"Nature has been for me, as long as I remember, a source of solace, inspiration, adventure, and delight; a home, a teacher, a companion." — Lorraine Anderson

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Plants In Borneo

Central of Borneo is has a lot of rainforest, they are many kind of forest and flower. I’m going to tell you about 2 most famous flowers in Borneo. the first famous flower is Mitrephora vittata, Mitrephora vittata is the most popular and beautiful flower in central of Kalimantan {Borneo} you can find this flower around Kota Belud, Keningan, Ranau, Labuk Sagut, Yawau districts {Sabah}, and Gunung Mulu National Park {Sarawak}. The plant usually grew around a valley with a dense limestone, serpentine, and sandstone around 800-1220 m altitude. The flowers of this particular group possess both female and male organs, but these mature at different times to avoid self pollination. Identification of these species is not always straight forward. As the flowers are subject to age-associated variation in colour, size and shape. The outer petals, for examples, have comparatively light pigmentation during the ‘female’ phase and become larger and darker in the ‘male’ phase.
The second flower is the beautiful orchids, they are pododochilus  marsupialis  and Trichoglottis tinekeae were described in 1998 from Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan (Borneo) , and  Sabah and Sarawak respectively. Podochilius marsupialis was found on large rotting trees in primary forest, between 130-800m and Trichoglottis tinekeae was collected in open undisturbed kerangas, primary montane forest and limestone forests, between 450 - 1,700 m.

Trichoglottis Tinekeae

Pododochilus  Marsupialis

References: Book 'Discovered Species on Borneo'

By: Ade

Monday 2 May 2011

ORANGUTANS

             Orangutans are one of the cutest animals in the world. This animals are very famous in south of Asia especially Indonesia. This animal only can find in Borneo and Sumatra. But I just want to tell about orangutans that live in Borneo. The different between orangutans Sumatra are thinner than their Bornean counterparts, with paler, longer hair and more elongated faces. There are three subspecies of the Borneo they are pygmaeus pygmaeus living in the northwest, pygmaeus morio in the east, and pygmaeus wurmbii inhabitating the southwest of the island. And also they are mammal.
            The physical characteristics of orangutans are the have big body with orange hair that cover their bodies and their arms. They have two long hands and two foots. They also have small eyes and flat nose. They live in the forest. They can climb the trees.
            The food of orangutans is rambutans, jackfruits, magosteens, mangoes, figs, pandanus leaves, bark, insects, lychees and young shoots. They can find their food in the forest. This animal is special because it just look like human.
            Because these animals are almost extinct, so the government of Central Borneo made two national parks. Their name are Tanjung Puting and BOS ( Borneo Orangutans Survival). This places are for keep the orangutans from ‘Naughty Hands’. Look this picture  they are so cute rite? So if you don’t want to lose them so we have to keep them.

References :
-  Animal Adoptions . (). How Do Borneo & Sumatran Orangutans Differ?. Available: http://www.animaladoptions.org.uk/borneo-sumatran-orangutan-differences. Last accessed 2nd may 2011.
- Honolulu Zoo. (2008). SCIENTIFIC NAME. Available: http://www.honoluluzoo.org/orangutan.htm. Last accessed 2nd may.

By. Desy Natalina