Search found 80 matches

by numpty
November 22nd, 2019, 11:01 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Moving back to Taiwan, plus a great Christmas book gift for your herping friends (and yourself)
Replies: 4
Views: 2405

Re: Moving back to Taiwan, plus a great Christmas book gift for your herping friends (and yourself)

Hi Hans. Just checked in here for the first time in a year and happened to see your post. Moving back to Taiwan, eh? How exciting. My wife and I made the move to Canada last year, but we think about returning to Taiwan on pretty much a daily basis. I can see us moving back in a couple of years, once...
by numpty
April 29th, 2018, 12:44 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A couple of Thai snakes
Replies: 0
Views: 5801

A couple of Thai snakes

A short trip to Koh Phi Phi in the Andaman Sea of Southern Thailand last month, and I managed a few hours wandering in the woods along the spine of the island. I snapped the following fuzzy shots of two snakes, the first of which seems to be a wolf snake, the second a bridle snake. Maybe those famil...
by numpty
January 26th, 2018, 9:24 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Spotted Keelback (yellow) and others
Replies: 6
Views: 5193

Re: Spotted Keelback (yellow) and others

Another very enjoyable, polished video. Keep 'em coming!
by numpty
January 26th, 2018, 6:34 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan 2017 roundup
Replies: 8
Views: 17080

Re: Taiwan 2017 roundup

Thanks John. Couldn't agree more about the Ovophis, though I really can't take any credit for the photography. Strictly point and shoot stuff. Anyway, to finish off, some amphibians. I didn't manage to make it up to the high hills to look for salamanders last year, but I've been finding it an increa...
by numpty
January 24th, 2018, 7:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan 2017 roundup
Replies: 8
Views: 17080

Re: Taiwan 2017 roundup

A few more pics. Sundry reptiles, in no particular order. The first turtle - or terrapin, as I was brought up to call them - lives in the little pond at the end of my street, along wih a small Ocadia sinensis . I can't imagine they came to be there naturally, in a little park surrounded by residenti...
by numpty
January 24th, 2018, 7:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan 2017 roundup
Replies: 8
Views: 17080

Re: Taiwan 2017 roundup

Thanks for the comment Dan. Nothing wrong with Latin America either, in my opinion. A couple more pics I could have uploaded at the time, but which failed quality control standards of the day. A freshly killed Sauter's grass snake found by the side of the road ... probably by the wheel of a scooter,...
by numpty
January 22nd, 2018, 7:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan 2017 roundup
Replies: 8
Views: 17080

Taiwan 2017 roundup

Hello all. Just thought I should post this hodgepodge of 2017 Taiwan herp photos before we get any further into 2018. I was pretty happy with last year's haul. I didn't feel like my herping technique was really up to snuff in 2016 and while I can't honestly say that practice made perfect in 2017, pe...
by numpty
December 1st, 2017, 11:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Treasures of Taiwan 2017. Part 1
Replies: 1
Views: 2436

Re: Treasures of Taiwan 2017. Part 1

A hundred snakes in four days? It takes me several months to spot that many. Others might contend that T. stejnegeri is the most common species, rather than C. major. I probably see more D. rufozonatum than anything else, but that's hardly a scientific observation. That DOR false viper must have bee...
by numpty
December 1st, 2017, 11:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Treasures of Taiwan 2017. Part 2
Replies: 4
Views: 5711

Re: Treasures of Taiwan 2017. Part 2

Lovely pics. That hundred pacer is a beauty. Just about all the many-banded kraits I've encountered over the past couple of years have been docile. Very nice to observe. I think the photo of Gunther's frog (it's in Sylvirana now?) is actually a Polypedates braueri. Maybe P. megacephalus, but the fai...
by numpty
October 10th, 2017, 1:21 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Japanese Corn Snake
Replies: 8
Views: 6185

Re: Japanese Corn Snake

Rather a horrendous story ...
by numpty
September 30th, 2017, 1:33 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Japanese Corn Snake
Replies: 8
Views: 6185

Re: Japanese Corn Snake

That's a pretty snake.

Good timing on the stick insect joke too ...
by numpty
September 16th, 2017, 1:55 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Madagascar Part 8: Anjozorobe National Park
Replies: 2
Views: 3489

Re: Madagascar Part 8: Anjozorobe National Park

A stunning series of pictures. Great photography. Bravo!
by numpty
September 8th, 2017, 8:58 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Cambodia ID Request
Replies: 2
Views: 2589

Re: Cambodia ID Request

Yup, the first is Duttaphrynus melanostictus, the last is a Polypedates, either leucomystax or megacephalus ... I'm not sure which is the dominant species in Cambodia; it's rather a confusing genus.

