Survival Food
FishTail Palm - Food For Animal
(c) Forest Ang
Fisttail Palm
Local name : Tukas
About Fishtail Palm
Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis) are common palm found in the rainforests. It has also been planted as wayside tree. The fruits has needle-like crystals that causes itchiness. I remembered a teacher told me when I was in Primary school. He said that anything that an animal can eat, human can eat too! This was proven wrong when I had a chance to observe a monkey eating the fruit of Fish tail palm. At the Jeram Pasu waterfall, Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, I saw a group of teenagers throwing a bunch of fruits into the upper fall. Later, I observed that the picnikers below the fall started to scratch...yunno, the same behavioural scratching by the monkeys (kera kena belacan). On one of my hike to Penang Hill, in a dense forested path, I observed a monkey plucking and eating the ripe fruits from this Fishtail Palm. That could be the reason why monkeys have that scratching instinct - it could be their diet of these Fishtail Palm. Of course the present of lice could be another factor. So my friends if you ever observe any animal eating any food, think twice before joining them! Oh, remember not to rub your eyes after handling these fruits or they might injure and blind you! Always Take Good Care of yourself!
Forest Ang
Mac 07
Lost in the jungle and between life and death is knowing what to eat to survive. Here I would like to share some of the common survival food found in the jungle.