Thailand in February

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

Thailand in February

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Thu Jan 14, 2016 10:19 pm

Hi
What databases have you been using while preparing for herping in tropical Asia? At the end of this month i am flying to Thailand for two weeks and I want to be prepared. As you probably know im interested mainly in amphibians, lizards and turtles. Maybe you can recommend me a book? Or maybe you know some biodiversity hotspots in Thailand? What are the highlights in your opinion in there? I am going to visit Loei and Chiang Mai province so maybe i will manage to find some rare newts. :mrgreen: All protips wellcome.
Greetings
User avatar
Michal Szkudlarek
 
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:09 pm
Location: Poland
Hometown: ...
country: Poland

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Alexandre Roux » Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:54 am

The only book I have about this place is this one:

Image

Drawings are not very useful :lol:
Alexandre Roux
Flickr Gallery
User avatar
Alexandre Roux
 
Posts: 351
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:54 pm
Location: Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
Hometown: Beynost
country: France

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:30 am

Allegedly there are many ferel, dangerous dogs in Thailand. What about using ultrasund dog repeller? Will it repell herptiles as well? It has frequency range 20.000-40.000 Hz and sound pressure 135dB.
User avatar
Michal Szkudlarek
 
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:09 pm
Location: Poland
Hometown: ...
country: Poland

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Alexandre Roux » Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:44 pm

Michal Szkudlarek wrote:Allegedly there are many ferel, dangerous dogs in Thailand.


Oh yes there are !!! :evil:
Alexandre Roux
Flickr Gallery
User avatar
Alexandre Roux
 
Posts: 351
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:54 pm
Location: Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
Hometown: Beynost
country: France

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:55 am

Have you been there Alexandre? Any protips? What have you found?
User avatar
Michal Szkudlarek
 
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:09 pm
Location: Poland
Hometown: ...
country: Poland

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Alexandre Roux » Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:22 am

Michal Szkudlarek wrote:Have you been there Alexandre? Any protips? What have you found?


Not a lot of things as I was in holiday with my family. The only snakes I've found were in or around my hostel.
And the rare moments I've been looking somewhere else, dogs were waiting for me :shock:
Alexandre Roux
Flickr Gallery
User avatar
Alexandre Roux
 
Posts: 351
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:54 pm
Location: Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
Hometown: Beynost
country: France

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Wed Jan 27, 2016 10:17 pm

Is herpetofauna on islands (eg. Phangan) really less numerous than in mainland?
User avatar
Michal Szkudlarek
 
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:09 pm
Location: Poland
Hometown: ...
country: Poland

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Martti Niskanen » Wed Jan 27, 2016 11:14 pm

Michal Szkudlarek wrote:Is herpetofauna on islands (eg. Phangan) really less numerous than in mainland?


If you're looking for amphibians, you couldn't have picked a worse time as Feb is generally the driest month of the year in pretty must the whole of Thailand. Also note that it has recently been unusually cold in the northern half of the country, getting well below 10C even in Bangkok.

Islands: Places like Phangan are packed full of tourists in February, so the number of individual herps you'd come across on Phangan might well be low due to human density as well as the dry. Turtles are possible to see from a boat and even more so if you dive or at least snorkel. Please don't choose a tour/dive company that feeds them, though.

And dogs can be numerous and threatening. If bitten, get a rabies vaccine asap.


edit: I'll add I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news above about the weather, but got better news from local herpetologists. The temperatures seem to have gone up and "normalised", so not as bad as a week or two ago.
I've been to around Chiang Mai and Pai during the dry season and found some herps whilst not herping too actively (no night time road-cruising). I was especially surprised to see several DOR snakes. I thought the north had nice potential for herping and the environment is rather pretty.

As you'll know, in the dry season you just find a stream/river and follow the water. Less easy to get lost during the night, too.

Best of luck and keep us posted after your trip.
User avatar
Martti Niskanen
 
Posts: 242
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:37 pm
Hometown: Jyvaskyla
country: Finland

Bangkok

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Sat Jan 30, 2016 1:31 pm

Hello
Today in Bangkok i found:
in Benjakiti Park:
Trachemys scripta elegans
Image

Malayemys macrocephala
Image

their habitat
Image

Hieremys annandalii
Image
Image
Image

their habitat
Image

Cuora amboinensis
Image

Varanus salvator macromaculatus

In Benjasiri Park:
Hoplobatrachus rugulosus
Image

their habitat
Image

Cuora amboinensis
Image

Malayemys macrocephala- juvenile
Image

Image

habitat of Malayemys macrocephala and Cuora amboinensis
Image
User avatar
Michal Szkudlarek
 
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:09 pm
Location: Poland
Hometown: ...
country: Poland

Re: Thailand in Ferbuary

Postby Martti Niskanen » Sat Jan 30, 2016 2:53 pm

Nice! The Bkk Varanus salvator can be quite something. Sounds like you might have been to Lumpini park.
User avatar
Martti Niskanen
 
Posts: 242
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:37 pm
Hometown: Jyvaskyla
country: Finland

Next

Return to Herping in the rest of the world

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests