We took buses in bemos until the dirt rocky road, and then had to take motorcycles up into the mountains. With our heavy packs, the bumpy motorcycle ride was rather uncomfortable and resulted in several unusual bruises. We hiked our own trail through the ferns, pitcher plants, streams, and red ground flowers. The greenery was so dense that we had to use machetes to cut a path open. Yasmine and Hendra, 2 university of Indonesia students led us through the jungle. Sometimes we walked through and rested on beds of dead and live ferns over 5 feet deep. Red- winged dragonflies, black and white caterpillars, butterflies black and iridescent blue graciously accompanied us all long the way. At one point we could see clear across the valley. Gibbons were swinging and sweeping through the canopy right before eyes. Unfortunately on our way back to the research station we passed makeshift illegal deforestation logging units.
Conservation through conversation
Orangutans are solitary animals which wander and scavenge for food alone. After they mate, they separate. The female takes care of her offspring for only two years. In the morning, they make their calls to stake out their territorial bounds.
Rhinoceroses take four years to find a mate, and requires fastidious peaceful conditions to get ‘in the mood’.
Macaques live in gangs of 30 in hierarchical arrangement. The king male can mate with any of the females in their troop while the rest of the males remain hard up. The lesser the rank of the macaque, the more time it spends grooming other monkeys. Female macaque butts blow up bright red during esteris. At this time, their butt is like a seating pad. Every species of macaque female has a different shape butt during esteris. Esteris is the primate equivalent of human menstruation cycle. It is hypothesized that the shape of macaque butt during esteris aids species specific mating; the lock and key hypothesis.
Eagles mate in the air
The best way to see snakes is to cover a lot of ground and to scan their homes under rocks and leaves. The best way to avoid encountering a snake is to clap your feet as you walk.
Hippos are mean animals. In Africa they are the third most dangerous animal next to lions and elephants. Although they are herbivores , they’ll also munch on humans with their two large sharp teeth. They’re known to sink boats, open water channels in muddy planes, drag men underwater, and trample men at night. Because they have closable nostrils, and can hold their breath for 28 minutes.
Pythons like water... it helps them shed and warms their body to help them digest their food. A snake’s bones are extremely fragile. Therefore, always support it while holding it.
Komodo dragons are fierce. In seconds they can leap 30 feet and bite into you. Their teeth are double edged and laden with lethal bacteria. They are smart and efficient predators. They bite their prey, wait two or three days for their prey to die from a bacterial infection, then eat it
Crocodile posoraus has two times the compression capacity of a great white shark they’re too dangerous for a US zoo and known to devour water buffalo
Bantimurung
It was my last day in Sulawesi, and we stopped off at Bantimurung national park before resuming work. We walked through Goa Mimpi, or Dream Cave. It ran 2 kilometers right though a mountain cliff. It's called Dream Cave because the stalactites and stalagmites resemble real forms-- elephants, people. When we knocked on the rocks they sounded like hollow wooden xylophones. At some points in the cave, the ceiling would vault meters above us. As we left the parkk, we caught an unexpected glimpse of Maura Macaques (golden haired). They were traveling in a troop in the canopy. I looked at one and whistled to get its attention. With its arms it moved a couple branches to secure a clearer view of me. It was very unamused and continued to rip off more leaves to munch on.
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