The Gomantong Caves are an intricate cave system inside Gomantong Hill in

Sandakan Division Sandakan Division ( ms, Bahagian Sandakan) is an administrative division of Sabah, Malaysia. It stretches diagonally from the northeastern coast of Sabah to the state's central region. With an area of 28,205 square kilometres, it occupies 38.3% ...

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. The hill is the largest

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

outcrop in the Lower Kinabatangan area.

Description

Situated in the

Gomantong Forest Reserve Gomantong Forest Reserve is a protected forest reserve in Sandakan and Kinabatangan Districts of Sandakan Division, Sabah, Malaysia. It was designated as a Class 1 Protection Forest by the Sabah Forestry Department in 1984. Its area is . The Gom ...

, the caves and the surrounding area are a protected area for wildlife, especially

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the gen ...

s. The limestone hill is also the only known site for the endangered land snail ''

Plectostoma mirabile ''Plectostoma'' is a genus of air-breathing land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mol ...

''. Investigation of the

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of Seabird, seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant ...

deposits were first made in 1889 by J.H. Allard of the

China Borneo Company China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and the caves were first mapped by P. Orolfo in 1930. Detailed re-mapping and

laser scanning Laser scanning is the controlled deflection of laser beams, visible or invisible. Scanned laser beams are used in some 3-D printers, in rapid prototyping, in machines for material processing, in laser engraving machines, in ophthalmological ...

of the caves was conducted in 2012 and July 2014. The bat population is dominated by a colony of the wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat (''Chaerephon plicatus''), whose nightly exodus is a popular tourist attraction. The population size, which has been widely exaggerated in the past, was counted at between 275,000 and 276,000 in 2012. There are also

bat hawk The bat hawk (''Macheiramphus alcinus'') is a raptor found in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia to New Guinea. It is named for its diet, which consists mainly of bats. It requires open space in which to hunt, but will live anywhere from dense ...

s that linger not far from the scene and prey specifically on the bats as they leave their roost.

Bird nest harvesting

For centuries, the caves have been renowned for their valuable edible swiftlet nests, which are harvested for bird's nest soup. The most valuable of the nests, the white ones, can sell for very high prices. The birds' nest collection is an ancient tradition, and the trading of these nests has been done since at least AD 500. Twice a year, from February to April and July to September, locals with licenses climb to the roof of the caves, using only

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed- canopy old-growth tropical forest ...

ladders, ropes, and

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

poles, and collect the nests. The first collection takes place early in the breeding season before the swiftlets lay their eggs. The birds then make another nest in which they finally lay their eggs. After the young have fledged, the second collection is made. Care must be taken to assure that the nests are collected only after the young swiftlets have abandoned these nests. These individuals are very much in demand by the people and communities that hold the government's harvesting licenses. Edible birds' nests are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997. Heavy fines and penalties are imposed on unlicensed collectors.

Caves accessibility

The main cave system is divided into two parts: the more accessible Simud Hitam (Black Cave), and the larger Simud Putih (White Cave) which lies above. The names refer to the main type of nests produced by swiftlets in each cave. The cave system is home to many other animals, including massive populations of

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are a Paraphyly, paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are we ...

es, centipedes and bats. Outside one can see many raptors including crested serpent eagles,

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania ...

s, and Asian fairy-bluebirds. Access is in the form of a wooden walkway circuiting the interior.

Simud Hitam

Simud Hitam ("Black Cave") is the more accessible of the two caves, only a few minutes' walk from the entrance building, and it is open to the general public. Its ceiling can reach high. It is the source of the less-valuable "black saliva" nests. These contain both feathers and saliva and require cleaning afterwards.

Simud Putih

Simud Putih ("White Cave") is the larger of the two caves, and also the more technical; it is not open to the general public, and access requires appropriate caving equipment and experience. It is where the more valuable "white saliva" nests of the swiftlets are found, and is reached by a steep, 30-minute climb further up the mountains. The main entrance is located above and adjacent to the main "lighthole" at the back of Simud Hitam.

References

Other sources

* * Site presents the new maps of the Gomantong Caves.

External links

Simud Hitam (The Black Cave)
{{Geography of Sabah Caves of Malaysia Limestone caves Landforms of Sabah Sandakan Division