Mount Merbabu National Park

Mount Merbabu National Park is a conservation area of 57.25 square kilometers covering a forest area on Mount Merbabu (3,145 m) in Boyolali Regency, Magelang Regency, and Semarang Regency in Central Java Province, Indonesia. The national park was declared on May 4, 2004 which was previously a protected forest and a natural tourism park.

Mount Merbabu National Park is very important as a source of water in the three Regencies and the flora and fauna habitat is protected and preserved. The area consists of mountain forest zones as stated by van Steenis. Lower mountain forest zone at 1,000 - 1,500 m has changed and overgrown by Tusam (Pinus merkusii), Puspa (Schima wallichii ssp. Noronhae) and Bintuni.

The upper mountain forest zone at 1,500 - 2,400 m is overgrown with acacia (Acacia decurrens and Acacia virgata), Puspa, Sengon gunung (Albizia lophanta), Sowo (Engelhardtia serrata), mountain cypress (Casuarina junghuhniana), Pasang (Quercus sp), and Tanganan. The sub-alpine forest zone at 2,400 - 3,142 m is overgrown with grass and Javanese edelweiss (Anaphalis javanica).

Some animal species in this region include Javan Hawk (Nisaetus bartelsi), Black eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis), Spotted kestrel (Falco moluccensis), Crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela), Green junglefowl (Gallus varius), Spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis).

Wren stones, deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Javan hedgehogs (Hystrix javanica), Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), Crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Leopards (Panthera pardus melas), and others.

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar (Amanita javanica)

OPINION - Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar ( Amanita javanica ) is a mysterious fungus species and has been enigmatic since it was first reported by Boedijn in 1951 and after that no explanation or reporting of specimens is believed to be the same as expected. Boedijn (1951) described A. javanica which grew on Java island as having the characteristics covered in the Amanita genus. Corner and Bas in 1962 tried to describe Javan mocca and all species in Amanita based on specimens in Singapore. Over time some reports say that they have found A. javanica specimens in other Southeast Asia including also China, Japan, India and Nepal. But there is no definitive knowledge and many doubt whether the specimen is the same as described by Boedijn (1951). I was fortunate to have seen this species one afternoon and soon I took out a camera for some shots. In fact, I've only met this mushroom species once. Javan mocca is an endangered species and I have never seen in my experience in...

Javanese grasshopper (Valanga nigricornis)

Wooden grasshopper or Javanese grasshopper ( Valanga nigricornis ) is an animal species of Acrididae, grasshoppers that have at least 18 subspecies, insects with very wide diversity in color and size, sexual dimorphism in which females are larger in size and paler in color. V. nigricornis in males has a length of 45-55 millimeters and females 15-75 mm. The head is square and green or yellow or brown or black in color. A pair of antennas has a black color. The eyes are large and gray or white or brownish. The hind legs are very large and have a green or yellow or brown or black color, plain or brindle. The limbs have two rows of large and long spines with black tips facing backward. The wings have a length exceeding the belly, a rough surface and are brown or green or yellow or black in color with pulse lines forming spaces filled with black color. The hind wings are rose red which will be visible when flying. Nymphs are pale green or yellow or brown or blackish in color. Javanese gr...

Dlium