Nature buffs: Are you aware of the relationship between the Kinabalu giant earthworm and Kinabalu giant red leech?
OK, anyone else interested: The Kinabalu Giant Earthworm is one of the awe-inspiring creatures. A full 70 cm long when stretched-out, the animal is not your average garden worm. It is grey-bluish and lives in burrows in the soft and thick soils that build lush forest around Paka Cave shelter, at some 3,000 m above sea level. They only come to the surface during heavy pour rain. Some possible reasons might be they are flushed out of their burrows, and need to come to the surface to breathe; or the worms appear during rain to mate. It is still unclear why. Whatever the reason was, an encounter with a giant earthworm during the pouring rain is unforgotten. Its skin is surprisingly beautiful, with microscopic hairs producing a greenish iridescent gloss over the bluish-grey background. Along the same forest paths where the earthworm sometimes gleaned, it is also the Kinabalu Giant Earthworm’s worst nightmare – the rare Kinabalu Giant Red Leech. This Giant red leech is bright orange-red and
