The Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti is one of the least known Bornean carnivores, current... more The Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti is one of the least known Bornean carnivores, currently classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. No Southeast Asian carnivore has a smaller known distribution. Few confirmed records from the last decade exist. One was captured in a wire mesh live-trap baited with banana, at Gunung
Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, 2014
Periodically from 1998-2004, we surveyed birds in the Klias Forest Reserve, which is one of the l... more Periodically from 1998-2004, we surveyed birds in the Klias Forest Reserve, which is one of the last remaining pockets of peatswamp in western Sabah. We report here on those surveys. We also review prior work on birds in peatswamp and swamp forest in the Klias-Sipitang region of Sabah as it relates to the conservation of habitat and birds specialized on peatswamp. Peatswamp forest is in jeopardy from development and fires throughout Borneo, and particularly in the Malaysian State of Sabah, which had very little to start. Peatswamp in the Klias area is of particular importance for conservation and bird watching because Klias is close to the main tourist center of Borneo, Kota Kinabalu, and is the only easily accessible site for reliable sightings of Hook-billed Bulbul (Setornis criniger), Grey-breasted Babbler, (Malacopteron albogulare), and Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker (Prionochilus thoracicus) in Sabah. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Field work in Klias Forest Reserve was aided by staff and students from Sabah Museum (Albert Lo, Freddie Julus, and Matius Angkaus), Sabah Wildlife Department (Clifford James), and LSU (Ben Marks). Rashid Abdul Samad and Tony Greer were very helpful with logistics and information on research in the area. As always we are grateful for permission to undertake research in Sabah and thank the
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the pa... more An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Many species of terrestrial animals, including primates, live in varied association with the aqua... more Many species of terrestrial animals, including primates, live in varied association with the aquatic (e.g., riverine or coastal) environment. However, the benefits that each species receive from the aquatic environment are thought to vary depending on their social and ecological characteristics, and thus, elucidating those benefits to each species is important for understanding the principles of wild animal behaviour. In the present study, to gain a more complete picture of aquatic environment use, including social and ecological factors in primates, factors affecting riverine habitat utilization of two macaque species (Macaca nemestrina and M. fascicularis) were identified and qualitative comparisons were made with sympatric proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), which have different social and ecological characteristics. Temporal variation in sighting frequency of macaques at the riverbanks was positively related to the fruit availability of a dominant riparian plant species and ne...
Understanding the natural diet of species may provide useful information that can contribute to s... more Understanding the natural diet of species may provide useful information that can contribute to successful captive maintenance. A common problem experienced with captive foregut-fermenting primate (colobine) diets is that they are deficient in fiber and therefore highly digestible. This may contribute to gastrointestinal disorders often observed in zoos. An approach to obtain information relevant for the improvement of diets is to compare the nutrient composition of feces from free-ranging and captive individuals. In theory, fecal material can be considered a proxy for diet intake integrated over a certain period of time. We collected fecal samples from eight free-ranging proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus, a highly endangered colobine species) groups from a secondary forest along the Kinabatangan River and four from a mixed mangrove-riverine forest along the Garama River, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. We also collected fecal samples from 12 individual captive adult/sub-adult proboscis monkeys from three different zoos. We confirmed that feces from free-ranging monkeys contained more fiber and less metabolic fecal nitrogen than those from captive specimens, indicating a less digestible diet in the wild. Modifying the diets of captive colobines to include more fiber, comparable to those of free-ranging ones, may contribute to their health and survival.
