Critters

Some of our previous posts have included pictures of the local/jungle/cave wildlife, here are a few more that we've managed to photograph along the way (and some we haven't!).

We sometimes see Langur Monkeys, I think they are Delacour's Langur Monkeys, these are found only in North-central Vietnam and are one of the rarest and most endangered primates on Earth. The striking black and white Langur has a white lower back and outer thighs (and tail I think) and it is sometimes referred to as "Vooc Mong Trang", meaning the Langur with the white trousers. Difficult to photograph, even when you can see them, you mostly get pictures of trees.

Some Jungle, but I can't see any Monkeys!

As previously noted, you get spiders in caves, we found this one on my last Son Doong Trip, it was deep into the cave so it may be a new species but it is coloured so probably not! When we saw this one it was just finishing a meal of Cave Cricket. The body was just over three centimetres long so if you account for the legs the spider would be six to ten centimetres across, no where near as big as the Giant Huntsman Spiders that you sometimes see.

Cave Spider

We haven't got any Cave Cricket pictures so maybe when we have some we will do a "Critters II". You also get spiders in the jungle, most of them are fairly normal but the picture below is a bit different. This one is (I think) a Giant Wood Spider, the body is about five centimetres long which makes it quite big and scary by the time you include the legs. The web is incredibly strong and I'm told (not necessarily reliably) that it is a bird eating spider, whatever the truth is, the web is certainly built to hold a heavy object. The internet says that they are not harmful to humans, but I'm not getting close enough to find out.

Giant Wood Spider

Here's something that is normally very difficult to photograph as they don't ever stay still long enough. This Dragonfly had somehow got into the cave so it was attracted to our lights and kept landing on people to hitch a ride, it followed us to within sight of the entrance so hopefully it will get out. At the moment there are thousands of these about, some are quite plain but there are some that are a shocking pink colour, very striking, but they won't stay still!

Dragonfly

Similarly difficult to photograph are the butterflies, there are also thousands of these about, usually near a water source but as soon as you approach they all fly off.

Butterfly 'Hide and Seek', come and find me Dick

Fortunately they are attracted to Dick Ellis and will settle on him, even if he walks around. I've no idea what type of butterflies these are, just those that like Dick.

Can this one tell the time?

Slightly more sinister are the Hammerhead Slugs, these are actually a flatworm (known as Bipalium), references state that these are predatory i.e. they eat other worms and that their secretions are at least distasteful and at worst extremely toxic, always wash your hands after playing with one of these. We've seen various types up to about five centimetres long, but the one pictured below was deep into the cave and only about one centimetre long. At the rate at which they move it would have taken it approximately five hundred years to get out to daylight.

Hammerhead 'Slug'

We see bats in the cave, but they would be impossible to photograph unless you got extremely lucky, we got lucky, though not so for the bat as it was dead! In that state I would guess that it's not harmful to humans.

Resting Bat

Here's a little Frog that lives in Doline One, it's sat on the Phytokarst so not the most comfortable of seats. It's green and small, not much more to add about this one.

Small Green Frog

Last but by no means least, Leeches. These little bloodsuckers are everywhere, especially after a bit of rain. They wait on the path, detect your body heat and latch on to your shoes as you pass then make their way to some flesh before finding a cosy spot to settle down for a meal. As they bite they inject a local anaesthetic so that you can't feel them and an anticoagulant so that their meal is not interrupted. When full they drop off or if found you can pull them off (some burn them off or add salt) either way you continue bleeding for a while.

Large Leech

Unlike ticks and mosquitos they do not carry any nasty diseases so apart from a bit of bleeding, as long as you clean the wound like any other cut, they do no long term harm. If you spot one (or pull one off) you can get it onto your hand by putting your nice warm finger near it, then you can roll it around your palm until it gets confused, dizzy or travel sick at which point it can no longer grip onto you (for a while), you can then simply flick it away or put it into a fire if you are at camp (you don't want it coming back later).

Dizzy Leech