Sunday, January 13, 2013

Proboscis Monkeys at Lubuk Bay

One of the highlights a recent trip to Sandakan last year was a visit to the Lubuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. These unique cousins of the Homo sapiens have long noses which droop over the mouth in the males. The females have similiar trademark noses but are much smaller. Pot bellies are also very much in evidence in all adult monkeys.

A male Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) settled down to munch on sliced fresh fruit on humungous roots from the mangrove swamps.

The entrance to Lubuk Bay sanctuary which is set inside an oil palm plantation.  There are some grammatical and spelling errors in the English version :I 


The herd chilling off on dried mangrove roots.


A nice picture of cosy domesticity.

Meal time was presided by the head of the household, a dominant male with several consorts and their offspring.

This Alpha male gorged on watermelon wedges to cool off from the tropical heat.

A female got hold of a bunch of grape-like fruits to indulge in.

A contented female perched prettily on a wooden strut of the platform.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs seems to be showcased here, fulfilling very basic needs, at the physiological level. He straddled without a word and she obliged silently.
"As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words" - William Shakespeare



Matrimonial duties can be energy-sapping so taking a brief respite from those chores must be a welcome relief.

“There are 193 species of monkeys and apes, 192 of them are covered with hair. The exception is a naked ape self-named Homo sapiens” - Desmond Morris

Monkey see, monkey do.

 
A baby monkey scrounging for food ...


under the watchful eyes of mum.

 
and other adults.


This trio were getting ready for the three wise monkeys' act of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"  They were at this stance for a long while.


When the crowd thinned out, this youth summoned the courage to snarl at the few of us who remained behind.
  
There were many Hornbills at the Sanctuary. They hanged around and perched close by to beg for morsels of fruits. Its eye bags need working on with heavy dabs of night cream but ...


its long eyelashes would be the envy of many of us, females. Blue mascara would enhance them further and complement the blue eyeshadow on the eyelids.


22 comments:

  1. They look so much like certain people I know.

    Very nice photography.

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    Replies
    1. Haha, you have interesting friends and acquaintances?
      Thanks for compliments.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this beautiful story of beruk hidung panjang...heheh..very enjoyable looking at their photos..nicely captured..do u know in PJ also there's a place where lots of monkeys stay there..section 17 if i'm not mistaken..neary the rich ppl areas..

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the Malay name and the kind words. I'm glad that you like the photos. I was wondering whether to have PG rating for this post :) Have to check out Section 17, on both the monkeys and the rich ppl. Hope they don't ape each other. That would be quite disastrous.

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  3. Hanno una certa somiglianza con l'essere umano :)
    Ottimi scatti, complimenti

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    Replies
    1. Hi Simo, thanks for the sweet words and for dropping by. Best regard.

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  4. What a fantastic series of photos! Those proboscis monkeys really are oddly human :)

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    1. Thanks for being so kind. Having a telephoto lens helps. Monkeys, apes, chimpanees, orang utan and their ilk are our cousins :)

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  5. I have not seen these monkeys in zoos, are slightly strange to say. Much nicer females, have playfully upturned noses. Beautiful pictures, admire and greet

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    1. If you watch the movie, 'Life of Pi' this monkey was featured in a scene of the zoo. Thanks and greetings from me too.

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  6. Małpie kobiety są o wiele ładniejsze od mężczyzn. Ich nosy są ładniejsze. Takiego ptaka z długimi rzęsami jeszcze nie widziałam. Wspaniałe zdjęcia. Pozdrawiam.
    Monkey women are much nicer than men. Their noses are nicer. A bird with long eyelashes have not seen. Great pictures. Yours.

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    1. Hi Giga, appreciate that you also provide the translation of all your comments so far to English. It saves me much time in searching for online translation. The hornbill not only has long eyelashes but it wears blue eyeshadow too.

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  7. Bravo Stiletto! Very fine story you have there!
    You had me laughing in stitches..lol!
    Nice shot of the hornbill!
    Don't know when I'll be able to do such close-up.
    They look friendly though.

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    1. I'm glad that you have a good sense of humour. Initially I was a bit worried that I would be chastised for posting such materials online, but then I thought this is the natural order of things; the great cycle of life.

      The photos are not close-ups. They were shot using telephoto lens. They are still wild animals though kept in a sanctuary.

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  8. They are quite fascinating monkeys with interesting social habits.

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  9. Very interesting creatures! You showcased this visit so well in these photos.

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    1. This Sanctuary is popular with visitors to Sandakan. Thanks for the compliments.

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  10. Impressive collection of the 'orang Belanda'.

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    1. I wonder what the Dutch would think of this name :) Probably because they were once the colonial masters in Indonesia.

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  11. What beautiful images you have shown here Stiletto, I have thoroughly enjoyed viewing them and am impressed by your skill in presenting them. Well done...

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    1. Hi Gringo, you've paid me a great compliment 'vis-a-vis' the presentation. I really appreciate that you were able to discern that as I did put in a bit of effort for the story line.

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