I wonder if anyone knows what this is...
#Danum
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#Danum Valley
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On 25th July in #Danum, it wasn't a hawkmoth we saw but a miller moth (Cossidae) http://www.flickr.com/photos/dadaa/7738176526/
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Borneo Books had a tiny but well equipped shop in a busy mall next to the hotel @ KK. Carried home http://tinyurl.com/9bfadpu (2 kg) #Danum
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"Pity I didn't look carefully when it yawned", says Denny. In proportion to the skull length, no other living cat has longer teeth. #Danum
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_clouded_leopard states that the first documented filming of this animal was done in 2009. #Danum
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Later, Denny tells us that during some night drives, members of the family have been seen. Never the whole family together. #Danum
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Denny whispers:"The mom is probably hunting monkies." I hope it was lucky. We didn't see her. #Danum
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The juvenile Sunda Clouded Leopard didn't leave. We filmed it about 15 min. Had to stop there so as not to disturb it too much. #Danum
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It dawns on me why Denny does not hold the light steady. He plays with the cat! Tries to keep it interested, not to leave us. #Danum
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This cat was lying on the ground, behind a tangle of dead branches. #Danum
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Hectic moments of was-that-all? And then: another pair of eyes! Even more lower down, on the other side of the gap. #Danum
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When it left I could see part of the back. Big patterns. The cat was probably the size of a medium-sized dog. #Danum
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This cat turned its head and moved away from the flickering light show made by Denny. It headed towards the river. #Danum
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So what was left? Flat-headed Cat, Bay Cat, Clouded Leopard. About the first two, very little is known. The last: uncommon to rare. #Danum
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Last year in #Tabin we met also a bigger, darker and more uncommon feline: a Marbled Cat. Long furry tail. A cool beast. #Danum
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Imagine a domestic cat w/ exotic patterns and you'll have a Leopard Cat. In #Tabin a common sight. Hunts rats in the palm plantation. #Danum
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Now, in normal situations Denny is politeness itself. This was serious. #Danum
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Denny turns to me, pulls away the bigger torch from my hand and darts forward, wisping the light oddly. #Danum
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In the dark, reasoning is blurry. I recall having wondered for a painfully long time: what's an animal with a cat's face? #Danum
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Rule 1: always carry binoculars. My headlight gives just enough lumen. The animal has a roundish face, so it's definitely not a civet #Danum
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We have just climbed a few meters, and come to a gap up on the bench. On the left, the river. On the right, forest. Ahead: a mammal. #Danum
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Must be a civet, I think. Funny though that the eyes stay fixed. Civets are usually active and restless. #Danum
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Denny goes first, I'm in the middle, J behind me. Denny and I spot it roughly the same time. A very clear eyeshine. Low. #Danum
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Night comes. So does the next river. We turn to follow it, towards the Canopy Walkway. #Danum
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For us it says: prepare for darkness. It'll be here in 30 minutes. Headlights? Torch? Mosquito repellent? #Danum
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The penetrating, metallic song was once a sign to field workers: time to go to work; time to return back home. #Danum
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When the sky is clear, the cicada is punctual. On cloudy afternoons, it may start up to 2 hrs earlier. On misty mornings, around 7. #Danum
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"t--tr-trr-trrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRROooRRrrrrrRROOOOOOOOr- -" My ears! The Six O'clock Cicada is a power station on wings. #Danum
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6:05 PM. On a tree trunk by the trail, a little higher than eyelevel, a 10+ cm cicada makes several modests tries to start the engine #Danum
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