Bornean Rainbow Toad

[Windsor]

By scalabari at 2011-07-14

Borneo Rainbow Toad, Or Sambas Stream Toad, Spotted In Malaysia's Eastern Sarawak State
By SEAN YOONG 07/14/11 06:58 AM ET

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Scientists scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a toad species last seen in 1924 by European explorers and provided the world with the first photographs of the colorful, spindly legged creature, a researcher said Thursday.
In recent years, the Washington-based Conservation International placed the Sambas stream toad, also known as the Bornean rainbow toad, on a world "Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Frogs" and voiced fears it might be extinct.
Researchers found three of the slender-limbed toads living on trees during a night search last month in a remote mountainous region of Malaysia's eastern Sarawak state in Borneo, said Indraneil Das, a conservation professor at the Sarawak Malaysia University who led the expedition.
Only illustrations of the toads previously existed. Das said his team first decided to seek the toad last August, but months of searching proved fruitless until they went higher up the Penrissen mountain range, which has rarely been explored in the past century.
"It is good to know that nature can surprise us when we are close to giving up hope, especially amidst our planet's escalating extinction crisis," Robin Moore, a specialist on amphibians at Conservation International, said in a statement announcing the discovery.
The toads found on three separate trees measured up to 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) in size and comprised an adult male, an adult female and a juvenile, the statement said.
Das declined to reveal the exact site of his team's discovery because of fears of illegal poaching due to strong demand for bright-hued amphibians. Researchers will continue work to find out more about the Borneo Rainbow Toad and other amphibians in Penrissen.
Conservationists say many endangered animals in Borneo are threatened by hunting and habitat loss sparked by logging, plantations and other human development.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/14/borneo-rainbow-toad-malaysia_n_898036.html

 

[Agoraphobic]

Nature sure surprises us everytime. Am keeping my hopes alive that they'll discover the Orang Pendek in my lifetime.

Cheers!

 

[Windsor]

Nature sure surprises us everytime. Am keeping my hopes alive that they'll discover the Orang Pendek in my lifetime.

Cheers!

What Orang Pendek? You mean the Malaysian Bigfoot? If you want to I can give a story about what I heard.

 

[HTOLAS]

And for once, the picture of the frog is not entirely misplaced, if misleading.

 

[Maximilian Chua-Heng]

Yeah! Bro W, I also see a frog, not a colorful toad leh!

Oh I get it!

And for once, the picture of the frog is not entirely misplaced, if misleading.

 

[Agoraphobic]

What Orang Pendek? You mean the Malaysian Bigfoot? If you want to I can give a story about what I heard.

I first heard about it at a Pulp & Paper mill back in the early nineties in Porsea, Sumatra and didn't give a heck what those blokes were talking about. More recently on nature documentaries, hear it being mentioned and when I did a web search, reports about it seem to indicate it as a ground dwelling ape, smaller than the Orang Utan. However, no pictures are present to confirm, so for now it remains folklore.

What have you heard?

 

[Windsor]

Sorry about the image that disappeared. It should be fine now.

 

[Windsor]

I first heard about it at a Pulp & Paper mill back in the early nineties in Porsea, Sumatra and didn't give a heck what those blokes were talking about. More recently on nature documentaries, hear it being mentioned and when I did a web search, reports about it seem to indicate it as a ground dwelling ape, smaller than the Orang Utan. However, no pictures are present to confirm, so for now it remains folklore.

What have you heard?

Well if is a about the same creature, then we can discuss further.

It lives in the rain forest and smells like shit (literally). Sports a hairy body and is about meter in height. Has a very large footprint.

Is that the same creature?

 

[Agoraphobic]

Well if is a about the same creature, then we can discuss further.

It lives in the rain forest and smells like shit (literally). Sports a hairy body and is about meter in height. Has a very large footprint.

Is that the same creature?

About a metre in height, hairy. I believe it is the same.

Do you think it really exist? Or is it the local bogeyman? I would like to think it exists.

 

[Windsor]

About a metre in height, hairy. I believe it is the same.

Do you think it really exist? Or is it the local bogeyman? I would like to think it exists.

Well, my personal experience was not in seeing the creature but a tale as told to me and my fishing kakis deep in the Endau/Rompin Nature Reserve in Malaysia. It has not been gazetted yet as a Nature Reserve when I was fishing there as a young kid.

It was in the '80's and we were at the upper reaches of the Endau River and our 2nd trip. After a tiring day of nothing but casting and catching fishes up and down the uppermost reahes near the waterfalls we return back to our campsite. As usual after dinner, we took out our rods baited them and cast them into the river and mount the rods on the rod stands, sat down behind the rods waiting for a bite.

