Sabah Malaysian Borneo Attractions - Part 2

Part 1 The Majestic Mount Kinabalu

02. The Natural Wonders Of Borneo

The rainforests, wetlands and seas of North Borneo offer an exciting world of living treasures - and surprisingly accessible.

Everyone want o meet the orang utans, the gentle red ape whose name means "Man Of The Forest". Boardwalks through the forest at The Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre just outside the city of Sandakan make it easy to see how rescued orang utans are being cared for before being released back into the wild. photo opportunities abound as they swing cautiously through the trees to a platform for twice-daily feedings.

 

Swinging

Posing For The Cameras

Enjoying the attention from tourists

What are you two doing honey?

Love me gently

Orang utans can also be seen in the wild along the floodplain of the Kinabatangan River and in the wildlife sanctuaries at Danum Valley Conservation Area and Tabin Wildlife Reserve. 

Another astonishing primate living in the wetlands is the Proboscis Monkey, an unforgettable sight with its huge dangling nose and pot belly.   Groups of these primate, found only in Borneo, can be seen along the Kinabatangan River and in the Klias Wetlands, less than 2 hours from Kota Kinabalu (Sabah Capital City).

Huge Dangling Nose

Feeding Time

From tree to tree

Loving Instinct

The Famous Proboscis Male Sex Maniac

Male

Proboscis monkeys are among the larger colobines and are sexually dimorphic, with males' head-body length measuring 75.5 cm (29.7 in) (range 73-76 cm (28.7-29.9 in)), and females measuring 62 cm (24.4 in)(range 61-64 cm (24.0-25.2 in)) (Napier & Napier 1985; Bennett & Sebastian 1988; Ankel-Simons 2007). Males weigh around 20kg (44.1 lb) while females weigh half of that (Napier & Napier 1985; Bennett & Gombek 1993). The face of adults is orange-pink. Females have a very large nose for a primate, but the noses of males dwarf even those of the females and often hang lower than the mouth (Payne et al. 1985; Ankel-Simons 2007). The nose of an adult male can exceed 10cm (3.9 in) in length (Ellis 1986). Overall, the pelage is somewhat long, and is bright orange, reddish brown, yellowish brown, or brick-red dorsally (Kern 1964; Payne et al. 1985; Groves 2001; Ankel-Simons 2007). The ventral surfaces are light-gray, yellowish, or grayish to light-orange (Kern 1964; Payne et al. 1985; Ankel-Simons 2007). The penis is red and the scrotum is black. Several of the toes are webbed (Kern 1964; Ankel-Simons 2007). Adult males have a dark brown mane on their back (Bennett & Gombek 1993). The species possesses large ischial callosities and both sexes look perpetually pregnant, due to oversized, protruding stomachs (Bennett & Gombek 1993; Groves 2001; Ankel-Simons 2007).

Read More About Probosics Monkey 

Other rare creatures found in Sabah include the world's smallest elephant, the Borneo Pygmy Elephant, the highly endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros, the world's smallest bear, the Sun Bear and marine turtles.

Bornean  Pygmy Elephant

 About Borneo Pygmy Elephant 

 

The Sumatran rhino has been on earth longer than any other living mammal.

The Hairy Rhino. Critically Endangered. Less than 100 Population

 Read More About These Endangered Mammal

Cute Sun Bear

The sun bear is a bear found in tropical forest habitats of Southeast Asia. It is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN as the large-scale deforestation that has occurred throughout Southeast Asia over the ... Wikipedia

The Green Turtle

Only in Sabah.

Turtle Islands is one of the best destinations in Malaysia for its unique marine wildlife and also not forgetting the most important role as the breeding ground for Green turtles in all of South East Asia.  On most evening, scores of turtles crawl onto the soft sand that fringes the islands to lay their eggs.  Among the three islands, Pulau Selingan is the main nesting area for the Green turtles (Chelonia Mydas), while another species called Hawksbill turtles prefer Pulau Gulisan.  Both species lay their eggs on these shores throughout the year although the best months are between July to October.  In 1977, these islands were gazetted as Marine Parks for the protection of the two species in order to save them from extinction.  The islands are built over shallow rocky shoals from coral shingle from the surrounding reef on the fringes covered with a variety of plant life, which includes mangrove, lantana, the yellow-flowered sophora and the furry silver-leaved Tournefortia.

The Turtle Islands Park, reached via speedboat from Sandakan, offers the moving experiance of watching turtles lumber to shore to lay their eggs, and of cheering on newly hatched turtles as they race for the safety of the sea.

Next : Sabah Islands of Delight