Chien C. Lee

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  • Venezuela’s fabled tabletop mountains may have once inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s science fiction novel “The Lost World”, where he imagined the summits to be home to a plethora of gigantic prehistoric creatures that had been separated from the evolution of life on the rest of the planet for eons of time. Disappointingly, dinosaurs were never found on these mountains and, despite being home to many endemics and indeed a fair share of “living fossils”, recent genetic studies have shown that many species in fact have likely arrived well after the tepuis had been fully formed. This reveals that the imposing rocky cliffs, which seemingly isolate the summits from the jungles below, may not be as significant a physical barrier for dispersal as once believed. This young Boddaert's Tropical Racer (Mastigodryas boddaerti), encountered on the plateau of Auyán Tepui, is a widespread species in northern South America, and although prey is scarce on these mountaintops, it presumably hunts for endemic frogs.  Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • This Yellow Meranti (Shorea faguetiana) is the tallest tropical tree yet known, measured at 100.8m in height. Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • This Yellow Meranti (Shorea faguetiana) is the tallest tropical tree yet known, measured at 100.8m in height. Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • With fewer than a thousand individuals remaining in the wild, the Critically Endangered Golden Bamboo Lemur (Hapalemur aureus) holds on to a tenuous existence in the rainforests of Madagascar. It’s discovery in the mid-1980’s was a crucial factor that led to the foundation of the now famous Ranomafana National Park – a reserve that protects over 400 sq. km. of tropical forest. Like other bamboo lemurs, it feeds primarily on bamboo shoots which, due to their high cyanide content, are lethally toxic to most other animals. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • The dreaded Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata), in possession of the most painful sting on the planet, here has fallen prey to an even more sinister organism: a parasitoid fungus (Ophiocordycipitaceae). The ‘zombification’ of insects in tropical rainforests has been well documented, but the incredibly precise way that these fungi control the behavior of their hosts prior to consuming them is not yet fully understood. Recent research indicates that, rather than invading the brain which might kill the insect prematurely, the fungus may directly control the muscles of its host like a puppet. In this way it can lead the ant to a location where it is more likely to infect others. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Incredible camouflage of a neotropical epiphyll-mimicking katydid (Clepsydronotus deciduus). Ephiphylls are tiny plants and lichens that grow on the surfaces of leaves in tropical rainforests, usually being detrimental to their host because they block light to the leaves. Having selected such an epiphyll-ridden leaf, the katydid is able to blend with the mottled colors and rough texture to conceal itself despite being completely exposed on the upper surface. Notice also how the katydid has carefully folded its long threadlike antennae under itself – if they were to stick out then the insect could be much more easily discovered by sharp-eyed birds. Choco, Colombia.
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  • Although most people are familiar with the Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) in the scrublands and prairies of the southern US, it is originally an animal from tropical rainforests, including the Amazon Basin. This individual uses a fallen log to cross a stream during its nocturnal foray for insects and other tiny tasty morsels. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Seeds of Alsomitra macrocarpa, a large tropical climbing vine, lie scattered on the forest floor.  Each seeds is adorned with a large transparent wing which enables it to glide slowly down from the rainforest canopy, sometimes traveling hundreds of yards. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Phyllium bioculatum.  Leaf insects (family Phylliidae) are found in tropical forested areas in South and Southeast Asia.  They are slow-moving foliage eaters and rely on their incredible camouflage for defense.  West Java, Indonesia.
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  • Seeds of Alsomitra macrocarpa, a large tropical climbing vine, lie scattered on the forest floor.  Each seeds is adorned with a large transparent wing which enables it to glide slowly down from the rainforest canopy, sometimes traveling hundreds of yards. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • In the dense tropical rainforests of Borneo, plants struggle to compete for their share of the sunlight. As little as 2% of sunlight reaches the forest floor. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • With its rapidly mobile marginal tentacles, this small carnivorous sundew (Drosera burmannii) is able to secure a trapped insect and transport it towards the centre of its leaves where it can be digested. It occurs widely in wet sandy habitats across Southeast Asia. Kampot, Cambodia.