Not sure about the skink, though your guess looks reasonable.
by numpty
September 2nd, 2017, 10:08 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Help me ID this ratsnake ... I know you can!
Replies: 2
Views: 2099

Re: Help me ID this ratsnake ... I know you can!

And I think you should be right. Thanks!
by numpty
September 2nd, 2017, 10:05 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: One day spent in Gutian Mountain, China
Replies: 4
Views: 2865

Re: One day spent in Gutian Mountain, China

Very nice pics. Lovely patterning on the Odorrana schmackeri. I come across a lot of Dinodon rufozonatum here in Taiwan, so the yellow Dinodon makes a nice contrast to what I'm used to seeing.
by numpty
September 1st, 2017, 11:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Help me ID this ratsnake ... I know you can!
Replies: 2
Views: 2099

Help me ID this ratsnake ... I know you can!

Hi there, I was thinking of giving this post a title like, "Excellent ratsnake pics!" to lure readers in, but decided that would be cruel given the rubbish I'm about to display. Nothing excellent here, just a couple of woeful snaps taken while having a frustrating encounter a few days ago....
by numpty
July 25th, 2017, 5:44 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Common Ratsnake?
Replies: 2
Views: 2423

Re: Common Ratsnake?

Another very enjoyable video ... hope you got enough sleep before your next flight! It looks like a Ptyas mucosa to me, though I have no personal experience with them. I guess your finding a blind snake makes up for the disappointment of coming across a giant worm earlier in the night and thinking i...
by numpty
July 24th, 2017, 4:54 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Crocs in Khao Yai, Thailand
Replies: 1
Views: 2292

Crocs in Khao Yai, Thailand

I should have written this a few months ago, but ... well ... I'm lazy. In a nutshell, I was just wondering if anyone had the definitive word on the crocs that live in the Huai Lam Takhong River between the Pha Kluai Mai Waterfall and Haew Suwat Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. (For ...
by numpty
July 14th, 2017, 5:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Field Herping | Ratsnakes in Japan
Replies: 6
Views: 3880

Re: Field Herping | Ratsnakes in Japan

Another very enjoyable video. I can imagine your happiness at lifting those boards and seeing the same snakes, knowing you hadn't scared them off previously. Good luck next time as well. Watching these videos makes me wish I'd looked for a good spot in Taiwan and put down some boards a couple of yea...
by numpty
June 11th, 2017, 9:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Some snakes from Taiwan
Replies: 3
Views: 2330

Re: Some snakes from Taiwan

A nice selection! Right there, you have more species in about three weeks than I've managed in a year and a half. Did you see any others not photographed or shown? No luck with the Macropisthodon this time? I might be wrong, but a couple of those snakes look familiar to me. That dark Psammodynastes ...
by numpty
May 7th, 2017, 8:34 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Lifer King Cobra
Replies: 23
Views: 17279

Re: Lifer King Cobra

Congratulations. What a great feeling that must have been! A beautiful snake. I can feel your trepidation towards the end of the video. Who was the man; were you able to glean his motives? Maybe he was a local herp enthusiast, suspicious of what you were up to with your newfangled Facebook Live and ...
by numpty
March 20th, 2017, 10:24 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Malaysia 2017, part 4: Fraser's Hill
Replies: 10
Views: 8456

Re: Malaysia 2017, part 4: Fraser's Hill

Just catching these posts now. Top notch stuff ... informative information and picturesque pictures. Bravo, sir!
by numpty
March 7th, 2017, 5:25 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Malaysia 2017, part 1: Semenyih, or, Night of the Lifers
Replies: 20
Views: 13639

Re: Malaysia 2017, part 1: Semenyih, or, Night of the Lifers

Lovely pics. I'll second the admiration for the Rhacophorus norhayatii ; I'm a sucker for any frog sporting atypical froggy colours (or at least my idea of "atypical", meaning red or blue). I also hadn't heard of it previous to your post, but it's a good 'un! Love the cinnamon frog too. An...
by numpty
January 3rd, 2017, 7:15 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Favorite Herp Pics of 2016
Replies: 6
Views: 4016

Re: Favorite Herp Pics of 2016

Absolutely beautiful!
by numpty
January 3rd, 2017, 7:14 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Madagascar 16
Replies: 11
Views: 6309

