Fireflies
are also called “Lightning
Bugs”. They are nocturnal and luminous
and of the beetle family Lampyridae,
consisting of about 1,900 species
that inhabit tropical and temperate
regions. The common glowworm is a
member of this family. They shine in
the night like fire to attract
sexual partners.
Someone
once described this firefly hamlet as
the eighth wonderful view. Why do fireflies only occur in
this
particular rendezvous? It is because
the
growth of the firefly must be
mingled with the water of the
runnels, woods and the environment. The
river must meet at the intersection
of fresh and salt-water.
“Berembang” trees must be
something that fireflies fancy a
lot, in addition to these factors,
the environment must be tranquil, besides
being free from
contamination.
Bukit
Melawati (Melawati Hill), Bukit
Melawati overlooks the little town
and is an ideal site for looking out at
the Straits of Malacca. It was once
used by the Sultan of Selangor,
followed by the Dutch and British.
Fort Melawati, a three-storey
structure, on Melawati Hill was
built on the 1780’s during the
reign of Sultan Ibrahim. As it is at
the strategic mouth of the Selangor
River, this place was once the scene
where many fiery battles took place
between the locals and seafaring
invaders.
Fort
Altingsburg - Kota Melawati,
Sultan Ibrahmin - the Second
Sultan of Selangor built this Fort
during his reign from 1770-1826.
Later it was taken over by the Dutch
for a short time and the name was
then
changed to Fort Altingsburg, named
after the Dutch Governer of
Malacca. The lighthouse were built
in 1907.
,
Several
families of Silver-Leaf Monkeys
and Long-Tailed Macaques hang
around here for peanut handouts
from visitors. The Silver-leaf
babies have golden fur as compared
with the adults of a dull-ashen grey. These Monkeys are a delight
- they are gentle and seem to
always have a thank you for every
morsel of food given. The
long-tailed macaques, on the other
hand, are generally a little more
mischievous and if you turn your
back for a second - you'd never
know what they would do. Always be
careful when feeding the monkeys.
Although they have had many
interactions with humans, we must
remember that they are wild and
wild animals tend to be erratic
sometimes.
(more
info on Silver Leaf Monkeys) 
