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Juvenile Rhino Hornbill A flock of Rhinoceros Hornbills (around 20) of mixed sex and age group were looking for some ripe fruits on this Spiky Fig tree. Named the Rhinoceros Hornbill for it&#039;s large &quot;horn&quot; that points upwards like a rhinoceros. This is one of the largest hornbill species so it is large enough to swallow the spiky fig whole. However, these hornbills will carefully toss and mash the fruit until most of the hairy skins fall out and the remaining spikes are buried into the flesh and it would go smoother down the throat. Such precision control they have on their large beak. Epiphytic fig like this spiky fig depends on long-distance flying canopy birds like these hornbills to disperse its seeds onto another host tree far away. Wild figs are a very important food source to hornbills. This is recorded during our few days observation to document the ecological value of this fig species as an important species for our reforestation projects.<br /> <br /> The Spiky Fig (Ficus cucurbitina):<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/104608/spiky_fig_cross_section.html" title="Spiky Fig cross section"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3336/104608_thumb.JPG?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=8%2BFRAPTRvn5WTM2TsNLz0tWT3ak%3D" width="200" height="162" alt="Spiky Fig cross section Figs are unique as the flowers grow inside the fruits. Ficus Cucurbitina, the Spiky Fig, is definitely the world&#039;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. These fruits high up in the canopy where the fig tree grows on another host tree. These fruits were growing about 20m high. We were lucky to find it at its fruiting apex, and after several days, the fruit numbers have reduced greatly. <br /> <br /> 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.<br /> Ficus Cucurbitina,Geotagged,Malaysia,Summer" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/104599/spiky_fig_fruiting.html" title="Spiky Fig fruiting"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3336/104599_thumb.JPG?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=uFCtWiBfxbZxhjAa80CfuRU8aAU%3D" width="200" height="150" alt="Spiky Fig fruiting Ficus Cucurbitina, the Spiky Fig, is definitely the world&#039;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. These fruits high up in the canopy where the fig tree grows on another host tree. These fruits were growing about 20m high. We were lucky to find it at its fruiting apex, and after several days, the fruit numbers have reduced greatly. <br /> <br /> 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.<br /> Ficus Cucurbitina,Geotagged,Malaysia,Summer" /></a></figure> Buceros rhinoceros,Geotagged,Malaysia,Rhinoceros Hornbill Click/tap to enlarge

Juvenile Rhino Hornbill

A flock of Rhinoceros Hornbills (around 20) of mixed sex and age group were looking for some ripe fruits on this Spiky Fig tree. Named the Rhinoceros Hornbill for it's large "horn" that points upwards like a rhinoceros. This is one of the largest hornbill species so it is large enough to swallow the spiky fig whole. However, these hornbills will carefully toss and mash the fruit until most of the hairy skins fall out and the remaining spikes are buried into the flesh and it would go smoother down the throat. Such precision control they have on their large beak. Epiphytic fig like this spiky fig depends on long-distance flying canopy birds like these hornbills to disperse its seeds onto another host tree far away. Wild figs are a very important food source to hornbills. This is recorded during our few days observation to document the ecological value of this fig species as an important species for our reforestation projects.

The Spiky Fig (Ficus cucurbitina):

Spiky Fig cross section Figs are unique as the flowers grow inside the 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. These fruits high up in the canopy where the fig tree grows on another host tree. These fruits were growing about 20m high. We were lucky to find it at its fruiting apex, and after several days, the fruit numbers have reduced greatly. <br /> <br /> 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.<br /> Ficus Cucurbitina,Geotagged,Malaysia,Summer

Spiky Fig fruiting 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. These fruits high up in the canopy where the fig tree grows on another host tree. These fruits were growing about 20m high. We were lucky to find it at its fruiting apex, and after several days, the fruit numbers have reduced greatly. <br /> <br /> 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.<br /> Ficus Cucurbitina,Geotagged,Malaysia,Summer

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The Rhinoceros Hornbill

Buceros rhinoceros is one of the largest hornbills, adults being approximately the size of a swan, 110–127 cm long and weighing 2–3 kg. It is found in lowland and montane tropical/subtropical rain forest up to 1,400 metres altitude in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and southern Thailand.

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Similar species: Hornbills
Species identified by _ChunXingWong_
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By _ChunXingWong_

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Uploaded Nov 26, 2020. Captured in Jalan Ranau - Sandakan, Telupid, 89100 Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysia.
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