Chien C. Lee

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  • Earth-boring dung beetle (Blackburnium rhinoceros), male. This unusual dung beetle is a member of the family Geotrupidae, often referred to as the earth-boring dung beetles. They are known for laying their eggs in burrows which are sometimes provisioned with leaf litter or dung. Wasur National Park, South Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • A pair of the largest dung beetles in Borneo (Catharsius dayacus) clean up after the droppings of a Sambar Deer in the rainforest of Danum Valley, Sabah. Although this species does not roll balls like its more well-known relatives, it nevertheless is responsible for burying large amounts of animal scat and provides a vital ecological service. Nearly a hundred species of dung beetles have been recorded from Danum alone; studies have shown that their diversity not only directly reflects the wide assortment of vertebrates in an area but also can serve as a valuable indicator of habitat heterogeneity and forest disturbance. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Dung beetle (Paragymnopleurus sparsus), rolling scat of Sambar Deer. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Dung beetle (Scarabaeus sp.), rolling dung. Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka.
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  • This small dung beetle (Paragymnopleurus maurus) is preparing a ball made from monkey droppings in which it will deposit its eggs and then bury. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Dung beetle (Proagoderus watanabei), male feeding on herbivore scat. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Dung beetle (Paragymnopleurus maurus), rolling scat of Sambar Deer. Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Dung Beetle (Epilissus splendidus). Mantadia National Park, Madagascar.
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  • What could seem more unappetizing to a bird than the prospect of eating its own droppings? The incredible masquerade of bird-dropping crab spiders (Phrynarachne spp.) enables them thus to hide in plain sight, usually perched exposed on the upper surface of a leaf. Not only does the spider itself look (and smell) like dung, but it also skillfully uses its own silk to simulate white stains of the splatter of a bird dropping – at times even crafting ‘drip lines’ down the furrows of a leaf. This disguise not only helps them avoid predators but it also attracts hungry flies which are hoping for a meal. Most spiders usually discard the remains of their prey after consuming them, but Phrynarachne sometimes incorporate the carcasses, as shown here, into convincing extensions of their facade. Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Crematogaster inflata, a conspicuous ant with aposematic coloration. The swollen orange metathorax can secrete a sticky substance as a defensive chemical when the ant is disturbed. Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Common Mormon Swallowtail (Papilio polytes). This young butterfly caterpillar avoids predation by appearing unappealingly similar to a bird dropping. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana) feeding at Nepenthes rajah.  Recent research has shown the the world's largest pitcher plant Nepenthes rajah is not exclusively carnivorous. Like the related N. lowii, this species attracts treeshrews by secreting nectar on the undersurface of the lid. These animals frequently leave their droppings in the pitcher, which serves as a valuable nitrogen source in their impoverished mountain habitat. Mount Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • An infrared camera trap reveals a secretive nocturnal visitor to the giant pitchers of Nepenthes rajah. The Kinabalu Rat (Rattus baluensis) is known only from the upper slopes of Mount Kinabalu in northern Borneo. New research has confirmed that this rodent shares a similar mutualistic relationship with these pitcher plants as the Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana), by obtaining sweet nectar in exchange for their nitrogen-rich droppings. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne sp.). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne sp.). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A Bird Dropping Crab Spider (Phrynarachne decipiens) lies in wait on a silken pad it has made to resemble the stain of bird excrement. The remains of two unfortunate flies, victims of the spider's clever deception, lie nearby. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Rather than being carnivorous, this unusual pitcher plant (Nepenthes lowii) derives its nutrition from the droppings of the Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana). The animals are attracted to the plant's copious nectar secretions, and inevitably leave their scat in the pitchers which are designed like a natural toilet receptacle. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • In a strikingly specific instance of mimicry, the patterns on the wings of this moth (Macrocilix maia) appear to resemble two flies feeding at a glistening bird dropping. This, coupled with a pungent odor that the moth emits, may be enough to dissuade a predator from considering a meal. Although flies are certainly edible, they nevertheless sometimes serve as models for mimicry because they are so quick and agile that most birds won't bother pursuing them. Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Deer Cave (located in Mulu National Park) is one of the world's largest cave passages, with an opening chamber over 120 meters in height. It is home to an estimated 5 million bats. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Begonia pulvinifera. Ha Giang, Vietnam.
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  • Leaf of Colocasia gigantea with round holes left by feeding Chrysomelid beetle (Aplosonyx ancora). The beetle bites circular leaf trenches to drain the leaf of its toxic latex prior to consumption. Ha Giang, Vietnam.
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  • Forest on limestone hill. Ha Giang, Vietnam.
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  • Leaf insect (Cryptophyllium oyae), male. Usually considerably rarer than the flightless females, male Phyllium can also be distinguished by their narrower body shape and long antennae. The taxonomy of many Phyllium species remain poorly studied due to how infrequently they are observed. Ha Giang, Vietnam.
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  • Grandidier's Baobab (Adansonia grandidieri). The baobab trees of Madagascar are such an iconic sight that it's easy to overlook the fact that some species are highly endangered. In addition to habitat loss, Madagascar baobabs have very poor seedling survival rates and young trees are a rare find. It is theorized that their large pulpy fruits were only consumed by now extinct animals such as giant tortoises, baboon-like lemurs, and the enormous elephant birds, which served to disperse the tree's seeds. Since some of these animals only disappeared in the past thousand years it is quite possible that the oldest trees existing today germinated from the dung of Madagascar's lost megafauna. Morondava, Madagascar.
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  • Grandidier's Baobab (Adansonia grandidieri). The baobab trees of Madagascar are such an iconic sight that it's easy to overlook the fact that some species are highly endangered. In addition to habitat loss, Madagascar baobabs have very poor seedling survival rates and young trees are a rare find. It is theorized that their large pulpy fruits were only consumed by now extinct animals such as giant tortoises, baboon-like lemurs, and the enormous elephant birds, which served to disperse the tree's seeds. Since some of these animals only disappeared in the past thousand years it is quite possible that the oldest trees existing today germinated from the dung of Madagascar's lost megafauna. Morondava, Madagascar.
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  • Nepenthes ephippiata, a dung-eating pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. Esat Kalimantan, Indonesia.
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  • Dung-eating pitcher plant (Nepenthes lowii), endemic to Borneo. Pulong Tau National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia.
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