Page 86 - World of Animals - Issue #31

Explore the Earth

Dive into a

tornado of

barracudas

Borneo’s oceanic waters teem with
life; in particular Sipadan Island, off the
coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, is
considered one of the top dive spots
in the world. The area was a favourite
of world-famous oceanographer
Jacques Cousteau, who proclaimed it
“an untouched piece of art”.
Sipadan’s barrier reef is home to
an abundance of green and hawksbill
turtles, and sightings of bizarre fish

such as the one-metre (3.3-foot)
long humphead parrotfish are almost

guaranteed. But the highlight for
many divers is the aptly-named
Barracuda Point, where you can
find yourself encircled by a shoal of

thousands of blacktail barracudas.
They swim in this tornado-like pattern
to disorient predators, preventing
them from homing in on any one fish.

Creep through

the rainforest with

clouded leopards

The Sunda clouded leopard will be challenging to
spot, but keep your eyes trained on the treetops
and you may be lucky enough to get a glimpse.
These mysterious big cats are particularly proficient

climbers, with rotating rear ankles that enable them

to walk down trees headfirst. A good place to go
on the leopard lookout is Tanjang Puting National
Park, an expanse of swamp forest that protrudes
into the Java Sea. It is best navigated by klotok, a
traditional wooden boat so named for the sound
of its motors. The operators double up as excellent
wildlife guides and can point you in the direction of
macaques, sambar deers and proboscis monkeys,
as well as clouded leopards.

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