Thailand 2011

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 2011

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:48 pm

Hey Fieldherping.EU!

I’m home from Southeast Asia!
Originally we planned to travel to California, later we decided to go to Vietnam, but due to the fact of good publicity in Malaysia, we selected to go there.
Unfortunately it turned out that there were riots in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, from where we had planned to fly to the island of Langkawi.
Instead of flying there, we decided to go by boat from the island Phuket in southern Thailand.
The first couple of days were spent in the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, from where we flew to Phuket, to stay there for a couple of days, and then sail south.

We cancelled he trip to Malaysia because we were told that the sailing down there was rather unpleasant.

So instead, we just stayed in Phuket, where we travelled around from hotel to hotel, and then go north to Kanchanaburi west from Bangkok for a couple of days, and then stay in Bangkok for another couple of days.


Here goes!:


First, pictures from Bangkok.







Kalouola pulchra:

Image



Limnonectes limnocharis:

Image

Image



Ramphotyphlops albiceps_

Image





Lygosoma quadrupes:


Image

Image

Hemidactylus parvimaculatus [LIFER]:

Image


I did also see Malayemys macrocephala, Melanochelys trijuga, Notochelys platynota, Trachemys scripta elegans, Varanus salvator]. I didn’t photograph those, because I knew that I would come back to Bangkok again on our way back, and would photograph them then. Unfortunately, I got really sick, which made the trip impossible..





Now, for Phuket!


The first hotel was amazing, but the hotel was actively hunting, trapping and killing snakes.




[i]Hylarana erythraea
:

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Rana hosii [LIFER]!:

Image

Image



Polypedates leucomystax:

Image

Image

Image



Hermit crabs were everywhere:

Image

I totally forgot to show pictures of the really common house geckoes!:

Image

Image

I observed these eggs from green paddy frog being laid the first evening:

Image

To days later, they looked like this:

Image

-Fast!

At the same spot as most of the amphibian activity, i found thi sone Xenochrophis trianguligerus, [LIFER]:

I took some pictures of the snakes, and then captured it and released it near a forest, that due to the fact of the information I had gotten earlier same day.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Bufo melanostictus were extremely common:

Image

When we talk about common, more house geckoes!:

Image

Image

This large spider didn’t move in 2 days:

Image

I found one Ansonia malayana [LIFER]:

Image



I found this mouse looking creature too, it had really big ears, too bad it can’t be seen on the picture..:

Image

Large mantis:

Image

Image


I found lots of strange invertebrates, here’s one more:

Image


I found quite a bit during the day too.
I was searching for snakes in traps in the area of the hotel near a large wall which separated the hotel from a palm plantation. I found one. A Ptyas korros about 130 cm. in length, almost death from the trap. Poor snake. [LIFER]

Just after I found one more, same species. About 2 meters in length, it was more healthy. I took a few snapshots, and then released them at the forest.:


The nearly dead snake!

Image

The pretty healthy one:

Image

Image


I walked into the palm plantation now, to search for more snakes.
Habitat:


Image



I flipped a large board of tree, and saw a large brownish snake (about 170 cm) I looked pretty much like the two Ptyas korros’s I’d found earlier same day, that made me believe it was just one more of those, so I grabbed it by it's tail,! I didn't realize which snake it was before it hooded and tried to strike! I quickly released it afterwards, it was a monocle cobra! Naja kaouthia!. I really learned a lesson that day!
I’m never going to catch a snake without security without being certain sure of the species again.
I actually freehandlet a cobra without even knowing it.. :o
I can’t show you the snake, cause I didn’t get to photograph it, but here’s the board:


Image


Golden treefrog during the day:

Image





Young Calotes versicolor:


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Same morning as we were leaving that hotel, at the pool I observed a Lycodon subcinctus, about 50 centimeters in length. Don’t you think that one got away without letting me photograph it first too?! -.-

Habitat

Image


We were living in the city of Patong now, boring for fieldherpers, but I managed to found Ramphotyphlops braminus:

Image


And Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, this one was the biggest frog I’ve ever seen!! [LIFER]:

Image


Then we travelled more south, to a rather regular looking place for tourists, not that interesting, but I did found something!:

Limnonectes limnocharis:

Image

Kaloula pulchra:

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Malayemys macrocephala:

Image


Bufo melanostictus was extremely common here to, and I took some .. interesting pictures of them..

