A trip to Gunung Gading National Park, Sarawak

Welcome to Gunung Gading National Park. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Do you plan to visit Kuching, Sarawak? If you are planning to do so, don’t miss the chance to visit one of the National Parks in Sarawak, Gunung Gading. It is situated in Lundu district; about one and half hour drive from Kuching town. The park also offers some accommodation for the visitors for an overnight stay.

Let's explore the nature trails! Photo by: Hanifridzuan

The largest flower in the world. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Gunung Gading National Park is a home for the largest flower in the world, Rafflesia. If you are lucky enough, you will see the Rafflesia in bloom or you can check earlier with the park office. This park is a suitable place for nature lovers, jungle tracking and hiking to the peak of Gunung Gading (900 meters). There are also a few beautiful, cool clear waterfalls in the park, and waterfall 1, 3 and 7 are accessible for the visitor and suitable for leisurely picnics. Let the pictures do the talking.

Waterfall no. 1. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

It takes about one hour to reach Waterfall no. 7. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Take note that there is no food stall or canteen inside the park. So, bring along your lunch pack or you can try local food at several restaurants at Lundu.

Simple tutorial on how to construct phylogenetic tree (NJ and MP) in MEGA 4 software

This is a simple tutorial, step by step on how to use MEGA file to construct phylogenetic tree (NJ and MP) in MEGA 4 software. To follow these simple steps, you will need to have a ‘MEG file’. I will explain on how to analyse your sequence and how to convert the data into ‘MEG file’ later.

1. Launch the MEGA 4 software
2. Click at ‘click me to activate data file’ or you can click ‘file’ then ‘open data’, or press F5.
3. Choose a data file to analyse, then click ‘open’.
4. MEGA 4 will show you ‘M4: Input Data’, then choose ‘data type’, then click ‘OK’.
5. MEGA 4 will show you ‘confirm’ the click ’Yes’. After that select the genetic code, and then click ‘OK’.

6. You will see a window as picture below. From here, you can try to explore the button at the top of the window, C (conserve sites), V (variable sites), Pi (parsimony informative sites), S (singleton sites) etc… then close the window and back to main MEGA 4 window.

7. to construct a phylogenetic tree (NJ), click ‘phylogeny’, then click ‘bootstrap test of phylogeny’, then click ‘neighbor-joining’.
8. MEGA 4 will show you ‘M4: Analysis Preferences’. Change model to Kimura-2-parameter. Then click ‘Compute’.

9. MEGA 4 will show you the results as below, try to explore and repeat Step 7 for MP tree analysis. Good luck!

Simple tutorial on how to use PAST programme (how to find the diversity indices)

I will show you the basic step on how to use PAST programme (Version 2.05) to calculate and find the diversity indices such as Shannon, Simpson, Menhinick, Margalef and Fisher alpha.

a. How to key in the data in Microsoft Excel:
 1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. Column B, C, D, E, F (row 1): List of sampling sites
3. Row 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Column A): List of species present at the sampling sites
4. Column B till column F, Row 2 till Row 6: Number of individuals per species caught at each sampling sites

b. How to insert data in PAST
1. highlight data in the Microsoft Excel, then click ‘copy’.
2. open the PAST programme.
3. click at ‘Edit labels’
4. click ‘Edit’, then click ‘paste’. Or you can just use the shorcut (Ctrl+v).

5. after that, highlight the area, then click ‘diversity’ then click ‘diversity indices’.

6.  then PAST will show you ‘diversity’. Now, you can choose the diversity indices that you want. Good luck!

Simple tutorial on how to use Multivariate Statistical Package (MVSP) version 3.2

I will show you the basic step on how to use MVSP programme to calculate and find the species similarity index.

a. How to key in the data in Microsoft Excel:

1. Open Microsoft Excel
2. Column B, C, D, E, F (row 1): List of sampling sites
3. Column A, Row 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: List of species present at the sampling sites
4. Column B till column F, Row 2 till Row 6: number of individuals per species caught at each sampling sites

b. How to insert data in MVSP
1. open the MVSP programme.
2. click ‘file’, then click ‘import.’
3. select the Microsoft Excel file.
4. then MVSP will show you ‘Import preview’, if it is the correct file, click ‘OK’
5. then MVSP will show you ‘Currently open file’. If the variable and sample shown is correct, proceed to the next step.
6. click ‘Analyses’, then click ‘Cluster analysis…’
7. then MVSP will show you ‘Cluster Analysis Option’. Choose appropriate ‘method’ and ‘measurement’, then click ‘OK’.
8.  MVSP will show you the result as below. Good luck!

Proboscis Monkey @ Monyet Belanda, Bako National Park, Sarawak

Scientific name: Nasalis larvatus
Common name: Proboscis monkey/ Monyet Belanda (Malay)

A female proboscis monkey sitting on the tree branch. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

A female proboscis monkey. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Proboscis monkey is endemic to Borneo. This endangered species show a high degree of sexual dimorphism. The body size of the males is usually larger than the females. The males also have a large protruding nose and this characteristic could distinguish between the males and the females of Proboscis monkey. This species lives in a group (called as harem) of 10 to 30 individuals comprises of one adults male and several females (with their young).

In Sarawak, Malaysia, this species can be found in Bako National Park (one of the smallest and the oldest national park in Malaysia, gazetted as protected area on 1957). There are seven types of forest in Bako National Park (beach, cliff, kerangas, mangrove, mixed dipterocarp, grassland and peat swamp).

