Attack Of The Killer King Cobra Near Alor Setar

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

The King Cobra caught in Alor Setar, Malaysia

The Star newspaper today reported on a King Cobra attack near Malaysia’s Northern city of Alor Setar.  Although the report did not identify the snake it is obvious from the photo that it is a King Cobra!  The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world’s longest venomous snake, with a length that can be as large as about 6 m (20 ft).

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Sneak Preview: The New Aquarium Fish Database™ Website!

Monday, July 13th, 2009

This is a work in progress / sneak preview of the beta version of the new Aquarium Fish Database™.    The new version has tons of new interactive features and will be the best and most advanced interactive encyclopedia of aquarium fish™ yet! View full screen for best display.
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Arapaima Fish Hunt In Tasik Kenyir, Malaysia. Win RM10,000!

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Do Arapima live here, feeding off villagers?

Arapaima are very large freshwater fish and can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6.6 ft), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and over 100 kg (220 lbs). The often cited maximum length of 4.5 m (14.8 ft) comes from a single second-hand-report from the first half of the nineteenth century, and is not confirmed. The maximum-cited weight for the species is 200 kg (440 lbs). The Arapaima is the subject of many fisherman tales also known as tall stories!

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Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Malaysia – Wildlife Videos

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Kuala Selangor Nature Park can be found at the mouth of Selangor River, in Selangor state, Malaysia. The nature park covers approximately 800 acres of mangroves and mudflats and is home to a wide variety of wildlife including Silver Leaf Monkeys, Monitor Lizards, Mudskippers, Fresh / Brackish water Crabs and Otters. There are chalets available for overnight visitors. The Kuala Selangor Nature Park is a great place to get up close to the wildlife that thrives in the coastal Mangrove habitat.
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Fraser’s Hill Tarantulas In Decline

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Fraser's Hill - Really cold!

From the Star newspaper:

TARANTULAS – one of the major tourist attractions in Fraser’s Hill – are facing extinction unless the Government takes proactive measures to check the situation, Tamil Nesan highlighted in a special report.

Bukit Fraser Development Cor­poration science officer and tourist guide K.S. Durai lamented that some locals were selling the arachnid species to tourists at RM1,000 each.

He said there was a noticeable decrease in the tarantula population since he started compiling data on their habitat early this year.

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New Hanging Parrots – Bodoh And Celaka (Loriculus galgulus)

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Loriculus galgulus - male

I just purchased two new featherd friends yesterday.  Bright green and small and chubby – they are quite comical hence the naming Bodoh and Celaka!  They are most likely Blue Crowned Hanging Parrots (a kind of Loriculus galgulus) which are native parrots here in Malaysia.  They like to eat flowers, buds, fruits, nuts and seeds apparently.  So far I’ve just tried feeding them seeds.  Tonight they can try out a fruity treat though – the uncle at the pet shop did say they like apples!

Apparently adult males are have a blue crown, red throat, red rump, and a yellow lower back. Adult females are duller than males and lack the yellow lower back, usually lack the red throat, and the blue crown is much less noticeable.  This means I think I have two males – so I’ll have to  go back to the shop and grab a couple more birds!

Last night I got a shock – I thought the birds were behaving strangely because they were sleeping like bats hanging upside down.  Thankfuly they are ok and all is normal.  These birds are the only kind of Parrot that sleeps hangin upside down!  Hence the name.

Note: Please read comments below – this bird may be a protected species.

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Two Headed Skink Found In Langkawi, Malaysia

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

A two headed Salamander found in Langkawi, Malaysia is actually two deformed Skink lizards.

According to this story published by the New Straits Times in Malaysia:

Dahalan Ahmad said:
“I was reading the newspapers when I saw something crawling on the floor. I picked it up and was surprised to find a 6-centimetre long salamander with two heads.”

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Common House Gecko – Hemidactylus Frenatus Photos

Friday, March 21st, 2008

House Gecko trapped and photographed

Photos of a kind of Gecko (Cicak) that I caught in my kitchen… photos of another one are over on this page. The photos below are of an adult House Gecko and if you look closely you will notice the red dots on its feet are some kind of blood sucking tick or mite. Other than the slight infestation it is a healthy Cicak.

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