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  • A lone emergent Tapang (Koompassia excelsa) tree towers above the mist-shrouded canopy of the Borneo rainforest to catch the morning sun. This is one of the tallest tropical tree species with recorded heights of over 85 meters. Sabah, Malaysia.
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  • Sundew (Drosera burmannii) with trapped prey. Bokor National Park, Cambodia.
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  • Violin Beetle (Mormolyce matejmiciaki). Violin Beetles are found in forested habitats in tropical Southeast Asia. Their bizarre flattened wing-sheaths allow them to maneuver under tree bark and cracks where they hunt for other insects. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • In the Borneo rainforest, a leaf isn't always what it seems. Many tropical trees and shrubs have pale or reddish young leaves as part of a strategy to deter herbivory: the absence of green chlorophyll reduces their nutritive value. Here, an orange morph leaf-legged katydid (Eulophophyllum lobulatum) mimics this exact foliage type. This insect  has been found to have a variety of colorations ranging from green to yellow and red, an adaptation that probably makes it more difficult for their predators to learn a fixed search image for any particular color. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Slow-moving streams with tea-colored water are characteristic of tropical peat swamp forests such as this one in northwestern Borneo. Binyo-Penyilam, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Many tropical butterfly species congregate on sandy river banks to supplement their diet with dissolved minerals or animal urine. These are the Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae), a species of swallowtail (family Papilionidae) widespread across Southeast Asia. Uthai Thani, Thailand.
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  • Violin Beetle (Mormolyce matejmiciaki). Violin Beetles are found in forested habitats in tropical Southeast Asia. Their bizarre flattened wing-sheaths allow them to maneuver under tree bark and cracks where they hunt for other insects. Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia.
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  • A wide swath of virgin rainforest cloaks the foothills of the Kobowre Mountains in western Papua. Indonesian New Guinea hosts some of the largest remaining tracts of primary tropical rainforest in the world.
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  • A twisted liana winds its way into the canopy among the virgin rainforest of Tawau Hills National Park in northern Borneo. Home to some of the tallest tropical trees in the world, the forests in these hills is inhabited by a rich diversity of wildlife. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A Giant Green Jumping Spider (Mopsus mormon) from the tropical forests of Waigeo Island. With its bright green legs and distinctive hairstyle, this species (the only in its genus) is easily recognizable among the many hundreds of jumping spiders (family Salticidae) in New Guinea. An enormous pair of frontal eyes give this little predator excellent vision to locate and size-up potential prey, and six flanking eyes allow it to detect movement in virtually every direction. West Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Still wet from a passing rainstorm, a Sabah Bamboo Pitviper (Trimeresurus sabahi) lies in ambush on the side of a tree, waiting for the approach of suitable prey. By maintaining a low metabolism and sometimes remaining in a single position for weeks at a time, tropical vipers such as this can survive by feeding as infrequently as once every few months. Mount Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Some of the most noticeable spiders of the Southeast Asian tropical rainforests are the huntsmans (family Sparassidae); not only do they reach impressive sizes and are often colorful but because they don’t use webs for their prey capture they can easily be seen hunting in understory vegetation at night. Some, such as this Lichen Huntsman (Pandercetes sp.) are harder to find than most due to their cryptic camouflage. This female specimen rests atop her equally camouflaged egg sac which has been neatly woven into the fold of a dead leaf. Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • The large tropical island of New Guinea hosts a high diversity of cicada species, such as this Baeturia sp., many of which are endemic to small regions. Batanta Island, West Papua, Indonesia.
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  • Bulbophyllum elongatum. Although distributed throughout the tropics worldwide, orchids of the genus Bulbuphyllum reach their highest diversity in the cool montane forests of New Guinea, with over 600 recorded species. Papua, Indonesia.
