Borneo: Over the Wallace Line. Part I: Kubah National Park

In April, I took a trip to Malaysian Borneo with a mate of mine, George, with the simple aim of seeing as many animals over there as humanly possible.

We began our trip in Kuching and headed for Kubah National Park for a couple of nights' stay. We dumped our bags and walked straight out into the rainforest, filled with anticipation. Within metres of our accommodation we saw a couple of crimson-winged woodpeckers and a greater racquet-tailed drongo. I glimpsed a streak of grey-brown on a branch. It took me a few moments for my mind to come to terms with what I was seeing: a squirrel (it turned out to be a Low's squirrel). We were definitely not in Australia any more.

Low's Squirrel

Italy

Italian Wall Lizard, Podarcis sicula, Cefalù (Sicily)

I'm in Italy. Having a below-average appreciation of history and architecture, when faced with the 2000 year-old ruins of a civilisation, my first thoughts are generally "That's nice. I bet there are some lizards hiding in those cracks".

Moorish Gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, Cefalù (Sicily)

Dawsonia moss

Dawsonia is remarkable for its large size, supported by a water transport system unusual for a moss.

Golden Ants

They're golden, they're spined, but they're not Golden spined ants (Polyrachis), but rather a Dolichoderus sp. from the Hunter region.