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Pisonia grandis: Snake Island, Sabah

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ABOVE: The tiny island of Pulau Kalampunian damit (Small durian island)  photographed from the much larger island of Pulau Tiga (3 island) on the west coast of Sabah, Borneo. Photo taken at high tide.

A close up view of Pulau Kalampunian damit at low tide.
The vegetation on Pulau Kalampunian damit is dominated by Pisonia grandis trees.
Tony Lamb pointing to the guano (bird droppings) covering the Pisonia grandis leaves.
Pulau Kalampunian damit is one of about a dozen favored roosting islands for the 3 species of Frigatebirds that fish in the seas around Borneo. This frigate bird probably died after its feathers were  gummed up by sticky Pisonia grandis seed pods.
Pulau Kalampunian damit  is more commonly known as Snake island as  the holes in the rocks are used by sea snakes for breeding.
There is a single large fig in the center of the island with a White-bellied Sea Eagles nest. The sea eagles nest every year and feed their young largely on sea snakes  so the breeding seasons  of the snakes and eagles coincide.
Lesser Frigatebirds are the most common frigatebirds that occur around the coast of Borneo. These birds  regularly roost on the Pisonia grandis trees on  Pulau Kalampunian Damit. To avoid predation by Sea Eagles the birds only land after dark and leave the island before dawn.
The seed pods of Pisonia grandis are extremely sticky.  They stick to the feathers of seabirds  such as frigatebirds that roost on the branches. When seabirds fly to another island they take the seeds with them. Thus Pisonia grandis is dispersed from one frigatebird roosting island to another.
From the Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak (Vol 2) 1996.

Walker (1991) Pisonia Islands of the Great Barrier Reef

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