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  • Although the blooms of this rare mangrove tree (Pelliciera rhizophorae) are visited by hummingbirds in the day, the flowers remain open at night and exude a strong musty odor to attract an entirely different animal. Captured by an infrared camera trigger, a Leaf-nosed Bat (Glossophaga soricina) approaches an open flower to partake of the rich source of nectar. Nectar-feeding bats are common in the tropics and are responsible for the pollination of a great number of tree species. Choco, Colombia.
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  • Bulbophyllum cf. dolichopus. Although distributed throughout the tropics worldwide, orchids of the genus Bulbuphyllum reach their highest diversity in the cool montane forests of New Guinea, with over 600 recorded species.
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  • With their spring-loaded jaws capable of snapping shut at over 200km/h, trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus sp.) have some of the fastest predatory strikes in the animal kingdom. However, this isn’t their only weapon: they also possess a powerful wasp-like sting that can either subdue prey or serve as an effective deterrent against any animal foolish enough to disturb their nest. There are over 70 species distributed throughout the tropics, shown here is one of the largest: O. tyrannicus from the steamy lowland jungles of New Guinea, its mandibles retracted and ready to strike. Papua, Indonesia.
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  • Male parental care is quite rare in nature, but a variety of frogs throughout the tropics show instances where the father transports the young on his back. In most cases this involves carrying either eggs or tadpoles, but in a few New Guinean species, such as this Sphenophryne cornuta, actual froglets ride in piggyback fashion. A member of the Microhylidae, these frogs have direct-development larvae which means that the tadpoles morph into tiny frogs before leaving the egg, an adaptation enabling them to negate the need for a pool of water. The froglets will hitch a ride on the back of their father for several days before being dispersed in the rainforest understory. Digul River, South Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea)
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  • The haunting hollow skeleton of a fly is all that remains after being consumed alive by a parasitoid fungi (Ophiocordyceps cf. dipterigena) in the New Guinean rainforest. Two different types of fruiting bodies have emerged from the fly's body: the dorsal 'mushrooms' (ascostroma) are perfectly positioned to release tiny spores on the fungi's next victim. The tropics hold a great diversity of these entomopathogenic fungi, with undoubtedly many undescribed species, each apparently tailored to target specific insect hosts. West Papua, Indonesia.
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  • Australasian Giant Centipede (Ethmostigmus rubripes rubripes), recently molted juvenile. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Land crab (Geosesarma bau). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Nepenthes villosa, a high-altitude carnivorous pitcher plant endemic to Mount Kinabalu and Mount Tamboyukon. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • The upper pitcher of an undescribed carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes sp.) from a remote mountain range in central New Guinea. Papua, Indonesia.
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  • A bush frog (Philautus amoenus) emerges from it's watery shelter in the pitcher of Nepenthes × harryana. Mount Kinabalu. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bush frog (Philautus nepenthophilus) in pitcher plant (Nepenthes mollis). Pulong Tau National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes eymae), upper pitchers. Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes bicalcarata). Normally occuring only in shady peat swamp forests, this species occasionally grows in open heath-like peat bogs. It is endemic to Borneo. Sarawak, Malaysia.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes andamana), a species adapted for seasonally dry grasslands. Phang Nga, Thailand.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes hamata). Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes nigra). Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii). Palawan, Philippines.
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  • Nepenthes eymae, a pitcher plant with highly dimorphic pitchers found on the lower and upper parts of the vine.  Shown here are the upper pitchers.  It is endemic to the higher mountains of Central Sulawesi.
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  • Nepenthes hamata.  Given the right conditions, many species of Nepenthes have the capacity to sprout aerial rosettes on their climbing stems, so that the pitchers are suspended in mid-air.  This species is endemic to the mountains of Sulawesi.
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  • Nepenthes undulatifolia, a newly described pitcher plant from the montane forests of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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  • This beautiful pitcher plant (Nepenthes ventricosa) is endemic to the mountains of Luzon Island. Aurora, Philippines.