What is the conservation status of Proboscis monkey? It is listed as endangered species in IUCN 2010 and listed in CITES Apendix I. Source: Meijaard, E., Nijman, V. & Supriatna, J. 2008. Nasalis larvatus. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2011.

Male Proboscis monkey with a large protruding nose. Photo by: Isham Azhar

Random view at Bako National Park. Photo by: Isham Azhar

Other species of large mammals that can be easily encountered in Bako National Park are silver leaf monkeys, long tailed macaques and bearded pigs (the largest mammal in Bako National Park).

A female silver leaf monkey with the adorable baby clinging to its body.
Photo by: Hanifridzuan.

The infant of a silver leaf monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus) are bright orange in colours and will last for a few months before it change to silvery grey colours. This species is listed as near threatened by the IUCN and the population trend of this species is decreasing. Source: Nijman, V. & Meijaard, E. 2008. Trachypithecus cristatus. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2011.

The naughty long tailed macaque. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Bearded pig, the largest mammal in Bako National Park. Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Bearded pig (Sus barbatus) listed as vulnerable in the IUCN and the population trend of this species is also decreasing. Source: Kawanishi, K., Gumal, M. & Oliver, W. 2008. Sus barbatus. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2011. In Bako National Park, visitors can easily found this unique animals walking around the park HQ.

A Wonderful Experience in Tioman Island

Welcome to Kg. Genting, Tioman Island; Photo by: hanifridzuan

View at the jetty of Kg. Genting, Tioman Island; Photo by: hanifridzuan

I’d like to share my last month (April 2011) field trip to Tioman Island which is located 32km off the east cost of Peninsular Malaysia, in the state of Pahang. Tioman Island is a very great place to visit cos the scenery was nothing short of spectacular.

The crystal clear blue waters around the island are filled with corals and perfect sites for scuba diving lovers. This island is full of awesomeness cos there are heaps of things to see and do. Jungle tracking, rock climbing, snorkelling and golfing are some of the attractions this place has to offer. And ohh ya, good news for shopaholics out there, you can also duty-free-shopping here. For those planning to stay here a bit longer, no need to worry cos there are a lot of resort at Tioman Island where you can stay in. Always make sure to check out the latest promotion and special offer by the resort.

Okay, back to the main topic. The purpose of the trip to this wonderful island was to collect sample for my research project as well as for the Zoological Museum of my university. This field trip is organised by the Department of Wildlife and National Park (DWNP), and joined by various local universities including Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Malaysa (UM)) and other research departments (MARDI).

The ferry from Mersing to Kg. Genting; Photo by: hanifridzuan

We departed from Mersing at 10am by ferry (150 passengers) in the morning and arrived at Genting’s jetty (Tioman Island) at approximately 12pm. The ticket cost at only RM35 for one way. The journey to Tioman Island didn’t stop there. From Genting jetty, it took us another 20 minutes ride on speed boat to the research area which is at Kem Saga, Sungai Tedau. The area is covered with mixed dipterocarp forest and a little bit of rocky areas.

View of the mountain at our camp site; Photo by: hanifridzuan

View of the beach at our camp site; Photo by: hanifridzuan

View of the rocky area at our camp site; Photo by: hanifridzuan

The Saga camp site was occupied by 30 researchers and 30 staffs from the DWNP. This trip is very important as various expertises are gathered collecting their specimens and sharing their knowledge with the others.

Interesting finding in Tioman Island: Rhinolophus chiewkweeae (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) Chiewkwee's Horseshoe bat. This species is endemic to Malaysia and discovered in 2005.

Species: Rhinolophus chiewkweeae; Locality: Tioman Island; Photo by: Isham Azhar 

Further reading:
1) Yoshiyuki M. & Lim B.L. 2005. A new horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus chiewkweeae (Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae), from Malaysia. Bulletin of the National Science Museum (A)31(1):29-36.
2) Wilson, D.E. & Reeder, D.M. (Eds.)(2005) Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.


p/s: Let the pictures do the talking :)

The Mysterious Flying Mammal

Bats are the only mammals that are capable to fly. Bats can be divided into two types; fruit bats (frugivores) and insect bats (insectivores). Insectivores bats use echolocation to locate and hunt their prey while frugivores bats use their eyesight. Generally, the eyes of frugivores bats are larger while the insectivores bats have a smaller eyes compared to the body size.

Species: Rhinolophus trifoliatus; Locality: Endau Kota Tinggi, Johor; Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Bats are very important as pollinators and also as natural insect control. Some species of bats only occupied certain type of forest. All species of bats were protected in Malaysia and some species currently facing extinction. Even though bats are protected species, they are consumed by the local peoples in certain areas (as a food source and also for medical purposes).

Species: Nycteris tragata; Locality: Endau Kota Tinggi, Johor; Photo by: Hanifridzuan

Conservation efforts are inevitably essential for better understanding of the bats’ role in their natural habitats and to protect this wonderful creature for future generation.

p/s: Nycteris tragata listed as near threatened (NT) in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2010 (Year assessed: 2008), the population trend of this species is decreasing.
Source: Kingston, T. & Meijaard, E. 2008. Nycteris tragata. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 01 May 2011.

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my blog. I will share my experiences and information regarding to my research, animal science, wildlife conservation effort especially in Malaysia and also on photography. Thank you for droping by, enjoy! :)