A brief overview of the wildlife around Souan Son Beach

(non-exhaustive list: animals seen between 01/3/2024 and 03/28/2024)

(please let me know if you see an error - royalty-free or personal photos taken with such a laptop)

Mammals:

Squirrels: there are 28 species in Thailand. Determining the species is difficult given the extreme variability of colors within the same species.

Asian striped squirrel: Tamias striatus (characteristic black and gray stripes on the head and back). Seen on the roofs of the bungalows tightrope walking on the electric wires. Much smaller than the red one. Length approximately 13 to 15 cm + 10 to 11 cm for the tail

On the morning of January 29 around 6:40 a.m. I witnessed a ballet of striped squirrels chasing each other in front of the terraces of the bungalows near the restaurant. Here are some slightly blurry images (taken with a cell phone).

Finlayson's squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii) is a species of Asian rodent. It is a squirrel whose range includes Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. This species of squirrel has very variable coat colors: it can be entirely white, entirely black, entirely red or have a mixture of these colors. There are 16 subspecies. It measures 21 to 22 cm long (body and head) and has a tail of 22.5-24 cm. Its mass is 0.3 kg (300 g). The diet of the Finlayson's squirrel varies according to region and season. It feeds on bark and buds in winter, flowers in spring, fruits, seeds and insects in summer. I observed several individuals chasing each other in the evening shortly before sunset in the trees in opposite the entrance. Just be on the lookout at sunrise or sunset to see them. I saw a completely black one at the entrance to Ban Phe Botanical Park around 7 a.m. on February 11, 2024.

Cheiroptera (bats):

- An unknown species of small size flutters in the evening in front of the parking lot.

- The Malaysian fruit bat (Pteropus vampyrus): is a species of giant fruit-eating bat living in Southeast Asia. It is the largest species of bat in the world: it can in fact reach a wingspan of 1.70 m, weighing around 1.5 kg. It is also called Malaysian Kalong, Malaysian fruit bat or Great Flying Fox. It forms colonies which can number from a few individuals to several thousand. It lives mainly in South-East Asia: Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. It is a frugivorous species that feeds on fruits, flowers, pollen and nectar. It promotes reforestation by spreading the seeds of the fruits it eats. In a single night, it can travel distances of up to 50 km. I observed from afar huge colonies (hundreds or thousands) where a few individuals were flying, on 2 occasions during sea trips on the Island of Koh Man Naï (02/07/2024) and on the island of Koh Talu (02/14/2024).

Monkeys:

Long-tailed macaque or crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis): It is the most widespread monkey in Southeast Asia, native to this region. Crabbing macaques live in matrilineal (mother-child relationships) and matrilocal (children live with the mother); young males leave the community at puberty. These communities also feature a hierarchy of females. Crab-eating macaques have an omnivorous (their name suggests they eat crabs) and opportunistic diet. They are considered an invasive species and a threat to biodiversity in certain regions. Seen at the monkey temple, in the jungle near Buddha Park and at Suan Wang Kaew beach where the monkey gave us a sort of “middle finger”...

Water buffalo:

The domestic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a species of large cattle, associated with the aquatic environment, type species of the genus Bubalus, which includes several other species endemic to tropical Asia. There are usually two subspecies of buffalo:

- the swamp buffalo (B. b. bubalis) and the river buffalo (B. b. kerabau).

Due to its characteristics, it is widely used in Asia for agricultural work in rice fields. Its wild counterpart has the scientific name Bubalus arnee. Seen behind in Rayong Botanical Park. We have not approached to find out whether they are domestic or not.