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  • Nepenthes villosa, a high-altitude carnivorous pitcher plant endemic to Mount Kinabalu and Mount Tamboyukon. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Nepenthes rajah. With perhaps the worlds largest pitchers, this carnivorous plant has been known to consume rats in the wild. Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii). Palawan, Philippines.
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  • Upper pitchers of Nepenthes murudensis. This rare pitcher plant is endemic to the summit region of the highest mountain in Sarawak, Gunung Murud.
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  • Nepenthes hamata, a rare species of pitcher plant found only in the cool and damp mossy forests on steep ridges in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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  • Nepenthes rowanae, one of only a few pitcher plant species endemic to Australia. This species grows only in ever-wet swamps of the Cape York Peninsula. Queensland, Australia.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii). Palawan, Philippines.
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  • The bizarre gourd-shaped pitchers of this pitcher plant (Nepenthes lowii) are an unforgettable sight in the mossy forests of northern Borneo. It is has been shown that these function to trap animal droppings which serve as fertilizer for the plant. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes pitopangii). Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes edwardsiana). Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A stream cascades over sandstone layers in Lambir Hills National Park. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Keel-bellied Vine Snake (Dryophiops rubescens), a lizard-eating arboreal colubrid. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A male Bornean Tree-hole Frog (Metaphrynella sundana) calls for a mate from its lair.  These frogs are able to modify the pitch of their call to match the resonating frequency of the tree-hole chamber, thereby amplifying their volume. 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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  • Leaf katydid (Sathrophylliopsis longepilosa), female. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii). Palawan, Philippines.
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  • 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. Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Nepenthes mapuluensis, a rare pitcher plant endemic to the limestone mountains of East Kalimantan, Indonesia (Borneo).
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  • Variable Sticky Frog (Kalophrynus heterochirus). Like other species in the genus, this frog secretes a sticky substance when disturbed. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes rafflesiana), upper pitcher. Brunei Darussalam (Borneo).
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  • An enormous pitcher trap (Nepenthes rafflesiana) rests on the forest floor, an open but sinister invitation for wandering insects. This carnivorous plant has been known to occasionally catch and consume mice in its voluminous pitchers which can reach over 40cm in height. Belait, Brunei Darussalam (Borneo).
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  • The poor soils of many of Borneo’s natural habitats are home to many unusual plants, the most famous of which are undoubtedly the carnivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthes). The slippery-rimmed traps are designed to lure and consume insects and even small animals to supplement the plant’s nutrition. One of the most extraordinary is Nepenthes veitchii, seen here growing up the side of a small tree, it’s pitchers open and ready for unsuspecting visitors. Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes lowii). 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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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes veitchii), a terrestrial form of this usually epiphytic species.  Endemic to Borneo. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • This pitcher plant (Nepenthes neoguineensis) is endemic to New Guinea where it can be found on lateritic soils near the coast. Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes rafflesiana). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Nepenthes macrophylla. This rare montane pitcher plant is endemic only to the summit of Gunung Trusmadi, Malaysia's second highest mountain. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A tiny undescribed species of dwarf toad (Pelophryne sp.) perches on the lid of a carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes villosa) high in the mossy forests of Mount Tambuyukon in northern Borneo. It is suspected that these toads and other amphibians utilize the water-filled pitchers in which to breed, but the remoteness of these locations makes this behavior difficult to study, and their exact relationship remains unconfirmed. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • The lower pitcher of an undescribed carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes sp.) from a remote mountain range in central New Guinea. Papua, Indonesia.
