeast Asia, this parasitic plant lacks leaves and stem. As such, it is incapable to produce its own food via photosynthesis. Instead, it fully relies on its host, a ground rooted woody vine also called lianas. It penetrates its host using specialized root-like structure known as houstoria, spreading into the host’s vascular tissue to gain access to nutrients and water. Rafflesia flower bud The unisexual flower grows up to 3 feet wide and weighs up to 10 kilograms or so. Blooming occurs for less than a week, and like most flowers, Rafflesia flowers produce smell to attract insects. But unlike most flowers, the smell is unpleasant and often likened to the smell of carrion. Reportedly, this foul smell attracts its pollinator, a type of flies that travel over large distance and live for a few days, making

The multiple fruit of the Indian Mulberry The Indian Mulberry, also known scientifically as Morinda citrifolia is a valuable tree because almost all of it parts – leaves, fruits, barks and roots, are useful as a source of food, medicine and dyes. The young leaves are eaten as vegetables in Thailand and Indonesia. The fruit is also edible, but it is unpopular partly due to its unpleasant smell and mainly eaten during famine. Before the advent of modern dyes, the roots and barks were important source of dyes particularly for batik production in Java.  The flowering head of the Indian Mulberry contains many flowers. In traditional medicine, Morinda citrifolia has been used to treat a wide array of diseases and conditions that affect the digestive and respiratory system, as well as healing skin problems and wounds. In recent times, studies have shown that the seeds of Morinda citrifolia contain linoleic acid, a type of fatty acid which provides many health benefits inc

Ants construct their nest in a wide array of locations such as in soil, wood and trees. Weaver ants, unlike other tree dwelling ants, build a remarkable nest by "stitching" together leaves using silk from their larvae. Red weaver ants (Genus Oecophylla) Working as a team, workers pull and bend leaves using their strong mandible. Other workers carry larvae and then gently squeeze them with their jaw to secrete silk which will glue the leaves together. Occasionally a leave might be out of reach for a worker to grab. In such cases, several individuals will hold on to each other, forming a living bridge. Nest of the weaver ants. Weaver ants are beneficial to humans too. The larvae, also known as ant eggs because of their shape and whitish color, are eaten by people in Indo-China. Because weaver ants are very protective of their nest and will not hesitate to bite when disturbed, they are useful as a natural pest control. Indeed, farmers are known to deliberatel