Long-tailed Macaques Feeding on Dipterocarp Fruits

When I went to MacRitchie last Sunday, I came across this troupe of Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) feeding on the Dipterocarp (probably Dipterocarpus sp.) fruits. Fortunately there were so many fallen fruits, or else I would think that the dipterocarps would have a big problem propagating themselves!


This one was enjoying itself when I snapped a shot of it.


It saw me, but that did not stop it from biting on the fruit.


It soon managed to chew off the outer layer to feed on the seed inside.


And it's certainly more fun to enjoy good food when there's company.


A number of them even had their kids along.

Apart from the numerous monkeys, I spotted quite a few other animals, but most of them were too quick for my camera.


This Branded Imperial Butterfly (Eooxylides tharis distanti) was one of the more cooperative subjects which stayed still for quite a while to let me take photos of it.


Giant Forest Ants (Camponotus gigas) were quite common. The soldier ants (above) have huge pincer-like mouthparts to defend the colony.


The worker ants are smaller in size.


I was pleasantly surprised to find a few Pygmy Dragonflies (Nannophya pygmaea) at my favourite spot at MacRitchie - a little stream with lots of mosses, pitcher plants and little fishes. Did not see it the past few times I was here.


As I was climbing up Jelutong Tower, I saw a female Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans) resting on a tree next to the tower.


I also spotted a few Clouded Monitor Lizards (Varanus bengalensis) digging for small animals to feed on among the leaf litter.

Generally it was a good day for spotting little animals :)