Sabah's invertebrate wildlife
Insects and Spiders
Sabah's rainforest holds immense invertebrate diversity.
This guide covers rainforest invertebrates and the craft of photographing them. Research stations offer immediate access to the trail grids.
Scientific context
The small animals of Borneo
The rainforest understorey is a working laboratory for invertebrate taxonomy. Looking between the massive buttress roots in the lowland forest near the Maliau Basin Studies Centre reveals ground that regularly yields new species.
The acidic blackwater streams higher up the escarpment host highly specialised aquatic communities. The taxonomic journals publish new Bornean discoveries every year and a week on the trails puts you in the middle of this diversity.
What you meet
The forest changes completely after dark and a guided night walk is the best way to see the invertebrate life. You meet animals that spend the daylight hours hidden under bark or high in the canopy.
Moths and the lights
Borneo is a global hotspot for Lepidoptera. Night is most productive for invertebrate photography. At the Danum Valley Study Centre, you can often find hundreds of moths drawn to exterior camp lights before dawn.
Target species
- Guided night walks Lantern bugs resting on host tree trunks
- Canopy mimics Stick insects mimicking moss on the branches
- Light trapping Moths drawn to the exterior camp lights
Alternative locations
Nearby places and stays
Danum Valley Study Centre
Deep inside the Danum Valley Conservation Area, this working research station offers a stay focused entirely on the 50-kilometre trail network and the rainforest ecology.
Borneo Rainforest Lodge
Situated on the Danum River inside a primary rainforest of a lineage some 130 million years old, this 31-chalet lodge offers high-end comfort and expert wildlife guiding 2.5 hours from Lahad Datu.
Maliau Basin
Located deep in central Sabah, Maliau Basin is a 588.4-square-kilometre conservation area defined by an unyielding escarpment, heath forests and the sheer physical demand of its trails.
Tabin Wildlife Resort
An hour and a half from Lahad Datu, Tabin Wildlife Resort is a collection of 18 timber chalets on the Lipad River. It suits wildlife travellers and photographers seeking productive night drives and small cats.
Scientific context
Plan your entomology trip
Tell the team which invertebrate groups matter most and they will build your macro photography itinerary around the right micro-habitats.