All Creatures Great and Small # 36
Mt Kinabalu
Mt. Kinabalu is studied from a cultural and spiritual significance as related to the Dusun and attempts to answer the question is relative today. International Journal of Culture and Tourism Research. Sacred Natural Sites in the Face of Global Changes: A Case Study of MountKinabalu in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo < 논문상세 < 페이퍼서치 (papersearch.net)
The White Rajahs
Additional details are given in this talk before the West Dart History group, The White Rajahs of Sheepstor.pdf (wdhg.org.uk)
Early Alcohol Abuse
Early alcohol abuse among Dayak(it doesn’t say which Dayak) is a major health problem. doi:10.47836/mjmhs19.1.29
Cockroach
Two Sarawak cockroaches have been determined to be distinct species. I have a copy of the paper.
Beetle
Another new beetle from Sarawak. This one is called Bolbostetha crockerica sp. nov different from the darkling beetles we reported last time. They are large and have a series of dark red vertical ridges on their backs. Taxonomical Series 18 (2): 397 – 416, 2022
Dayak Ritual
The symbolism of the Dayak ritual (here I assume they mean the dance) is discussed in this essay. DOI: 10.5220/0009021100002297
Arrangement of trees
Gonystylus brunnescens is a Southeast Asian sub-canopy forest tree. How it is arranged in the forest of Borneo is the subject of this study. https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2023-0004
Palm Oil Chain
From smallholders to finally soap and medicine, this paper shows the steps to be taken to process palm oil. Proceedings 00060 (2022) MICoMS 2022, E-ISSN: 2963-2536
Orchids of Sarawak’s Peat Swamps
A provisional inventory of orchids in the peat swamps is discussed here. I have a copy if needed. Sarawak Museum Journal 106 2022
Mutations in trees
Mutations that occur while trees are growing are independent of the age of the tree. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.26.525665;
Orangutan
This article offers a new understanding of orangutan conservation by examining the complex interactions through unseen forces which orangutans influence community-conservation encounters. 10.4103/cs.cs_120_21
Litter
The acacia is an invasive plant in the lowland forests of Borneo. This study examines the effect of the plant on leaf decomposition on the forest floor. https://doi.org/10.3390/data8020030
Dragon Flies
Dragon flies in a heath-dominated forest (kerangas) were examined. The study found a strong dragonfly population with many different species. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies4010006
Forest Expansion
Forests are disturbed by many factors. This study tells of the interaction between the forest and the disturbed areas. doi:10.1002/fee.2589
Insects and logging
The identity and number of insect species within a logged forest are studied. The dominant insect species were not affected, although their numbers were lower. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.30.526177;
Early Asian Migrations
An Asian migration consisting of early farmers from Vietnam exhibit characteristics from south Chinese agriculturalists and deeply divergent European hunters and gatherers. This group comprised the Austroasiatic speakers and processed into Malaya and Indonesia. Sites in Vietnam showed additional migrations which were built to modern populations. This is a 2018 paper which somehow came my way. 10.1126/science.aat3188ff. ffcea-01870144f
Brooke and the Dyaks
“The ugly truth was that our Dayak ancestors were victims of Britain’s arrogant notion of a master race taking the shape of imperialism, realized by a British commoner who stifled rather than encouraged the potential of the Dayaks in nation-building.” THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL STUDIES ISSN 2321 – 9203/ I have a copy if you can’t find it. Just e-mail me. Sarawaktom@gmail.com
New Book Edition
Kill the Major 2nd edition tells the story of the most successful true allied guerrilla war in Borneo. Available on Google Play.
Ticks
A study in Sarawak revealed different tick species carried different diseases. doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.000954
Mass Flowering and Fruiting
Every so often, flowering and then fruiting occurs en masse in the forests of Sarawak. It seems to occur once every~10 years. The cause seems to be a combination of cool temperatures and dry conditions. This study, in Sarawak, used satellites to study the tops of trees to possibly predict the next mass. DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12382
Native vs Loggers
This chapter shows how natives of Sarawak are using social media to expand their rights against loggers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7141-9_2
Radioactivity
Natural radioactivity along the coast of Brunei has been measured and found to be less than the worldwide average. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121288
Amphibian
The Ichthyophis billitonensis, a small eel-like creature, has been rediscovered after 50 years on Gunung Tajam, the highest mountain in Tanjung Pandan District, Belitung Island, Indonesia. Herpetology Notes, volume 16: 95-97 (2023)
Crocodiles
Crocodiles are thought to be the species where birds evolved. The main places where crocodiles live in Asia are northeast India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Borneo. Based on three components, the number of species, where they fit on the evolutionary scale and how they interact with the environment, Borneo rates high in all three categories. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28413-6
Bearded Pigs
Cultural influences such as hunting, pigs used in religious ceremonies, keeping pigs out of gardens and sale of their meat are rarely included in wildlife distributions. This paper seeks to rectify the situation. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-022-00008-w
Rain Fall over Sarawak
Rain usually begins in Sarawak in the late afternoon, reaches its peak late at night and blows out to sea in the early morning. The amount of sunshine, winds circulating at the equator and the island mountains and plains all contribute to the rainfall. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD037616