Re: Madagascar 16

Amazing photos! Beautiful geckos. Too bad about the suitcase ... hope you didn't lose anything too valuable.
by numpty
January 1st, 2017, 2:32 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016
Replies: 11
Views: 5591

Re: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016

You are a brave man for extolling the wonders of seeing a Brahminy Blind Snake just before tossing in a few shots of a One-eared Koala Cobra. Thanks! What can I say ... I like blind snakes, and I'm only moderately ashamed to admit it. Sorry, I had a senior moment there. No idea what I was thinking ...
by numpty
December 30th, 2016, 10:55 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016
Replies: 11
Views: 5591

Re: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016

And finally frogs and toads. I was pretty lazy about anuran photography these past few months, though I did come across some nice specimens along the way. I'll try to focus on the photos and spare the gentle reader a deluge of words. Taiwan has two indigenous toad species. Thankfully the cane toad h...
by numpty
December 30th, 2016, 8:40 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016
Replies: 11
Views: 5591

Re: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016

Hi Hans, thanks. Um ... Taiwan now has three Boigas? That's news to me. Those crazy taxonomists, eh? Next thing you know they'll be splitting Taiwan's Pareas into three species. Oh, wait a minute, they already did that. And Dinodon rufozonatum is now a Lycodon? Ahhh, let's wait and see ... knowing h...
by numpty
December 29th, 2016, 9:30 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016
Replies: 11
Views: 5591

Re: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016

Thanks guys! I'm ready to go into battle with Flickr once again and upload some more photos. Sundry non-snake reptiles this time. I'll try to cut down on the words this time though. Japalura swinhonis (probably ... I have a hard time with japalura IDs) https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8279/29388278086_...
by numpty
December 26th, 2016, 11:57 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016
Replies: 11
Views: 5591

Taiwan herps from the second half of 2016

Just thought I'd post some photos of various Taiwan herps I've seen since July this year, a followup to a couple of posts from back in June covering the first half of the year. I could have posted earlier but I was hoping for one final (snake) species to add to the list, since my species tally stall...
by numpty
October 31st, 2016, 1:44 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Japanese Grass Lizard
Replies: 2
Views: 2749

Re: Japanese Grass Lizard

Another nice video. Looks like you've had some pretty good finds at these spots over the course of various visits. I really should find some scrubby grassland with flippable boards here in the outskirts of Taipei; up till now all my herping has been nocturnal prowling along walls and ditches. I neve...
by numpty
October 26th, 2016, 10:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: From the last couple of weeks. Kwa-Zulu Natal - South Africa
Replies: 6
Views: 4430

Re: From the last couple of weeks. Kwa-Zulu Natal - South Af

Well done that rhombic night adder!

Another excellent post from South Africa.
by numpty
October 24th, 2016, 9:57 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Thai mock viper (Psammodynastes pulver) eye change mimicry.
Replies: 2
Views: 1957

Re: Thai mock viper (Psammodynastes pulver) eye change mimic

Interesting, though I have to say that - in my opinion - here in Taiwan the mock viper doesn't do a very good job of mimicking the local pitvipers. Perhaps in a million or so more years of evolution, but not quite yet! That said, I've seen a few with their heads bashed in, so either they actually di...
by numpty
October 24th, 2016, 9:41 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan in October
Replies: 9
Views: 3818

Re: Taiwan in October

Nice!
by numpty
October 24th, 2016, 9:40 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Frogs in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - Spring 2016
Replies: 5
Views: 3960

Re: Frogs in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - Spring 2016

Great stuff! Love the shovel-nosed frog, and that plaintive rain frog looks like you Photoshopped a grumpy old man's face onto a toadstool or something. Excellent.
by numpty
October 20th, 2016, 9:56 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan in October
Replies: 9
Views: 3818

Re: Taiwan in October

That's a nice selection! And you found a beauty snake after all!

I didn't see many green tree vipers for the first 2/3 of the year, but I've been seeing them regularly for the past month and a half.

I look forward to seeing the rest of your photos.
by numpty
October 17th, 2016, 1:08 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snakes from Taiwan, May-September 2016.
Replies: 4
Views: 2824

Re: Snakes from Taiwan, May-September 2016.

