All fig photos by Shuai LIAO taken on 8 September 2019  at the entrance to the Mesialu access road on Kinabalu. Collection #20190367.

Note how hairy this fig is in all parts, the leaves, the twigs and including the figs both internally and externally.

The 1961 Royal Society’s Kinabalu Expedition  led by fig expert Professor E.J.H Corner  was based at Mesilau and explored the East Ridge of Kinabalu above Mesilau.

Corner found the tracks of deer, wild cattle (banteng), wild pig and Sumatran Rhinos on a ridge top trail at 3,050 m asl.  Rhinos are now extinct on Kinabalu but there is much evidence that they were  common in the past, right up to the tree line. Sumatran Rhinos feed on “browse” woody twigs and leaves and fruit when they can get it. Experience at the BORA  rhino fig garden at Tabin indicates that Sumatran Rhinos are especially fond of the leaves and fruit of fig trees especially the  very hairy species in Section Eriosycea which are too rough and hairy for other animals to eat.

All the evidence indicates that the Borneo endemic fig Ficus eumorpha evolved as a rhino specialist fig targeted to be dispersed by rhinos which enjoy eating very hairy figs which are not eaten by other animals.

See also this article about the diet of the Javan Rhino.

06 Ficus eumorpha Entrance Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271

05 Ficus eumorpha Entrance  Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271.JPG

08 Ficus eumorpha Entrance  Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271.JPG

01 Ficus eumorpha Entrance  Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271.JPG

09 Ficus eumorpha Entrance Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271

10 Ficus eumorpha Entrance  Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271.JPG

11 Ficus eumorpha Entrance  Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271.JPG

12 Ficus eumorpha Entrance  Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271.JPG

4. Landslide above Mesilau river. Oct. 2015 AP.JPG
The entrance road to the Mesilau Resort at 2,000 m on Kinabalu. The white scars on the rocks behind are the result of the  5 June 2015 earthquake. It is the earthquakes like these that open up the forest allowing  hairy figs to colonize and thrive on mud slides. In the past the rhino population were specialist dispersers on the plants that grew on mud and rock slides that resulted from earthquakes.

02 Ficus eumorpha Entrance  Mesilau Nature Resort●20190367★ Shuai LIAO-LSL_9271.JPG

Kinabalu Park.jpg