Knowledge of fundamental aspects of ecology such as species richness and distribution, and the fa... more Knowledge of fundamental aspects of ecology such as species richness and distribution, and the factors affecting them, is increasingly used to identify priority areas for conservation and to effectively manage threatened species.We investigated the species richness and distribution pattern of nonhuman primate communities inhabiting 10 sampling sites in four different habitat classes corresponding to increasing habitat disturbance level, that is, old growth forest, twice logged forest, repeatedly logged forest, and oil palm plantation, in and around Kalabakan Forest Reserve, in central Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. By using direct and indirect survey methods, we confirmed the existence of 9 out of the total 10 primate species, found in Sabah, within the surveyed areas. Based on the monthly number of primate species detected, our results indicated a general trend of decreasing primate species richness with increasing habitat disturbance level. However, the response within the disturbed forest sites showed some variations with some sites in repeatedly logged forest displaying comparable primate species number to that of the undisturbed forest sites.We also found that within the forest habitats, tree density is a good predictor of the richness of the primate community with a positive effect. Hence, tree density may be a key indicator for evaluating primate communities in forest habitats. Overall, the results of our study suggest that although not equivalent to areas of undisturbed forest, degraded forestsincluding those that have been repeatedly logged-are still valuable for primate conservation. In contrast, oil palm plantations have mainly negative effects on the primate community
Journal of Tropical Biology & Conservation (JTBC)
A bird survey was conducted at the Sungai Kangkawat Research Station (117°3′34.593″E, 5°4′29.187″... more A bird survey was conducted at the Sungai Kangkawat Research Station (117°3′34.593″E, 5°4′29.187″N), Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA), Sabah from 5th until 8th October, 2018. The objective of this survey was to produce a preliminary checklist of bird species in the study area. The primary method used was mist-netting with occasional observation from vocal and visual identification. A total of 30 mist-nets were deployed for 11 hours (0630-1730 hr.) for four consecutive days with a final accumulation of 1840 net/hours. Overall, 59 species comprising 23 families were recorded throughout the survey. Of these, 114 individuals were netted representing 41 species from 13 families. The most abundant species caught was the Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra with 26 individuals. Additionally, 18 species from 10 different families were identified via opportunistic sighting and vocalisation. This includes one Critically Endangered (Helmeted Hornbill, Buceros vigil), three Vulnera...
This study looks into the exploitation of sea snakes in relation to fish harvesting where sea sna... more This study looks into the exploitation of sea snakes in relation to fish harvesting where sea snakes are frequently caught in fishing nets, on the west coast of Sabah. Commercial fishing operations have increased tremendously, with a 36-fold increase of marine fish landing by using trawl nets since 1988 to 1997. This study found that mean number of sea snakes caught per trawl was 23 specimens, and 46 sea snakes per trawler per landing. For the last ten years, a total of I .3 million sea snakes are estimated to have died. It is remarkable that trawler killed more than six hundred thousand sea snakes per year recently, yet the sea snakes continued to survive. Compared with the previous study (carried out 10 years ago before this study), the species diversity and abundance of sea snakes on the west coast of Sabah is still high. This might be explained by the presence of suitable habitats. adequate food resources and healthy environment
This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to deter... more This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to determine the diversity and species richness of birds in KBBS and to identify habitats of birds that occur there. The overall purpose was to provide information for managing and conserving birds in the Sanctuary. The methods applied in this study were point counts, line transects and mist-netting. Shannon and Margalef indices indicated the bird diversity was quite high (3.4664) for Shannon index, as was species richness (9.232) for Margalef index. Lonchura atricapilla was the most abundant resident species whereas Himantopus himantopus was the most dominant migratory species. In addition, there were four general habitats of birds that were identified within the study area: i) grassland, scrub, bush, and open and suburban areas, ii) paddy fields and flooded paddy, iii) coastal strand and mudflats, and iv) swamp, mangrove, lakes and pools. This study added six species into the list of birds in ...
This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to deter... more This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to determine the diversity and species richness of birds in KBBS and to identify habitats of birds that occur there. The overall purpose was to provide information for managing and conserving birds in the Sanctuary. The methods applied in this study were point counts, line transects and mist-netting. Shannon and Margalef indices indicated the bird diversity was quite high (3.4664) for Shannon index, as was species richness (9.232) for Margalef index. Lonchura atricapilla was the most abundant resident species whereas Himantopus himantopus was the most dominant migratory species. In addition, there were four general habitats of birds that were identified within the study area: i) grassland, scrub, bush, and open and suburban areas, ii) paddy fields and flooded paddy, iii) coastal strand and mudflats, and iv) swamp, mangrove, lakes and pools. This study added six species into the list of birds in KBBS, which was previously compiled in 1985. Among species recorded were the critically endangered (CR) Fregata andrewsi and near threatened (NT) Anhinga melanogaster.
The Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti is one of the least known Bornean carnivores, current... more The Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti is one of the least known Bornean carnivores, currently classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. No Southeast Asian carnivore has a smaller known distribution. Few confirmed records from the last decade exist. One was captured in a wire mesh live-trap baited with banana, at Gunung
Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, 2014
Periodically from 1998-2004, we surveyed birds in the Klias Forest Reserve, which is one of the l... more Periodically from 1998-2004, we surveyed birds in the Klias Forest Reserve, which is one of the last remaining pockets of peatswamp in western Sabah. We report here on those surveys. We also review prior work on birds in peatswamp and swamp forest in the Klias-Sipitang region of Sabah as it relates to the conservation of habitat and birds specialized on peatswamp. Peatswamp forest is in jeopardy from development and fires throughout Borneo, and particularly in the Malaysian State of Sabah, which had very little to start. Peatswamp in the Klias area is of particular importance for conservation and bird watching because Klias is close to the main tourist center of Borneo, Kota Kinabalu, and is the only easily accessible site for reliable sightings of Hook-billed Bulbul (Setornis criniger), Grey-breasted Babbler, (Malacopteron albogulare), and Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker (Prionochilus thoracicus) in Sabah. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Field work in Klias Forest Reserve was aided by staff and students from Sabah Museum (Albert Lo, Freddie Julus, and Matius Angkaus), Sabah Wildlife Department (Clifford James), and LSU (Ben Marks). Rashid Abdul Samad and Tony Greer were very helpful with logistics and information on research in the area. As always we are grateful for permission to undertake research in Sabah and thank the
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the pa... more An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Many species of terrestrial animals, including primates, live in varied association with the aqua... more Many species of terrestrial animals, including primates, live in varied association with the aquatic (e.g., riverine or coastal) environment. However, the benefits that each species receive from the aquatic environment are thought to vary depending on their social and ecological characteristics, and thus, elucidating those benefits to each species is important for understanding the principles of wild animal behaviour. In the present study, to gain a more complete picture of aquatic environment use, including social and ecological factors in primates, factors affecting riverine habitat utilization of two macaque species (Macaca nemestrina and M. fascicularis) were identified and qualitative comparisons were made with sympatric proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), which have different social and ecological characteristics. Temporal variation in sighting frequency of macaques at the riverbanks was positively related to the fruit availability of a dominant riparian plant species and ne...
Understanding the natural diet of species may provide useful information that can contribute to s... more Understanding the natural diet of species may provide useful information that can contribute to successful captive maintenance. A common problem experienced with captive foregut-fermenting primate (colobine) diets is that they are deficient in fiber and therefore highly digestible. This may contribute to gastrointestinal disorders often observed in zoos. An approach to obtain information relevant for the improvement of diets is to compare the nutrient composition of feces from free-ranging and captive individuals. In theory, fecal material can be considered a proxy for diet intake integrated over a certain period of time. We collected fecal samples from eight free-ranging proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus, a highly endangered colobine species) groups from a secondary forest along the Kinabatangan River and four from a mixed mangrove-riverine forest along the Garama River, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. We also collected fecal samples from 12 individual captive adult/sub-adult proboscis monkeys from three different zoos. We confirmed that feces from free-ranging monkeys contained more fiber and less metabolic fecal nitrogen than those from captive specimens, indicating a less digestible diet in the wild. Modifying the diets of captive colobines to include more fiber, comparable to those of free-ranging ones, may contribute to their health and survival.
Knowledge of fundamental aspects of ecology such as species richness and distribution, and the fa... more Knowledge of fundamental aspects of ecology such as species richness and distribution, and the factors affecting them, is increasingly used to identify priority areas for conservation and to effectively manage threatened species.We investigated the species richness and distribution pattern of nonhuman primate communities inhabiting 10 sampling sites in four different habitat classes corresponding to increasing habitat disturbance level, that is, old growth forest, twice logged forest, repeatedly logged forest, and oil palm plantation, in and around Kalabakan Forest Reserve, in central Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. By using direct and indirect survey methods, we confirmed the existence of 9 out of the total 10 primate species, found in Sabah, within the surveyed areas. Based on the monthly number of primate species detected, our results indicated a general trend of decreasing primate species richness with increasing habitat disturbance level. However, the response within the disturbed forest sites showed some variations with some sites in repeatedly logged forest displaying comparable primate species number to that of the undisturbed forest sites.We also found that within the forest habitats, tree density is a good predictor of the richness of the primate community with a positive effect. Hence, tree density may be a key indicator for evaluating primate communities in forest habitats. Overall, the results of our study suggest that although not equivalent to areas of undisturbed forest, degraded forestsincluding those that have been repeatedly logged-are still valuable for primate conservation. In contrast, oil palm plantations have mainly negative effects on the primate community
Journal of Tropical Biology & Conservation (JTBC)
A bird survey was conducted at the Sungai Kangkawat Research Station (117°3′34.593″E, 5°4′29.187″... more A bird survey was conducted at the Sungai Kangkawat Research Station (117°3′34.593″E, 5°4′29.187″N), Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA), Sabah from 5th until 8th October, 2018. The objective of this survey was to produce a preliminary checklist of bird species in the study area. The primary method used was mist-netting with occasional observation from vocal and visual identification. A total of 30 mist-nets were deployed for 11 hours (0630-1730 hr.) for four consecutive days with a final accumulation of 1840 net/hours. Overall, 59 species comprising 23 families were recorded throughout the survey. Of these, 114 individuals were netted representing 41 species from 13 families. The most abundant species caught was the Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra with 26 individuals. Additionally, 18 species from 10 different families were identified via opportunistic sighting and vocalisation. This includes one Critically Endangered (Helmeted Hornbill, Buceros vigil), three Vulnera...
This study looks into the exploitation of sea snakes in relation to fish harvesting where sea sna... more This study looks into the exploitation of sea snakes in relation to fish harvesting where sea snakes are frequently caught in fishing nets, on the west coast of Sabah. Commercial fishing operations have increased tremendously, with a 36-fold increase of marine fish landing by using trawl nets since 1988 to 1997. This study found that mean number of sea snakes caught per trawl was 23 specimens, and 46 sea snakes per trawler per landing. For the last ten years, a total of I .3 million sea snakes are estimated to have died. It is remarkable that trawler killed more than six hundred thousand sea snakes per year recently, yet the sea snakes continued to survive. Compared with the previous study (carried out 10 years ago before this study), the species diversity and abundance of sea snakes on the west coast of Sabah is still high. This might be explained by the presence of suitable habitats. adequate food resources and healthy environment
This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to deter... more This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to determine the diversity and species richness of birds in KBBS and to identify habitats of birds that occur there. The overall purpose was to provide information for managing and conserving birds in the Sanctuary. The methods applied in this study were point counts, line transects and mist-netting. Shannon and Margalef indices indicated the bird diversity was quite high (3.4664) for Shannon index, as was species richness (9.232) for Margalef index. Lonchura atricapilla was the most abundant resident species whereas Himantopus himantopus was the most dominant migratory species. In addition, there were four general habitats of birds that were identified within the study area: i) grassland, scrub, bush, and open and suburban areas, ii) paddy fields and flooded paddy, iii) coastal strand and mudflats, and iv) swamp, mangrove, lakes and pools. This study added six species into the list of birds in ...
This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to deter... more This research was conducted in the Kota Belud Bird Sanctuary (KBBS), with the objectives to determine the diversity and species richness of birds in KBBS and to identify habitats of birds that occur there. The overall purpose was to provide information for managing and conserving birds in the Sanctuary. The methods applied in this study were point counts, line transects and mist-netting. Shannon and Margalef indices indicated the bird diversity was quite high (3.4664) for Shannon index, as was species richness (9.232) for Margalef index. Lonchura atricapilla was the most abundant resident species whereas Himantopus himantopus was the most dominant migratory species. In addition, there were four general habitats of birds that were identified within the study area: i) grassland, scrub, bush, and open and suburban areas, ii) paddy fields and flooded paddy, iii) coastal strand and mudflats, and iv) swamp, mangrove, lakes and pools. This study added six species into the list of birds in KBBS, which was previously compiled in 1985. Among species recorded were the critically endangered (CR) Fregata andrewsi and near threatened (NT) Anhinga melanogaster.
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