Introduction

I had big plans for a much overdue return to Greece during the April holidays, but certain world events made things a bit uncertain in terms of connecting travel through Oman’s neighbouring countries. Therefore, a more straightforward, direct flight eastwards seemed more appropriate. It was a toss up between Thailand and Malaysia. This time Malaysia won. I had neglected some of the herping hotspots there for far too long. So I made an easy plan for Kat and I of a week or so in at the famous Bukit Fraser, a few nights in the Cameron Highlands and the odd night here and there in the lowlands, specifically Kuala Kubu and Kuala Selangor between airport runs through Kuala Lumpur.

Mammalogist and long-term Phuket friend Paul Carter loves Fraser’s Hill and decided to join Kat and I while we were there. In the days before Paul arrived, we finally got to meet Julius Zidorn in person after years of correspondence on all things reptilian. In the weeks prior to our arrival, Julius had become somewhat of a Prince of Fraser’s, with some amazing finds under his belt. Likewise, it was nice to briefly catch up with Kurt, who was also herping in the area one evening. In the Cameron Highlands it was nice to spend time with Ja one morning to see the famous mossy forest and bumping into Cam during our nocturnal forages. For other sneaky hints prior and during the trip, thanks to Tom Charlton and David Nixon.

Bukit Fraser

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur from Muscat late at night I decided not to check into a nearby hotel and instead drive straight up to Bukit Fraser. The latter part of the drive was very quiet in the early hours of the morning and this allowed for numerous observations of Small-toothed palm civets (Arctogalidia trivirgata) and a Sunda slow loris (Nycticebus coucang). A quick stop at a cascade en route allowed for the first sightings of Larut cascade frogs (Amolops larutensis). Eventually we checked into the hotel and went to bed at 3am. After ample rest, the following evening we met up with Julius. The conditions seemed great, nice cloud cover and then a single rain shower. The first snakes of the trip appeared in the form of a Red mountain keelback (Hebius sanguineum), several Siamese peninsula pit vipers (Trimeresurus fucatus) and an outstanding three Malayan blue coral snakes (Calliophis birvigatus) including a very large one. Other snakes were sleeping Oriental vine snakes (Ahaetulla prasina), a Malayan banded wolf snake (Lycodon subcinctus) and the very common Pink-headed reed snake (Calamaria schegeli). A couple from China were also searching for snakes and were delighted that we had found three blue corals and we shared our lucky finds with them. The omnipresent lizards in the area, Southern Titiwangsa bent-toed geckos (Cyrtodactylus australotitiwangsaensis) and the Four-striped bent toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus quadrivigatus) were commonly seen during each visit to this area. The odd Perak horned frog (Xenophrys aceras) occasionally made an appearance.

We had one more night with Julius before he departed and we found two Striped coral snakes (Calliophis intestinalis) as a main highlight. Kurt was also herping the area and found a rare Malaysian bow-fingered gecko (Cyrtodactylus elok), a species that I had seen before in Thailand. Paul arrived the following day and this now added more of a mammal focus in addition to the herpetofauna. Over the coming days we were blessed with observations of three more Malayan blue coral snakes, lots of Siamese peninsula pit vipers, another Red mountain keelback, six Mountain slug-eating snakes (Asthenodipsas vertebralis), a Blunt-headed slug-eating snake (Aplopeltura boa), Jasper cat snake (Boiga jaspidea), White spotted cat snake (Boiga drapiezii), a large Bengkulu cat snake (Boiga bengkuluensis), a juvenile Dog-tooth cat snake (Boiga cynodon), two more Striped coral snakes and a few Variable reed snakes (Calamaria lumbricoidea). We also saw a few species dead on the roads such as Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus), Butler’s wolf snake (Lycodon butleri) and two Speckle-bellied keelbacks (Rhabdophis chrysargos). One evening during heavy rain we were able to find a nice Red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps), unfortunately Paul was mammal watching elsewhere and was unable to see it.

In the lower elevations of the area, Long-nosed horned frogs (Megophrys nasuta) were calling all around but oddly I never actually managed to pick one out for photos. Although we didn’t have enough rain, we still managed to observe some amazing frogs in the area such as Johor flying frog (Zhangixalus prominamus), Twin-spotted flying frog (Rhacophorus bipunctatus) and the cute Malayan tree hole toads (Metaphrynella pollicaris). In a mountain brook I spotted a Banjaran frog (Pulchrana banjarana) but I was unable to get a photo before it hopped away. Other species included the massive Asian river toad (Phrynoidis asper), Copper-checked frog (Hylarana labialis), Hose’s rock frog (Odorrana hosii) as well as various Limnonectes species, most notably the omnipresent Blyth’s river frog (Limononectes blythii).

As expected there were also some mammal highlights. Aside from the common nocturnal forager in the area, the Small-tooth palm civet, we also saw several Masked civets (Paguma larvata), Sunda slow loris, Red giant flying squirrels (Petaurista petaurista) as well as a gorgeous Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) by night. During the daytime, Max’s gymnure (Hylomys maxi) was another highlight, as were the primates, including Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), Short-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina), White-thighed surili (Presbytis siamensis) and on our last day a fortunate phone call from Paul! He had finally found a group of Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) which were much harder to find than we had anticipated. We then spent an hour or so admiring a mother with her youngster and the rest of the crew as they foraged in the tree canopy. One of the highlights of the trip!

Did I mention that we saw SIX Malayan blue coral snakes? Ok, smashing.

