The biodiversity of Malaysia

I feel privileged to be born and raised in Malaysia. While some people (sometimes including myself) complain about fuel price, toll, traffic jam, and about fifty gazillions other stuffs, I admit that we live in a place which is blessed with extremely beautiful flora and fauna. Just look at the colourful corals of Perhentian Island and the greens of Fraser's Hill which are objects of envy for those not blessed with tropical climate. For a nature lover, Malaysia is simply one of the few places on earth which is closest to the seventh heaven.

To appreciate the vast biodiversity in Malaysian rainforest you don't have to go deep. Even at the suburbs and forest edges we can find plenty of wild life from arthropods to small mammals. The roads that connect the major towns sometimes pass through dense forests and at times travelers can witness even more spectacular creatures such as tapirs and gibbons. Of course you cannot expect to see these if you are using the highways.

Perhaps most of the large mammals in our rainforests have been discovered and documented by science. If there is any more awaiting discovery, they are most likely to dwell in the remote untouched forests such as the Royal Belum and the Maliau Basin. While I am equally fascinated by the flair of the flying fox and the agility of linsang, my prime interest belongs to the world of the tiny and often forgotten arachnids. Related under the same phylum to the insect, arachnids are 8 legged creatures with no back bone and sort of primitive in their behaviour. They can't swim nor can the fly. The most interesting of all is the spider.

This blog is about spiders that I have found and photographed since 2006. I will also talk about my journey in finding as many spiders in the wild and my attempt to photograph them. While photos are nice to view, the most important message I want to broadcast is about conservation of our flora and fauna. Rapid development, climate change and deforestation have drastically affecting the survival of our wild life with many species not found anywhere else in the world. These are our national treasure, an inheritance which should not be taken for granted.