trunk of Spiky Fig & host tree

The spiky fig tree grows as an epiphyte on another host tree. Here we can see that the smaller trunk is the fig tree while the bigger trunk is the main host tree. Reaching to the top of the host tree, around 20m high, then it fruits. Ficus Cucurbitina, the Spiky Fig, is definitely the world's spikiest fig. Many fig fruits are hairy but none has evolved to have really rigid and sharp hairs like this fig. These sharp hairs are strong and sharp enough to pierce a human skin. Probably evolved this way to prevent most mammals from eating it but ideal for canopy birds as they can feed unharmed with their beaks. Fruits ripen light yellow - orange - dark red - maroonish black. We were lucky to find it at its fruiting apex, and after several days, the fruit numbers have reduced greatly.

Watching this fig tree is one of the best experience for my team (1StopBorneo Wildlife). We are trying to find out which is the most beneficial fig species for wildlife and this fig is definitely one of the best. Lots of animals visited it in both day and night. There are always animals every time we visited the tree.