The guide, who has a motorised sampan was the penghulu (headman) of the last Orang Asli village, called Kampung Peta along the river. We were all sitting down bear the rods and enjoying our coffee and not making too much noise so as not to frighten away the fishes. Speaking softly to each other, the guide told us of this sighting he and his people experienced. That was how I knew about this creature, and at that time, mind you there was no TV, not much in the way of communication in their village except for the occasional trips to the nearest town for supplies and outsiders which were few and far between as the village was pretty remote. Also during that time any news or stories about Bigfoot were uncommon even in modern Singapore.

The tale he told was about several rare sightings he and a few of his people had had of the creature. He described the creature as I mentioned before and the large footprints left behind as the creature was very shy and runs away from humans. The hairs left behind on some branches were long and dark coloured and the place it was last seen has a very bad stench. Sometimes they did not see the creature but knew it was there because of the smell.

It was only after year 2000 when there was some excitement about this creature and it's footprints and the news about expeditions to search for it. There has not been any success as far as I know.

 

[Agoraphobic]

....................................................................................................................................It was only after year 2000 when there was some excitement about this creature and it's footprints and the news about expeditions to search for it. There has not been any success as far as I know.

It seems a pretty elusive monkey. You're right - there has not been any success as far ....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/624...dek-apeman-spotted-by-British-expedition.html

However, this Orang Pendek "tale" stands a better chance of being reality than it's yeti or sasquatch cousin. Let's hope and see.

Caught anything worthwhile on your fishing trip there?

Cheers!

 

[Microsoft]

Sinkiepor oso got...dey call it Bukit Timah Monkey Man (BTM)...Me aw go BT...Red Hair devil i c alot...monkey man...neber leh...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Timah_Monkey_Man

 

[Windsor]

It seems a pretty elusive monkey. You're right - there has not been any success as far ....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/624...dek-apeman-spotted-by-British-expedition.html

However, this Orang Pendek "tale" stands a better chance of being reality than it's yeti or sasquatch cousin. Let's hope and see.

Caught anything worthwhile on your fishing trip there?

Cheers!

We caught lots of fishes on occasions and other times very few. The fishing is secondary for me as I enjoy the solitude, camping out and of course the beauty of nature. Fishes caught include Arowana (green), Kelah (Mahseer), Knifefish, Sebarau (carp) and the ubiquitous Toman (Snakehead).

 

[Windsor]

Sinkiepor oso got...dey call it Bukit Timah Monkey Man (BTM)...Me aw go BT...Red Hair devil i c alot...monkey man...neber leh...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Timah_Monkey_Man

Haha...and me never even heard about this legend. The times I was there were to go to the durian trail and collect durians. It should be dropping now actually if anyone is keen to go. Who knows can also see the BTM.

 

[Equalisation]

Sinkiepor oso got...dey call it Bukit Timah Monkey Man (BTM)...Me aw go BT...Red Hair devil i c alot...monkey man...neber leh...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Timah_Monkey_Man

It does exist.

Once awhile it will climb my fence and take a bath at my pond. :o

 

[Rogue Trader]

Well if is a about the same creature, then we can discuss further.

It lives in the rain forest and smells like shit (literally). Sports a hairy body and is about meter in height. Has a very large footprint.

Is that the same creature?

The orang pendek is not the bigfoot. also known to the locals as "ebu gogo", they are another branch of the human species which dwelled in the Indonesian rainforest until the modern humans arrived. Through stories passed down from ancestors, both human beings and the ebu gogo had co-existed as late as 300 years ago but due to theft of food and child kidnappings, the humans exterminated them in their cave. Sightings are still reported today but rare.

An almost complete set of ebu gogo remains was found not too long ago. At first it had the scientific community scratching their heads because they thought it was a child's.

 

[kaikora]

This rainbow toad expose only going to lead to illegal trade. By the way, it is not hard to locate that area, half hours drive from Kuching city.

 

[butoh6050]

when will the pontianak make a sighting?

 

[Windsor]

The orang pendek is not the bigfoot. also known to the locals as "ebu gogo", they are another branch of the human species which dwelled in the Indonesian rainforest until the modern humans arrived. Through stories passed down from ancestors, both human beings and the ebu gogo had co-existed as late as 300 years ago but due to theft of food and child kidnappings, the humans exterminated them in their cave. Sightings are still reported today but rare.

An almost complete set of ebu gogo remains was found not too long ago. At first it had the scientific community scratching their heads because they thought it was a child's.

Why was there so little publicity on this creature? There were so much hype about the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman but what you mentioned I never came across. I will do a little search when I have the time.

 

[Windsor]

Our resident expert on exotic animals MIA in this thread :(