Wildlife in Central Borneo from a Dayak Perspective

From April until June 2011 I tried to capture some of the rich wildlife that made the forest surrounding the OFI Care Center in Pasir Panjang, Central Kalimantan, its home. Yet this photo reel barely scratched the surface since the biodiversity in the forest was overwhelming. Dayak are the native people of Borneo and their knowledge of their forest and its inhabitants was historically important for their survival within the forest. Here is a compilation of Dayak knowledge concerning each of these creatures photographed within the forest. All names are written in the Pasir Panjang Dayak dialect unless otherwise stated.

Thanks to Pak Sia and Mr Henson for their help with the identifications. All photos copyright Tess Joyce and Orangutan Foundation International.

Local name: Keminting Sesandah, Pil kaki seribu (Indonesian) Pill millipede (English)

Habitat / Biological Information: Only found in South East Asia. Pill millipedes look similar to woodlice, except they have 13 body segments whereas woodlice only have 11.

Keminting Sesandah continued….

Interesting fact: If they are in danger they roll into a tight ball. This process is known as conglobation.

Local name: Rariau, Reriang (Indonesian), Cicada (English)

In the photo: This particular species of cicada has yellow eyes, but many cicadas have reddish eyes. Only a small number have yellow, white or blue eyes so this particular cicada was quite a rare find.

Local name: Sepucung bejopan, Ulat kantung (Indonesian) Bagworm (English)

Family: Psychidae

Habitat / Biological Information: Only female bagworms create of bag of sticks to live in. After they mate, they turn around in the bag, lay their eggs and die; their remains become food for the larvae.

In the photo: The female worm’s head can be seen poking out the top (looks like a sausage). This bagworm was seen dangling from a branch suspended from an ultra-fine silk.

Sepucung bejopan continued….

Habitat / Biological Information: The male bagworms have well-developed wings and can fly long distances looking for a mate. They live long enough to find a mate and then die, since their lack of mouth-parts prevents them from eating.

In the photo: Here, the female bagworm is attached to the side of the boardwalk in the jungle. The worm inside is not visible in this particular photo.

Local name: Bamba serawai, Kupu kupu malam (Indonesian) Atlas moth (English)

Species name: Attacus atlas

Habitat / Biological Information: Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area. Their wing spans can reach up to 30 cm in length.

Bamba serawai continued….

In this photo: Pak Sia, who is in charge of the diets of the orangutans, puts his hand up against the wall for comparison. Unfortunately Pak Sia has very large hands, which reduces the impact of the size of this exceptionally large moth!

Local name: Bunta sombah, Belalang sembah (Indonesian) Praying mantis (English)

Habitat / Biological Information: This particular species prefers hiding in green leaves where it can safely camouflage.

Local name: Bunta rating, Belalang ranting (Indonesian) Stick insect (English)

Order: Phasmatodea

Habitat / Biological Information: The greatest diversity of stick insects can be found in Southeast Asia and South America. Their greatest defense mechanism is camouflage and many replicate sticks or leaves. Some even perform a rocking motion which is thought to mimic swaying leaves or twigs. Other stick insects avoid predation by feigning death, and enter a motionless state for a prolonged period of time.

Local name: Kuwai, Bunglon (Indonesian), Chameleon (English)

Interesting fact: This species can change color; its blue color matches the tiles beneath. Another, smaller species of chameleon in the OFI forest has a stretch of skin between the legs which it uses to fly through the trees.

In this photo: This chameleon was caught by a cat in the veterinary clinic, part of its tail was missing. As a last resort many lizards are able to shed their tail.

Local name: Songki, Tupai (Indonesian), Squirrel (English)

Interesting fact: When I discovered two baby squirrels had fallen from their nest, one of the OFI staff members, Mr Henson, was very concerned. He explained that unprotected baby squirrels or other small animals are stung from the abdomen by fire ants, releasing a toxic alkalid venom before they are slowly digested. So we made the baby squirrels a makeshift nest high in the tree away from the ant-infested floor.

Local name: Konsit, Burung madu (Indonesian), Sun bird (English)

Family: Nectariniidae

In the photo: This sun bird spent all morning trying to get through my bedroom window by tapping the glass with its beak. When the window was open, it sat on the metal trellis, singing and peering into the room. It was later seen perched on my straw sun hat, so perhaps it was looking for nesting material. The top half of its body was bright red in color and it had a curved beak.

Local name: Kora, Monyet ekor panjang (Indonesian), Long-tailed macaque (English)

Species name: Macaca fascicularis

Habitat / Biological Information: Long-tailed macaques have been recorded as living in groups of between 6-58 individuals.

Interesting fact: They have an extensive range of vocal communication for many different situations. “Harsh” calls are used to show alarm, and “clear” calls promote friendly interactions. The long-tailed macaques can often be heard calling in the OFI Care Center forest. Often, some of the released orangutans will stop in their tracks and timidly listen to the calls of the macaques.

A different location: Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan

Local name: Benayan, Biawak (Indonesian), Monitor lizard (English)

Genus: Varanus

Interesting fact: Varanid lizards are believed to be very intelligent, and some species in zoos have shown abilities to distinguish numbers up to ten.

A different location: Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan

Local name: Ular daun (Indonesian), possibly a green and brown tree snake (English)