Elephants

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is a mammal of the Elephantidae family. It is one of the current species of elephants. It is smaller than African savannah elephants, has a concave forehead topped with a “bun”, smaller ears and tusks not visible in the female. Living in a small herd led by a female, it spends its time roaming the forest in search of food sources to satisfy its herbivorous diet. Asian elephants live in herds. The herds of elephants all take the same paths: they create clear and better lit passages in the tropical forest and this attracts other animals living on the ground. “Biologically, elephants have never been subjected to centuries, let alone millennia, of selective breeding and genetic manipulation as has been done to water buffalo, cattle, etc. Behaviorally, even when born in captivity, and even when born to two parents born in captivity, elephants remain wild animals. » (Extract from the very comprehensive 1997 United Nations study on Asian elephants-Gone Astray - The care and management of the Asian elephant in the domestic environment www.fao.org). Seen captive in Ko Chang 02/21/2024

Asian common toad: (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) is commonly known as Asian common toad, Asian toad, black-spectacled toad, Sunda common toad and Javan toad. The colors vary and the dorsal surface is covered with spiny warts. They breed in calm, slow-flowing rivers and in temporary and permanent ponds and pools. Adults are terrestrial and can be found under vegetation cover such as rocks, leaf litter and logs, and are also associated with human habitation.

Observed in the spring restaurant on 03/4/2024.

The tockay gecko (only true gekko) Gekko gecko is a nocturnal oviparous lizard that measures 20 to 35 cm in length without the tail. Its gray coat allows it to blend in well with its environment. It is dotted with brown spots. The male is more colorful and more imposing than the female. It has a flattened body and large golden eyes with vertical pupils. He does not have moving eyelids. Its eye is covered by a welded and fixed eyelid that the gekko cleans with its very long tongue. This lizard frequents the tropical forest, it is arboreal, but is also often found in or outside homes, it prowls around lamps having understood that this light attracts insects. One of them is installed under the roof, at the entrance to the resort. The female places her eggs on a vertical surface to which they adhere.
The male's calling cry: the male tokay produces strange sounds including a “tokay” which gave it its name.

The water monitor lizard: (Varanus salvator) is a large lizard native to South and Southeast Asia. Water monitor lizards are one of the most widespread monitor lizards throughout Asia and range from Sri Lanka and India to Indochina, the Malay Peninsula and various islands of Indonesia, living in areas close to water.

The species can survive where other large carnivores cannot, because it is cold-blooded. The water monitor lizard is a large species of monitor lizard. Reproductive maturity is reached for males when they measure 40 cm in length and weigh 1 kg, and for females at 50 cm. However, they become much larger throughout life, with males being larger than females. Adults rarely exceed 1.5 to 2 m in length, but the largest specimen ever recorded, from Sri Lanka, measured 3.21 m. The animal in the photo is a young one, probably crushed, seen on the road to the Rayong Aquatic Botanical Park.

The Chinese water dragon: (Physignathus cocincinus) Chinese water dragons can measure up to 1 m in total length, including the tail, and live ten to fifteen years. Coloration ranges from dark to light green, or sometimes purple with an orange belly. Diagonal stripes of green or turquoise are found on the body, while the tail is striped from the middle to the end in green and white. Adult males have larger, more triangular heads than females, and develop larger crests on the head, neck and tail, and are generally larger. The tail, which makes up just over two-thirds of the total body length, can be used as a weapon, for balance, and to aid in swimming. Native to the lowland and upland forests of southern China and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma), Chinese water dragons are most commonly found along shores of freshwater lakes and streams. They are active during the day (diurnal) and spend most of their time in trees or plants (arboreal).

Seen in the jungle near the Buddha Park.

The harlequin agamid: The oriental garden lizard, eastern garden lizard, leech or changing lizard (Calotes versicolor) is an agamid lizard widely distributed in Indo-Malaysia. It has also been introduced to many other parts of the world. It is an insectivore and the male has a bright red throat during the breeding season. It measures more than 10 cm in length from snout to vent. The total length, including tail, can reach 37 cm. The ground color is usually light brownish olive, but the lizard can change it to bright red, black, and a mixture of both. This change is sometimes confined to the head, other times spread over the entire body and tail.

Seen in the resort.