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  • A predatory Toxorhynchites mosquito emerges from the liquid in a pitcher of Nepenthes ampullaria. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A newly discovered pitcher plant (Nepenthes appendiculata) from montane mossy forest in Sarawak. This species is remarkable by the unusual glandular appendage found at the tip of the pitcher lid, which probably serves to attract insect prey. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • With its fearsome clawed peristome, this pitcher plant (Nepenthes hamata) is one of the most spectacular and sought-after species in the entire genus. It is endemic to the higher mountains of Sulawesi where it grows on steep mossy ridges. Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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  • The thin pitcher lid and complete lack of a peristome make this Sumatran pitcher plant (Nepenthes inermis) unique in the genus. It has unusually viscous pitcher fluid that may aid in trapping insects. West Sumatra, Indonesia.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes sibuyanensis). This large pitcher plant is endemic to the ultramafic Mount Guiting-guiting on Sibuyan Island, Philippines.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes stenophylla), upper pitcher. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Formally described in 2009, this pitcher plant (Nepenthes bokorensis) is endemic to the Kampot province of southern Cambodia where it grows on rocky montane plateaus amid scrub and short forest.
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes campanulata), a limestone lithophytic carnivorous plant, here growing on a cliff 250m above the rainforest canopy. Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • World within: the watery chamber of a carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes ampullaria) hosts a myriad of tiny specialized creatures. An amplexing pair of the Matang Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla nepenthicola), one of the world’s smallest amphibians, has visited the plant to deposit their eggs – they will breed nowhere else. They are flanked by a developing tadpole and the pupa of a predatory Elephant Mosquito (Toxorhynchites sp.). The plant benefits from everything entering the pitcher: detritus falling from the canopy above, insect prey that are drowned inside, or small visiting organisms like these that may help to break down the contents and leave their waste behind. Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Scat of Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana) on the peristome of Nepenthes rajah. This will be washed into the pitcher with rain where it becomes a vital source of nutrients for the plant. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bush frog (Philautus nepenthophilus) in pitcher plant (Nepenthes mollis). Pulong Tau National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Compact clumps of the rare pitcher plant Nepenthes campanulata grow on the vertical walls of a limestone cliff nearly a hundred meters above the canopy of the rainforest. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes papuana). Digul River, South Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Near the summit of Gunung Murud (Sarawak's highest mountain), an newly described species of tiny bush frog (Philautus nepenthophilus) hides within the fluid of a carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes mollis), apparently unaffected by the plant's digestive juices therein. Phytotelmata (water bodies held by plants) provide living quarters and breeding grounds for many unique creatures which are completely dependent on them. Pulong Tau National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Pitcher plant (Nepenthes campanulata). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Intermediate Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros larvatus). Yunnan, China.
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  • One of the most beautiful of all pitcher plants, Nepenthes edwardsiana produces enormous cylindrical pitchers which are strikingly colored. It is endemic to the Mount Kinabalu region in northern Borneo.
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  • Endemic to Indonesian New Guinea, this pitcher plant (Nepenthes lamii) is known only from upper montane habitats, occasionally growing as high as 3500m where frosts occur. Highland Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • The exact function of the unusual tubercles on the back of this Long-horned Orbweaver (Macracantha arcuata) is unknown, but possibly deters predation. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo)
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  • ore than just a death trap: the watery chamber of this carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes ampullaria) in the Borneo rainforest is home to a brood of tiny tadpoles. One of the world's smallest frogs (Microhyla nepenthicola), this species will lay its eggs nowhere else, making them completely dependent on the plants. Here, the tadpoles grow in relative safety, except when they are faced with other water-dwelling predators including huge carnivorous mosquitoes. After several weeks they will mature into tiny froglets and make their escape from the pitcher. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A view from within the pitcher of this semi-carnivorous plant (Nepenthes ampullaria). Without a protective lid as in most other species of Nepenthes, the pitchers of N. ampullaria are exposed to rain as well as a continual fall of leaf litter from the forest canopy. In this way they are able to derive a significant portion of their nutrients from detritus. The dark objects on the inner rim are pupae of a Megaselia fly whose larvae feed on dead insects within the pitcher fluid. Sarawak, 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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  • Microhyla borneensis, male. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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