Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Tioman

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Zimmerman
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Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Tioman

Post by Zimmerman »

My first trip-report on this forum will be about my trip to Malaysia. I went there for 4 weeks and visited beautiful national parks on Borneo and I visited Pulau Tioman. It is a lot of work to proces and edit all the photos and write a report. My report is in smaller parts on my website.
This was my first nature/wildlife trip to Asia. I had been to Asia before with my grandfather, but that was to go back to where he had lived and more cultural things. :) I was quite unexperienced (I am also unexperienced as a herper). This was the first trip to the rainforest to make a lot of photographs. I also went to Costa Rica in 2008, but I was not really photographing at the time. This trip was a great adventure, that I will never forget. :D


Mount Kinabalu
A great experience with beautiful species. A very beautiful national park with a lot of primary rainforest and montane species. :D If I ever return I know what to do. I was a bit unexperienced there.
Some highlights:

Kinabalu Crested Dragon (Hypsicalotes kinabaluensis)
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Speckle-bellied Keelback Snake (Rhabdophis chrysargos)
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Can someone ID this gecko?
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Crocker Range
Don't go there. You can not walk into the primary rainforest. Skip this national park. I did see this beautiful frog!

Dring’s Slender Litter Frog (Leptolalax dringi)
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You can find the full report about Mt. Kinabalu and Crocker Range here: http://ronaldzimmerman.nl/malaysia-mt-k ... ker-range/

Gunung Mulu National Park
Very touristic but a great experience! Primary rainforest was beautiful. I also recommend the 'Garden Of Eden Walk'. It is a walk through caves, 3 million bats, crawling though guano (yes it smells), walking through the river and a beautiful waterfall! I also saw a Brown-tailed Racer (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) near the waterfall! The nightwalk (and doing nightwalks yourself) are also worth for slow loris :D

Bornean Keeled Green Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus)
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Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella)
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Bornean Tree Hole Frog (Metaphrynella sundana)
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Malayan Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus malayanus)
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You can find the complete report about Mulu here: http://ronaldzimmerman.nl/borneo-mulu-2014/

Bako National Park
A great spot for monkeys like the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), but also for herping.

Bornean Keeled Green Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus)
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Short-legged Dwarf Toad (Pelophryne signata)
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The complete report about Bako is here: http://ronaldzimmerman.nl/malaysia-2014 ... ak-borneo/

Kubah National Park
This park is not very famous. There is only a small text about it in the Lonely Planet. It is a small national park, but it is a park with primary rainforest. For frog-lovers this should be your number one spot! On Borneo everything was hard to find and you had to work hard to find things. In Kubah it was the same during daytime, but at nighttime it was a different world. So many frogs! It was like a job to see and photograph all species that were easy available! I needed more days! The only disadvantage are the accommodations, because we became spoiled with the restaurants at the national parks (I love the food). At Kubah you have to cook your own meals (so go to the supermarket first).
Harlequin tree frog (Rhacophorus pardalis), Wallace Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) and Bornean Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta) are my absolute highlights.
Hans Breuer, thanks for the recommendation of this park. :D

Dark-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates macrotis)
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Black-spotted Rock Frog (Staurois guttatus)
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Bornean Horned Frog / Bornean Horned Toad (Megophrys nasuta)
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Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus)
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Frilled Tree Frog (Rhacophorus appendiculatus)
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Bornean Narrow-mounted Frog (Microhyla borneensis) or is this the Microhyla malang?
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Brooke's Water Skink (Tropidophorus brookei)
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Malaysian Cat Gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus)
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You can find the complete report about Kubah here: http://ronaldzimmerman.nl/borneo-kubah-sarawak/

Pulau Tioman
I was here mainly to relax and for snorkeling, but also for the Water Monitor (Varanus salvator). I saw more great species during night walks, but also a Oriental Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina). I tried the more creative approach in the photos. My mother and girlfriend call it a 'sperm cell snake'. :lol:

Oriental Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina), both photos with backlight. The snake was actually in this shrubs.
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Water Monitor (Varanus salvator)
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Poisonous Rock Frog (Rana hosii)
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I am still busy finishing the Pulau Tioman report. :)


You can also follow me on Facebook if you like: :thumb:
https://www.facebook.com/ronaldzimmermanphotography
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Malaysia 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak) and Pulau Tioman

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thanks for sharing! The V. salvator in the drink is very nice!
Zimmerman
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Re: Malaysia 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak) and Pulau Tioman

Post by Zimmerman »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Thanks for sharing! The V. salvator in the drink is very nice!
Thanks! :D

Do you have any thoughts on the gecko with the red tail? I think it is a Hemiphyllodactylus typus.
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krisbell
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Re: Malaysia 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak) and Pulau Tioman

Post by krisbell »

Great pics and report - thanks for sharing.
Zimmerman
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Re: Malaysia 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak) and Pulau Tioman

Post by Zimmerman »

krisbell wrote:Great pics and report - thanks for sharing.
Thank you, and you are welcome! :D
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Ruxs
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Ruxs »

