AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

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Gabri Mtnez
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AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Gabri Mtnez »

Hi everybody,

I am new in this forum. My name is Gabriel Martinez. I´m living in Madrid and I really love to go to field for herping in Spain and rest of the world.

Last august I made a trip to Australia, Singapore and Malaysia:

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In Australia I visited Northern Territory and Western Australia. I was alone herping although some days I met a friend of flickr. Everybody told me that is winter and in Northern Territory even dry season, so it´s a bad moment for herping there, but due to my job I have no more chances to visit far places... I found some interesting species although I missed frilled lizards and death adder, both very common, but probably very hidden during my trip to Australia because all was too dry. I got a car a made road cruissing but few activity apart of Cane toads... so most species were found by flipping (including 5 elapid species!).

In Singapore we use public transport because it´s a small country. In train and bus you arrive to all places, although I missed the road cruissing (and my legs more!). I was there and in Malaysia with my spanish friend Alejandro Carreras. Walking in the habitat we found some interesting species. Really there we found all our targets (only missed king cobra...), although it was very rare to see 3 meter pythons in the university or cobra in the middle of the city. Singapore is great, hope that they conserve their nature parks many time...

In Malaysia we stayed in Langkawi. We had 2 dry days and we preyed for rain, and we had 3 days with continue rain day and night. Anyway in motorcycles and later in car we spotted some interesting things.

In total 13 elapid species, 4 viper species, 4 python species and other nice snakes (file snake, 2 paradise snake, 5 vine snakes, 8 mangrove snakes...), 5 monitor species, crocodiles both in Singapore and Australia, many lizards, geckos and amphibians... it was amazing and one of the best months in my life

I will put photos of my top 15 species of the trip, and here you can see all my favourite photos of these and other trips:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gabrimtnezmarmol/albums

Cheers

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Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Jeroen Speybroeck »

Welcome here, Gabri, what took you so long? ;) :lol:

Very cool trip!!! And yet another stellar blue coral from Singapore; judging by posts on this forum, that place seems to be crawling with them ;-)
Jimi
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Jimi »

Indeed, welcome.

Looks like you had fun in Iran. I would love to herp Iran. Did you find traveling there pretty easy? How about walking around in nature, and hassles with that? Are they hung up about private property (must have advance permission from owners), or are they more permissive? Or did you just herp their parks and preserves?

cheers
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Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Jeroen Speybroeck »

Jimi wrote:I would love to herp Iran.
Same here, especially after one of my dearest herping buddies came back with this report =>
http://www.herpsafari.nl/tripreports-ou ... 16-4-iran/
A country with one of the weirdest snakes & the prettiest salamanders in the world, 'nough said!
Envy, envy, envy!

BTW, Gabri also hosts this gem => http://www.moroccoherps.com/
Jimi
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Jimi »

Thanks Jeroen, great links both of those. The Iran trip report is epic, making travel there all the more appealing. I've always heard the people there are wonderful. Sounds like they've got a great conservation agency too - DoE.

Morocco - also nice! But oh, those Persian sallies. Good lord. Hynobiids - a whole new family to discover!

Thanks again Gabri!
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mariquensis
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by mariquensis »

Greta finds and images.

I really appreciate when users like yourself create posts like this, it takes more effort and seldom is given a much appreciation as they deserve.

Cheers ,Tyrone.
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Gabri Mtnez
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Gabri Mtnez »

Hi Jeroen!! Nice to meet you here! I was thinking in making this post in field herping eu, but I think this forum is much better for Asiatic or Australian trips :)

Blue corals are easy to find in some particular spots I guess. My spanish friend has a contact and he told him the place and it was easier than if you are just trying in all the country, you know! That snakes are absolutely cool. Like the female Tropidolaemus they don´t need real animals. It´s like if the chinese people make snake toys for kids and put the red head and tail and blue lines in a black body. Amazing! I remember that you also saw one in Malaysia

Hi Jimi. I was arrested in Iran, in the border with Iraq to stay herping without permission. It was a "light" arrest, but they kept my camera and passport until I go to the court and pay a bill after a 2 hours interview with the spy agency. Crazy! It was a funny experience but when you return to home (specially if you stayed in Israel 2 times before Iran). After me, a friend was there in the south looking for Rhinogecko and other species of geckos and he was also arrested and had to pay bill and go to court... so when the Jeroen friends asked me I told them that is absolutely recommendable to get a permision of the Department of Environment (DOE) for the areas you are going to stay herping. Bobby Bok and friends with that permision were herping very good in habitat (even the people that arrested me were with them in the urarachnoides habitat I think!). I think that if you get the permission of the DOE, you can herp there perfectly and nobody disturb you. And it´s one of the best destinies for herping in the earth: the 3 Pseudocerastes species, Cerastes, Macrovipera, many Montivipera species, Gloydius, Walterninessia, some Varanus species, Naja oxiana, leopard geckos (amazing animals!!)... I totally recommend that place for herping...

Thanks Tyrone! In the last years I saw very cool posts of this forum and I tryed to stay at the level, although I need to put best the pictures next time :oops:
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LouB747
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by LouB747 »

Hello Gabri, I'm the guy that gave your friend the blue coral snake info. I'm glad it worked out for you! I wish I could have been there. I haven't been to Singapore in awhile and on my last trip I didn't find much. Such is life.

Congrats on all your finds!

Lou
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Gabri Mtnez
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Gabri Mtnez »

Hi Lou,

Nice to meet you and thanks for your info. Singapore is full of water channels and I hoped that they would be like in Hong Kong with cobras, pit vipers, kraits and pythons everywhere but not. It was hard to find every snake. Specially Naja I think that is extremely common in all the country but they are very elusive and hard to find (I think sometimes they enter in channels and you can easily find them, but most of times they are hidden probably to avoid water monitors, king fishers and other animals). We were lucky to find one of them basking 2 days before the end of the trip (the first cobra that I have seen basking in my life)

Good luck for your next trip there!! if you need info of our trip you know that you can contact Alex or you can also contact me at [email protected]
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mfb
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by mfb »

Great shots, thanks for sharing!
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Gabri Mtnez
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Gabri Mtnez »

Thanks mfb!
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krisbell
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by krisbell »

You found the Ovophis in Langkawi?! Great selection of animals - love the Waglers and of course the C.bivirgata!
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Gabri Mtnez
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Re: AUGUST 2016: TRIP TO AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Post by Gabri Mtnez »

Hi Kris,

Yes, we found the Ovophis in Langkawi. We only studied the Grismer et al. (2006) paper so we didn´t know about the presence of Ovophis there because it seems that it was recently found. So in the first moments we though in a strange Callosellasma (I knew Calloselasma face is "similar" to Hypnale, but me and Alex never had seen Ovophis!). When I returned to the hotel I just read a message of Tom Charlton saying that is possible to find Ovophis there and I remember the Terralog book faces and all was clear. Amazing casuality and incredible species

Cheers
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