Very nice pictures! Some snakes there that I still have to see. Where do you do most of your herping?
by numpty
August 25th, 2016, 4:56 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Queensland trips overview [pic heavy]
Replies: 16
Views: 9712

Re: Queensland trips overview [pic heavy]

Amazing photographs, though depressing for those of us looking at our own snaps and realising we'll never achieve that level of quality!
by numpty
August 17th, 2016, 8:12 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Thailand - Some cool "Not-a-snakes"
Replies: 4
Views: 2825

Re: Thailand - Some cool "Not-a-snakes"

Aye, that's it, between Pha Kluai Mai Waterfall (campsite) and Heo Suwat Waterfall. When I first went there five years ago there were a few "Beware of Crocodile" signs at that wide stretch, which at the time I guessed must actually refer to monitors. On my next few visits there were more p...
by numpty
August 15th, 2016, 11:19 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Thailand - Some cool "Not-a-snakes"
Replies: 4
Views: 2825

Re: Thailand - Some cool "Not-a-snakes"

Nice pics! Lucky you to see the sun bear. And that darned croc in Khao Yai! I've been in that park at least four times now, and only once - perhaps - caught a momentary glimpse of the top of its head before it submerged. Or perhaps I didn't see it at all. (Though I did come face to face with a bull ...
by numpty
August 4th, 2016, 9:20 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2 Banded Kraits and 2 Chinese Cobras
Replies: 10
Views: 5068

Re: 2 Banded Kraits and 2 Chinese Cobras

Great stuff. Did you get the impression that your friends usually get those kinds of numbers on an average night?
by numpty
July 20th, 2016, 5:54 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Massive sea turtle deaths in Florida following fireworks
Replies: 23
Views: 9998

Re: Massive sea turtle deaths in Florida following fireworks

Good on you for pushing the issue. I hope you were able to get through to some conservation officials about this. What a shocker. I don't particularly want to add to the "bad government" topic that's been sprawling all over the forum recently, but what do you make of a regulation preventin...
by numpty
July 19th, 2016, 9:57 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan frogs from the first half of 2016
Replies: 5
Views: 4584

Re: Taiwan frogs from the first half of 2016

Thanks Hans. Did you manage to see much in the way of Taiwanese herps towards the end of your visit? Great photos and descriptions. I would love to see Hynobius in the wild sometime. Also, that was interesting information about the Polypedates. I'm going to have to read up on that. Thanks! I would l...
by numpty
June 30th, 2016, 4:15 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan reptiles from the first half of 2016
Replies: 6
Views: 3970

Re: Taiwan reptiles from the first half of 2016

Thanks! Agreed ... I never tire of seeing Trimeresurus either. Ditto for Rhacophorus, re. the other post ... and this year has certainly turned up way more of the latter than the former.
by numpty
June 28th, 2016, 4:32 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan reptiles from the first half of 2016
Replies: 6
Views: 3970

Taiwan reptiles from the first half of 2016

Over the past couple of years I've been poking around northern Taiwan, sometimes further south, looking for amphibians. This year I thought I'd try to look a little harder for reptiles as well. I'll admit I'm still not very good at it. Anyway, here are some photos from the first half of the year. I ...
by numpty
June 27th, 2016, 5:07 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Taiwan frogs from the first half of 2016
Replies: 5
Views: 4584

Taiwan frogs from the first half of 2016

Just a few photographs of Taiwanese frogs taken this year, in no particular order. I hoped to see some salamanders, but that was not to be (see attached rant at the end). I apologise in advance for what I know is going to be a rambling post. I'll get some questionable photos of the green pond frog o...
by numpty
December 1st, 2014, 8:42 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Please enlighten a naive young man
Replies: 7
Views: 5026

Re: Please enlighten a naive young man

the dream would be to make it as far south as Darien National Park on the Colombia/Panama border but this is going to be my first foray into jungle herping and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. How safe is Darien? should I gain experience in more predictable areas before attempting it,...
by numpty
July 9th, 2014, 9:53 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping Borneo
Replies: 10
Views: 3843

Re: Herping Borneo

numpty - I'm looking for areas I can herp without a guide, tour, etc. As with all my travels, I would rather fail miserably on my own than see everything with a guide :) Steve I totally agree with that sentiment. I've probably missed out on seeing all sorts of wildlife over the years by trying to g...
by numpty
July 9th, 2014, 7:36 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping Borneo
Replies: 10
Views: 3843

Re: Herping Borneo

Not sure if you mean you can't go herping without a guide, or else you mean a tourist would just have better results with a guide. I've been able to make solo hikes in a few different SE Asian countries, both in and out of national parks. The situation might have changed in countries with a more mer...