Are you sure you Rhabdophis chrysargos is not Amphiesma sarawacense? Looks more like that species to me. Nice photos!
yuesam
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by yuesam »

Great post. That Kinabalu crested dragon is incredible! I think there's only a few photos of a live one ever.
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orionmystery
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by orionmystery »

Great set! I've never found a Kinabalu Crested Dragon yet!
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axeman2729
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by axeman2729 »

beautiful pictures I hope one day I can get on you and orion's level
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

axeman2729 wrote: I hope one day I can get on you and orion's level
That's actually quite easy. Read Goethe's "Faust" for instructions. :-)
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chrish
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by chrish »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:
axeman2729 wrote: I hope one day I can get on you and orion's level
That's actually quite easy. Read Goethe's "Faust" for instructions. :-)
:lol: :lol: although it might be true? I wonder if the name Mephistopheles photography Inc. is taken?

Ronald,

I hope you will consider entering these recprds in Herpmapper.org. We are trying to build up our representation from the "other side" of the globe. Malaysia and Indonesia are sorely unrepresented.

Chris
Zimmerman
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Zimmerman »

Ruxs wrote:Are you sure you Rhabdophis chrysargos is not Amphiesma sarawacense? Looks more like that species to me. Nice photos!
Thanks! I think you are right! :) One more specie on my list because I found a juvenile Rhabdophis chrysargos in Kubah. :)
yuesam wrote:Great post. That Kinabalu crested dragon is incredible! I think there's only a few photos of a live one ever.
Wow I didn't know. I was too impressed to make better shots. I know I can do better. It was the first time I was too much impressed to make photos. On the other hand the lizard was on a fence. I was just extremely lucky! :)
orionmystery wrote:Great set! I've never found a Kinabalu Crested Dragon yet!
Then again. I must be lucky. I was a bit disappointed about the herps. It was on my first day there. My friends went birding, and I found only one skink that escaped. I was really hungry and walked back to the restaurant with a friend. She walked in front of me and did not see it. I did, and we walked by slowly and started photographing and filming.

You can see the lizard here on 2:55: http://youtu.be/75gT59ekAw8
Made by Dieuwertje Smolenaars
axeman2729 wrote:beautiful pictures I hope one day I can get on you and orion's level
Thanks! Well I have the same with some other photographers. I keep on learning. :)
chrish wrote:
Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:
axeman2729 wrote: I hope one day I can get on you and orion's level
That's actually quite easy. Read Goethe's "Faust" for instructions. :-)
:lol: :lol: although it might be true? I wonder if the name Mephistopheles photography Inc. is taken?

Ronald,

I hope you will consider entering these recprds in Herpmapper.org. We are trying to build up our representation from the "other side" of the globe. Malaysia and Indonesia are sorely unrepresented.

Chris
I did not know about it, but I will look into it when I am not so busy.. :)
Zimmerman
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Zimmerman »

I finally got my last part online about Pulau Tioman. I was a bit too busy to finish this report. :)
See here: http://ronaldzimmerman.nl/malaysia-2014 ... au-tioman/

Wall’s Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis cyanochloris)
Image

Tioman Island Rock Gecko (Cnemaspis limi)
Image
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Ruxs
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Ruxs »

I'm gonna sound like I'm nitpicking your IDs, but that bronzeback from tioman is Dendrelaphis cyanachloris - you can tell by the elongated head. Could potentially be a record for the island too, although I'm too lazy to go through the paper on herpetofauna of tioman. I'm sure you could find it online and check for yourself.

Edit: Checked your blog and saw that you correctly identified it there. Bear the record thing in mind though.

Cheers,

Rupert
Zimmerman
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Zimmerman »

Ruxs wrote:I'm gonna sound like I'm nitpicking your IDs, but that bronzeback from tioman is Dendrelaphis cyanachloris - you can tell by the elongated head. Could potentially be a record for the island too, although I'm too lazy to go through the paper on herpetofauna of tioman. I'm sure you could find it online and check for yourself.

Edit: Checked your blog and saw that you correctly identified it there. Bear the record thing in mind though.

Cheers,

Rupert
Thank you! Dendrelaphis cyanachloris is in the paper. Bjorn already corrected it for me. :)

I also corrected the gecko to Tioman Island Rock Gecko (Cnemaspis limi).
jimoo742
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by jimoo742 »

Thanks for the pics. I'm heading there (Borneo) in 4 weeks. I hope to see just a little of what you saw!
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Ribbit
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Ribbit »

Wonderful variety of excellent photos! Some day I hope to make it to Borneo.

John
Zimmerman
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Re: Malaysia Summer 2014: Borneo (Sabah & Sarawak)+ Pulau Ti

Post by Zimmerman »

jimoo742 wrote:Thanks for the pics. I'm heading there (Borneo) in 4 weeks. I hope to see just a little of what you saw!
Well I hope you are incredibly lucky and see more than I did. :)
Ribbit wrote:Wonderful variety of excellent photos! Some day I hope to make it to Borneo.

John
Thank you very much! :) It is really something to look forward to! :)
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