Kuala Kubu

Paul flew back to Phuket and we had one night in the sweltering, mosquito-infested lowlands before heading to the Cameron Highlands area. Thanks to a very sneaky hint from Julius, I managed to find six Wagler’s pit vipers (Tropidolaemus wagleri), three females and three males during a very short, but sweaty exploration of a steep hillside. These were supplemented with a juvenile Brown kukri snake (Oligodon purpurascens) which despite its tiny size, still managed to give me a very bloody kiss.

Cameron Highlands

Get me out of the 35c heat, crazy humidity and mosquito paradise, s’il vous plaît. The Cameron Highlands were a delight in terms of conditions. Cool daytime temperatures, cold nights and the odd rain shower. Perfect for a Lancashire lad. Less perfect were the traffic jams and the crappy parking opportunities, but overall I really enjoyed this eccentric place. Think Phuket in the Alps with lots of tea and you kind of have the idea. That being said, the montane forest here is some of the most beautiful that I have seen. So much so, that upon our arrival we noticed that some of the best areas now have large fences and very strict access only for authorised people and vehicles. This meant that some locations were unexpectedly off limits, but we managed to make the most of the areas that we were allowed to explore. In fact, one tiny stretch of habitat yielded lots of snakes on our first night. A party of lifer and endemic highland snakes, such as two Malayan mountain keelbacks (Hebius inas), several Gold-bellied reed snakes (Macrocalamus emas), three Schulz’s reed snakes (Macrocalamus schulzi) and two Tweedie’s reed snakes (Macrocalamus tweediei). These highland endemics were all rather handsome and surprisingly easy to find.

Over the remaining two nights we found more of the previously mentioned handsome reed snakes and after some effort we managed to see two Cameron Highland pit vipers (Trimeresurus nebularis). These turned out to be harder to find than I had anticipated, but one location delivered the goods in the end. A Mirkwood slug-eating snake (Asthenodipsas lasgalenesis) completed the highland snake party. An unfortunate daytime find of a DOR rare Sarawak keelback (Hebius sarawacensis) caused some head scratching as I did not initially realise what it even was.

However, for me the ultimate highlight from the area was getting to see four Robinson’s forest dragons (Malayodracon robinsonii) all hanging out in the damp vegetation at night.

Kuala Selangor

As we had an early return flight to Oman from KL we decided to spend one night in a coastal area recommended to us by Paul. Again the conditions here were sweltering but in the end it was worth it, in particular for the mammals. The locally endemic Selangor silvered langurs (Trachypithecus selangorensis) were a delight to spend time with. A lot less cheeky and hostile than the macaques! Walking around in the middle of the day, we were treated to a spectacle of a group of 15 or so Smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) playing in a stream and sunbathing on the embankments. In terms of reptiles, the Mangrove skink (Emoia atrocostata) was seen several times as well as numerous Water monitors (Varanus salvator). After dark, and with some effort, we managed to find two Banded kraits (Bungarus fasciatus), one younger animal and one very large adult. We then went to bed for a 4am drive across Kuala Lumpur to the airport.

Thank you Malaysia for being so kind to us! Shall be back!

Amphibians
Odorrana hosii
Hylarana labialis
Hylarana laterimaculata
Pulchrana banjarana
Polypedates leucomastyx
Limnonectes blythii
Limnonectes plicatellus
Amolops larutensis
Rhacophorus bipunctatus
Zhangixalus prominanus
Metaphrynella pollicaris
Phrynoidis asper
Megophrys aceras
Megophrys parva sp
Megophrys longipes
Megophrys nasuta

Lizards
Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus
Crytodactylus elok
Cyrtodactylus australotitiwangaensis
Gekko sp
Draco sp
Eutropis multifasciata
Emoia atrocostata
Calotes emma
Malayodracon robinsonii
Varanus nebulosa
Varanus salvator


Snakes
Ahaetulla prasina x4
Hebius sanguineus x2
Hebius inas x2
Hebius sarawacensis x1 DOR
Asthenodipsas vertebralis x6
Asthenodipsas lasgalenensis x1
Aplopeltura boa x1
Lycodon subcinctus x1
Lycodon butleri x1 DIF
Rhabdophis chrysargos x2 DOR
Dendrelaphis striatus x1
Oligodon purpurascens x1
Boiga jaspidea x1
Boiga drapiezii x1
Boiga bengkuluensis x1
Boiga cynodon x1
Calamaria schlegeli x12
Calamaria lumbricoidea x2
Macrocalamus chanardi x1
Macrocalamus emas x2
Macrocalamus schulzi x5
Macrocalamus tweediei x3
Calliophis intestinalis x4
Calliophis bivirgatus x6
Bungarus flaviceps x1
Bungarus fasciatus x2
Ophiophagus bungarus DOR
Trimeresurus fucatus x18
Trimeresurus nebularis x2
Tropidolaemus wagleri x6


Mammals
Leopard cat
Wild boar
Smooth-coated otter
Siamang
White-thighed surili
Selangor silvered langur
Dusky langur
Pig-tailed macaque
Long-tailed macaque
Small-tooth palm civet
Masked civet
Sunda slow loris
Red giant flying squirrel
Pallas’s squirrel
Red-cheeked squirrel
Unknown flying squirrel 
Grey-bellied squirrel
Striped squirrel 
Max’s gymnure
Tree screw
Pencil-tailed tree mouse