Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:40 pm
day 1- Singapore
I arrived to Singapore at 4am and met Law Ing Sind at Windsor Park. Singapore is a very safe and English speaking insular city-state and home to many nice people of many religions and backgrounds. My intention was to spend whole day exploring this beautiful city-state. The herping started with me and Sind hearing mating calls of common asian toads because it was raining the previous day. But the first herp to see was a copper cheeked frog (Hylarana raniceps). It is one of the most common tree frog species. They can be either brown or green- members of this species can can change their colouration thorought time of a day.
their habitat
Then Sind spotted Occidozyga sumatrana- it was really small.
Nearby there was another copper cheeked frog.
Then we spotted 2 species of Draco lizards- they are known for their ability to glide. Draco sumatranus can be distinguished from Draco melanopogon because the latter species has dorsal colour more like greenish moss as opposed to dorsal colour of a lichen in the former.
Draco melanopogon melanopogon
this one has no leg
In the reserve there were quite many streams and in one of them, in a place where water was not flowing fast, Sind showed me tadpoles of copper cheeked frog.
Limnonectes malesianus, of Discoglossidae family. Lifer!
We have not found any softshell turtle but Sind found Heosemys annandalii that was walking in a shallow stream. This species has only been observed in Singapore once before.
Then I went to Sungei Bulog via Grab (equivalent of an Uber) hoping to see my first wild crocodile. The wildlife reserve is in a remote place and you can see Johor (Malaysia) on the other bank. When I entered the visitor centre I noticed a skink- I thought it was just a juvenile of a common sun skink (Eutropis multifasciata), the species we saw in central catchment nature reserve that I did not take photo of, but Sind said it is Lygosoma bowringii.
Don't release alien turtles or frogs!
Yes, Trachemys scripta elegans is even in Singapore, fortunately monitor lizards eat their eggs. As to frogs- Chinese edible frogs (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus) are sometimes being released because they are being imported to Singapore as food.
Don't feed crocs! PS. De iure feeding of any animal is illegal in Singapore.
It was not a suprise for me to find Varanus salvator macromaculatus in that reserve, after all this species likes water.
spot a monitor lizard!
I tried hard to find a croc but instead I found Paradise Flying Snake (Chrysopelea paradisi paradisi).
It was found in a tree next to a pond where croc was supposed to be.
In Sungei Buloh I also found Hemidactylus frenatus and Hemidactylus platyurus. They are common.
Hemidactylus frenatus
Hemidactylus platyurus
They were found here- under the roof.
Just next to visitor center in a bush I noticed squirels so I took a closer look and found Ahaetulla prasina prasina.
I arrived to Singapore at 4am and met Law Ing Sind at Windsor Park. Singapore is a very safe and English speaking insular city-state and home to many nice people of many religions and backgrounds. My intention was to spend whole day exploring this beautiful city-state. The herping started with me and Sind hearing mating calls of common asian toads because it was raining the previous day. But the first herp to see was a copper cheeked frog (Hylarana raniceps). It is one of the most common tree frog species. They can be either brown or green- members of this species can can change their colouration thorought time of a day.
their habitat
Then Sind spotted Occidozyga sumatrana- it was really small.
Nearby there was another copper cheeked frog.
Then we spotted 2 species of Draco lizards- they are known for their ability to glide. Draco sumatranus can be distinguished from Draco melanopogon because the latter species has dorsal colour more like greenish moss as opposed to dorsal colour of a lichen in the former.
Draco melanopogon melanopogon
this one has no leg
In the reserve there were quite many streams and in one of them, in a place where water was not flowing fast, Sind showed me tadpoles of copper cheeked frog.
Limnonectes malesianus, of Discoglossidae family. Lifer!
We have not found any softshell turtle but Sind found Heosemys annandalii that was walking in a shallow stream. This species has only been observed in Singapore once before.
Then I went to Sungei Bulog via Grab (equivalent of an Uber) hoping to see my first wild crocodile. The wildlife reserve is in a remote place and you can see Johor (Malaysia) on the other bank. When I entered the visitor centre I noticed a skink- I thought it was just a juvenile of a common sun skink (Eutropis multifasciata), the species we saw in central catchment nature reserve that I did not take photo of, but Sind said it is Lygosoma bowringii.
Don't release alien turtles or frogs!
Yes, Trachemys scripta elegans is even in Singapore, fortunately monitor lizards eat their eggs. As to frogs- Chinese edible frogs (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus) are sometimes being released because they are being imported to Singapore as food.
Don't feed crocs! PS. De iure feeding of any animal is illegal in Singapore.
It was not a suprise for me to find Varanus salvator macromaculatus in that reserve, after all this species likes water.
spot a monitor lizard!
I tried hard to find a croc but instead I found Paradise Flying Snake (Chrysopelea paradisi paradisi).
It was found in a tree next to a pond where croc was supposed to be.
In Sungei Buloh I also found Hemidactylus frenatus and Hemidactylus platyurus. They are common.
Hemidactylus frenatus
Hemidactylus platyurus
They were found here- under the roof.
Just next to visitor center in a bush I noticed squirels so I took a closer look and found Ahaetulla prasina prasina.