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All Creatures Great and Small #78

New Species Three new species of marine parasites that attach to the gills, mouth, or skin of fish have been made known to science. They are flattened, allowing them to cling to fish and usually attach and then detach from the fish’s body. They were found in Borneo waters. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2025.101157

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Old Names on Borneo

Early Locations in Borneo from the Nagara Krtagama The Nagara Krtagama is a court poem written in 1365 by the Javaenese poet Mpu Prapañca during the reign of King Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit. The following list was taken from the poem, but the descriptions and locations are mine. Kapuhas A

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Semporna Islands of Sabah

Semporna Islands The Semporna Islands are located off the coast of Sabah in the Celebes Sea. They can be reached from Semporna Town by a 45-minute speedboat ride. They comprise multiple islands and reefs, including Bodgaya Island. There are various people who live in the Sulu Islands of the Philippines

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Indian Colonies in Borneo

Early Indian Colonies in Borneo The earliest evidence, 400 A.D., of the Hindu colonisation in Borneo is furnished by four inscriptions. These were discovered in 1879 in the district of Koti (Kutei), at Muara Kamai on the Mahakam river, three days’ journey above Pelarang. The remains of a Chinese junk,

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Writing History and AI

Writing History and AI About a year ago, I played around with AI but when I discovered they used Wikipedia as a source, I quit. Wikipedia can be written and posted by anyone anywhere without any research. I could write I came from Mars in a spaceship and they would

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The Mystery of Ong Sum Ping of Brunei

Ong Sum Ping in Chinese Sources Ong Sum Ping lived in Brunei. He established a trading post and a Chinese settlement called Wicaya (from the Sanskrit meaning victory?) on or near the Kinabatangan River. He supported Sultan Muhammad Shah as the ruler, but he was never the ruler of Brunei.

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About Us

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tom mclaughlin and family

We collect academic articles on Borneo, translate them into ordinary English, and condense them into a manageable read.

In our sometimes column, “All Creatures Great and Small”, we write about current research in Borneo. Each topic is given a line or two and you can proceed to the article and read more. 

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Tom McLaughlin