Friday, October 9, 2015

Sarawak: Strolling at Sama Jaya

Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella)
As readers of this blog will know, when you can't get away from Kuching for a trip to the surrounding national parks, a stroll around the urban Sama Jaya Park in the Stutong area is always good for a few things of interest. You might turn up a handsome  Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella), for example, as it poses on the leaf litter. 

Assassin bug (Reduviidae)
Bright yellow-and-black assassin bugs (Reduviidae) are a common sight, usually at about eye level on trailside shrubbery (trails in the park are popular with morning joggers). 

 Neurothemis terminata
Along the trails, or in the wet grasses surrounding a small central pond, you can find dragonflies of a number of common species, including the abundant Neurothemis terminata...

Orthetrum chrysis
Orthetrum chrysis
...or one of the common species of Orthetrum, including Orthetrum chrysis...

Orthetrum testaceum
...Orthetrum testaceum...

Orthetrum sabina
...or the particularly ubiquitous Orthetrum sabina (here, a mating pair "in wheel").

 Grey Sailor (Neptis leucoporos cresina)
Te rather plain Grey Sailor (Neptis leucoporos cresina) is a common butterfly at Sama Jaya.

Does anyone know what these extremely colourful caterpillars are?

 Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
 Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
The resident troop of Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) usually turns up somewhere along the trail.  The younger animals seem never quite sure whether to regard you as a curiosity or a threat.

 Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Their elders either ignore you...

Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
...or make it (seemingly) clear that you are not welcome in their midst.

Striped Tree Skink (Apterygodon vittatus)
Striped Tree Skink (Apterygodon vittatus)
To finish our stroll as it began, here is another lizard: the attractive Striped Tree Skink (Apterygodon vittatus), a Bornean endemic.

3 comments:

  1. Very impressive dragonflies and great colours.

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  2. Your blue caterpillars are in fact sawfly larvae ...

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  3. Really! I never would have guessed - many thanks!

    ReplyDelete