Image


I did find something very interesting! A Occidozyga laevis! [LIFER]

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Oh, I forgot to mention, Mabuya multifasciata were everywhere too:

Image


As well as Calotes versicolor:

Image

During a long walk, I found a nice spot, I saw a Varanus bengalensis, NO PICTURES &%#=!! [LIFER]



We were now going to the city of Kanchanaburi, the ultimate place for fieldherpers!

But unfortunately, I ate some seafood salad, the day before for dinner, it tasted rather strange this time, and not that good, but I was hungry, and I just swallowed!
Big mistake, I’ve been ill since that day. Not too much anymore, but I had too much pain in my stomach to fieldherp most of the period..
I stayed at the hotel all time, only a few times I left the hotel to do a little bit fieldherping…

Varanus salvator, poor picture, but the only one from the whole trip!:

Image

I observed a Eutropis longicaudata too, it escaped too fast to be photographed … [LIFER]

I saw one tokay Gekko gecko:

Image


I found some Microhyla fissipes too, really small frog, only about 2-3 centimeters while croaking and mating!:

Image

Image

Image


At the end some more invertebrates from the last hotel:

Largest spider I’d ever seen in my life:

Image

Image

Strange larvae:

Image





Species list from the trip:


Lizards - 13 species:

Calotes versicolor – 30+
Dixonius siamensis – 3
Eutropis multifasciata – 50+
Eutropis longicaudata - 1
Gekko gecko - 1
Cosymbotus platyurus - XXX
Hemidactylus frenatus - XXX
Lygosoma quadrupes - 11
Sphenomorphus maculates - 2
Varanus salvator – 100+
Varanus bengalensis - 1
Hemidactylus parvimaculatus - 1
Gehyra mutilate - 10




Snakes – 6 species:


Ramphotyphlops braminus - 2
Ramphotyphlops albiceps - 1
Lycodon subcinctus - 1
Ptyas korros - 2
Xenochrophis trianguligerus - 1
Naja kaouthia - 1




Turtles – 4 species:

Malayemys macrocephala – 10+
Melanochelys trijuga – 20+
Notochelys platynota – 10+
Trachemys scripta elegans – 50+




Frogs – 10 species:

Hoplobatrachus rugulosus - 1
Hylarana erythraea - XXX
Kaloula pulchra – 20+
Limnonectes limnocharis – 50+
Polypedates leucomystax – 100+
Bufo melanostictus - XXX
Ansonia malayana - 1
Microhyla fissipes – 15+
Occidozyga laevis - 1
Rana hosii – 10+



All in all, 33 species of herps!



Despite my illness, it was a really nice trip!!!! :)
Sincerely

Mourits
User avatar
Mourits Løvholt
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:22 pm
Hometown: Greve Strand
country: Denmark

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Paul Lambourne » Wed Aug 03, 2011 10:54 am

Mourits,

Great report and stunning pictures as always.. I love that part of Asia, I was born in Singapore and have been lucky enough to herp in that region a few times,Borneo is amazing (although I did get malaria).

Loved the toad pics..I know everybody thinks I am a viper boy..(I am) but I absolutely love toads, I have seen melanisticus many times,but the Ansonia malayana was fabulous!
A great selection of species, and I think we have all made similar errors of judgement when the excitement of herping in tropical climes, out weighs our normal health and safety procedures for snake handling( such as wading up to my waist in a river to catch a small water snake completely forgetting it was terra typica for crocodiles..I suppose we get used to being top of the food chain...) :D a timely reminder for us all.

I hope you are completely recovered from your illness.

