05 October 2020
near Sadong Jaya jetty
Mangrove seedlings establishing themselves on a silty mud river bank in
a mangrove mangal near the mouth of the Sadong River from whence
mighty headhunter warriors once paddled by.
Very obvious are the abundant pneumatophores (specialized root-like
structures which stand upright from the mud). These "breathing tubes"
allow mangrove to directly absorb air in a biome which is tidally
inundated.
It has been stated that Malaysian Borneo has some 5,320 square
kilometres of mangroves. There are some 110 species of what are
considered mangroves although only a few maybe seen in any one biome.
However, this small diversity provides a habitat for a great many other
species such as marine fauna.
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Around
every twenty years or so, the mangrove tree bears fruit. This is
obviously a very rare event and witnessed but by a few people.
The fruit usually has markings on it which resemble the Roman alphabet.
Quite strangely, the markings are arranged to spell words such as the
brand names of electrical goods commonly found in Asia (this being an Asian
species of mangrove). This particular fruit had markings seemingly
proclaiming "Pensonic".
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