Kind regards

Paul
User avatar
Paul Lambourne
 
Posts: 590
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:47 pm
Hometown: London
country: England

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Peter Engelen » Wed Aug 03, 2011 11:15 am

Nice report. I like the insitu Xenochrophis trianguligerus. I can not wait to visit that area again.

Peter
Peter Engelen
 
Posts: 122
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:41 pm
Hometown: Dilsen-Stokkem
country: Belgium

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:05 pm

Thanks! :D
I'm actually complete healthy again! :)
Really a cool place to herp! I love Southeast Asia too :P
-Haha, yeah. A really effective way to remind us about the danger of the nature!

I like the insitu Xenochrophis trianguligerus.


That was some easy-to-get in situ shots!, it was like the snake didn't even notice me when I was flashing it again and again from a short distance, it just kept on prowling around near the mating frogs! But ''easy'' is not the word to use for the capturing :lol: !
Sincerely

Mourits
User avatar
Mourits Løvholt
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:22 pm
Hometown: Greve Strand
country: Denmark

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Sandra Panienka » Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:13 pm

That's one of the coolest reports I've ever seen. Very neat pictures. Must've been the hell of a good trip despite your illness. I'm really into the amphibian shots, especially the Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, that's a really cool big frog. :O) My favorite is probably the Occidozyga laevis. It looks a bit like it's smiling. Really cute amphib.
User avatar
Sandra Panienka
 
Posts: 238
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 1:53 pm
Hometown: Heidelberg
country: Germany

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Paul Lambourne » Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:36 pm

Sandra,

You cant possibly think Occidozyga laevis is cuter than Ansonia malayana !!!! shame on you women :D Ansonia are definitely among the coolest amphibs ever....

I dont think you really thought it through..have another go :D what about amphibs in general...cutest? pelobates syriacus ? bufo ictericus? bufo galetaus?
User avatar
Paul Lambourne
 
Posts: 590
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:47 pm
Hometown: London
country: England

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Sandra Panienka » Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:28 pm

Lol, darn ... now you really got me thinking. I still think Occidozyga laevis is cuter than Ansonia malayana because the latter lacks the smile and it has sort of a teen-wolfish nose. That's a minus. :lol:
And the most cutest of all ... Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis. :mrgreen: ... naaah, just kidding. I really like spadefoots, but they always look a bit retarded when you use a flash on them. Packman frogs are really cute, though. Hope we don't ruin this trip report.
User avatar
Sandra Panienka
 
Posts: 238
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 1:53 pm
Hometown: Heidelberg
country: Germany

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Thomas Bader » Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:48 pm

1a report - fantastic pictures!
I just wonder you only found one Tokeh, they should be quite commen there
Thomas Bader
 
Posts: 216
Joined: Wed May 20, 2009 7:32 am
Location: Vienna
Hometown: Vienna
country: Austria

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Wed Aug 03, 2011 9:25 pm

Thanks a lot guys! :)

Yeah, amphibians can truly look cute :lol:
My favorite is probably some kind of Litoria :D

It is strange how much it varies where the tokays are common and where they aren't.. :)
I found them everywhere while on the island of Koh Samui a few years ago, while in Krabi a few years later I found quite a bit of them too, in Hua Hin last year i found around 10, but every single one in one hole in a tree!
Actually I did see two tokays on the trip this year too, I just totally forgot to mention it, in Bangkok I found one inside a hole in a tree in a large park along with some common house geckos too. :)
-According to what a hotel employee told me while herping in Hua Hin last year; the tokays are declining due to the fact of high demand from keepers in the west..
Sincerely

Mourits
User avatar
Mourits Løvholt
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:22 pm
Hometown: Greve Strand
country: Denmark

Re: Thailand 2011

Postby Gabriel Martínez » Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:00 am

Very nice herps Mourits (and not herps like Mantis...)! Nice photos except the toad with the shit :lol:

Very interesting the Varanus close to teh swimming pool!!!!

Cheers

Gabri
User avatar
Gabriel Martínez
 
Posts: 436
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 1:24 pm
Hometown: Madrid
country: Spain

Next

Return to Herping in the rest of the world

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests