Scientific name: Callosciurus finlaysonii

It’s not native, introduced species from Thailand.

Bidadari Park – 28 December 2024

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Scientific name: Rusa unicolor

A species which was wiped out in Singapore in the 1950s but thanks to a few escapees from public and private local zoos, is making a comeback here.

Sambar deer live in forested areas and are nocturnal. They move around the forests at night and come out to forest edges to graze under the cover of darkness. They are, however, extremely shy and will bolt for cover when they sense our presence. That is why despite their large sizes, these deer are hardly ever seen.

Text and photo by Daryl Tan Photos are copyrighted to Daryl Tan

For more local wildlife photographs and fun facts, do check out his Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/clickingthecritters/

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Scientific name: Naja sumatrana

The body is thick, and the tail short. The head is distinct from the neck, and the snout is rounded.

This is a highly venomous species which should be treated with caution. Typically this snake prefers to avoid confrontation and is not considered ‘aggressive. Large adults will stand erect, expand their hood and hiss loudly if feeling threatened. If the perceived attacker does not back off from this threat display the snake will then attempt to spray venom into the eyes of its tormentor. Unless such venom is washed away immediately, permanent damage to the tissues surrounding the eye can occur. Envenomation through a bite from this species may result in death.- Ecology Asia

It’s Native to Singapore

Location: Sungei Buloh and Dairy Farm, Upper Seletar Reservoir

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What was supposed to just be an exciting encounter between a Dog-faced water snake, Cerberus schneiderii, and its prey turned out to be a monumental discovery when fish experts such as Jiayuan Lin and even Dr Tan Heok Hui from Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum identified the fish as a Ladder gudgeon, Bostrychus scalaris.

According to them, this species of fish is presumed to be nationally extinct and the only evidence of its occurrence in Singapore was based on a watercolour painting by F. L. de Castelnau in a notebook compiled in Singapore between 1858 and 1862. In fact, the photographs you see here are reportedly the first photographic evidence of its existence in Singapore! But even then, as a herper, I only realised just how significant the sighting was when they compared it to the rediscovery of the Selangor mud snake, Raclitia indica, in Singapore in 2020.

This sighting also proves just how rich the biodiversity in Singapore is and just how much there is for us to discover and rediscover. If a fish not seen since the 1800s can suddenly appear in the jaws of a snake, who knows what new species might pop up tomorrow? As Jiayuan says, “if there’s one, there’s more!” We can only wait with bated breath the next exciting discovery the next lucky soul will make on our shores!

For more information, do check out this biodiversity record:
https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/NIS-2024-0003.pdf

Text and photo by Daryl Tan Photos are copyrighted to Daryl Tan

For more local wildlife photographs and fun facts, do check out his Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/clickingthecritters/

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Jasper Cat Snake (Boiga jaspidea) to any herper in Singapore and it is likely that if he/she has not seen one yet, it is a species that sits very high on their target list. However, as it is rarely seen and is restricted in its distribution, there have only been a small handful of reported sightings in the past decade, with the most recent one recorded in May 2021. Because of its rarity, many classify it under the “unicorn” level, a mythical level reserved for the rarest and most elusive of snake species in Singapore.

There is also very limited literature on this snake species as this elusive snake is uncommon throughout its range. What little is known is that it is arboreal and nocturnal, making it even more difficult to spot and observe. It is rear-fanged and mildly venomous and reportedly feeds on geckos and other small snakes in the wild.

What really makes this snake stand out is how it looks. It has a highly patterned reddish-brown body with scattered black and pink blotches and accentuated by red, orange and yellow highlights, giving it a molten lava-like appearance. Ventrally, it is white except for the front portion of the belly which is bright yellow, and low on its flanks are scattered, irregular white patches. It has a slender body and a large head with possibly the largest eyes of the Boiga genus.

Fun fact: Do you know that despite its rarity, the Jasper Cat Snake is still only the second rarest cat snake species in Singapore? The true crown belongs to the White-spotted Cat Snake (Boiga drapizeii).

[Disclaimer: Credits for this sighting go to Lim Ting, Pearlyn and Peter Chua.]

Text and Photos by Daryl Tan
All photos are copyrighted to Daryl Tan
For more local wildlife photographs and fun facts, do check out his Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/clickingthecritters/

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This unique-looking bat can be found in many parts of Southeast Asia but they are listed as critically endangered in Singapore.

Horseshoe bats have very small eyes which are partly blocked by their nose leaf, limiting their field of vision.
Because of this, they rely on echolocation to navigate, producing sound through their nostril.

The nose leaf helps to aim the produced sound while shielding its ears.
Their ears can move independently of each other while the bat scans its surroundings, allowing its well-developed cochlea to pick up the echoes.

Their diet consists of insects and other arthropods such as spiders.
These bats tend to roost alone on small trees or vines a few metres above the forest floor.

This beauty came up in a conversation with a friend of mine which reminded me of a fortunate sighting I had a while back, where a group of macaques spooked this bat from its roosting spot while they were playing.

If not for them I most likely couldn’t have found the little one.

Text and Photos are by Law Jia Bao
Photos are copyrighted to Law Jia Bao

Please visit his Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yarrick_law/ for more amazing collections of wildlife in Singapore, especially the Raffles’ banded langurs.

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Largest of all the Ptyas rat snakes in Singapore. Head distinct relatively thick but slender body, which has a somewhat triangular cross section. Eyes large. Front part of the body brown to blackish, sometimes with faint pale banding. Rear half of the body yellowish brown to cream coloured, with distinctive black net pattern on the tail. Side of head and throat whitish, belly blackish. ( NParks )

It’s an adult snake, estimated more than 2 meters.

Location: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, December 2023

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Location: Chesnut Nature Park – April 2023

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Scientifically known as Prionailurus bengalensis, the leopard cat is Singapore’s last native wildcat 

The wild leopard cat is similar to the size of a domestic cat, but it is more slender and has a tail that is half as long as its body. It is a versatile creature that is able to move stealthily amongst the forest floor, manoeuvre through the forest canopy and swim efficiently across rivers. It is thanks to their excellent swimming capabilities that mainland leopard cats are able to colonise offshore islands.

Where in Singapore are leopard cats found?

Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin, Western Catchment Area and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It is believed there are about 50 individuals altogether.

Source of information: https://www.swagcat.org/our-wildcat

I saw their program – Leopard Cat Quest @Ubin.

I thought it was interesting and wanted to have the experience of Pulau Ubin at night. I joined the walk as I like to explore our natural place and would like to document the biodiversity as much as I can.

We met at Changi Ferry Terminal and started our journey around 7 pm, and I met a nice group of people during the trip.
Finding the leopard cat was a huge bonus, but spending the night at Pulau Ubin and knowing more about this SWAG group activity and meeting the people behind it, it’s really great experience.

I really want to hear and learn from them, how they keep their spirit and love, and how they can manage their time for this wildcat.

I’m glad that I can have a conversation with Dr Vilma D’Rozario, Co-Director of Singapore Wildcat Action Group, and here are some questions about SWAG

What made you interested in wildcat?

I’ve always loved all wildcats. However, Felidae of Malaysia have a special place in my heart in 2012 when I saw at least 2, if not, 3 golden cats at Fraser’s Hill, whilst driving up from Kuala Kubu Bahru!

I had the privilege of assisting Marcus Chua in his field studies of leopard cats around the same time. Tagging along with Marcus and friends on transects on Pulau Tekong and the Western Catchment Forest, I saw several leopard cats!

I became very interested in the Malayan tiger back in 2014 when I met passionate staff from the Malaysian Alliance for the Conservation of Tigers (MYCAT) who were saving tigers. I was shocked to hear the population of tigers in Malaysia was in decline and that they were critically endangered. I joined many people from Singapore to go to Pahang for Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT Walk) since 2015, and still do.

How do you get the data/information about our wildcat?

For the leopard cat in Singapore, I assisted Marcus Chua in on-the-ground surveys to spot leopard cats. Marcus also used several camera traps to detect them and monitor their behaviour.

How is this Singapore Wildcat Action Group started?

WHO WE ARE

While not all of us are Singaporean, we all call Singapore home.
We are passionate about the conservation of all wildcat species and we have a special love for the Malayan tiger.
 
We believe in taking meaningful action that helps us achieve our mission of building grassroot support for wildcat conservation and to realize our goal of raising funds to protect the world’s remaining 200 Malayan tigers living in the wild.
 
We are a group of volunteers who joined forces in 2019 with a belief that together, we can
multiply our efforts and compound our results.

WHAT WE DO

We raise awareness of wildcat conservation through regularly held events, such as the Wildcat Lecture series and the Singapore Tiger Week.
 
We recruit volunteers to take direct action to protect wildcats and their habitats by participating in CAT Walks in Malaysia.
 
We educate children about wildcats and nurture in them a love for wildlife through our Little Tiger children’s book series and by hosting Little Tiger Wildcat Parties.
 
We raise funds for the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers through sales of SWAG merchandise and by hosting an annual charity dinner.

What we can do to help protect this wildcat?

Please check this link: https://www.swagcat.org/Saving-our-Last-Wildcat

To help tigers, we recommend that people consider CAT Walk Plus! Here is more information:
A CAT Walk Plus, organised by the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) is a low-impact, guided weekend hike through an area of Malaysia that is critical to the conservation of wildlife.

CAT Walkers enjoy a jungle adventure while assisting MYCAT and the authorities to look for signs of illegal activity, spot animal signs and assist in tiger monitoring efforts by retrieving camera trap images.

To register and find out more:
https://www.swagcat.org/cat-walk

What’s in it for us?

Let the rainforest soothe your stress away. Walk the same trails as Asian elephants have. Dip in cool forest pools. And give yourself a good chance of spotting a leopard cat!

My Walk with SWAG

I really enjoyed the walk, experience in the dark and looking for any wildlife, for me it’s a therapeutic way to release all my busy life and enjoy nature. 

Gloria Seow as our guide explains quite many things about animal behaviour at night. For example, some facts about spiders are spiders sometimes eat their own web and spider silk is really just made of connected protein chains.

During our walk, we used our normal torchlight. However, when we spot wild animals, we use red torchlight, as this wavelength of light will not disturb nocturnal animals.

We also spotted many great mouse deer, toads, spiders, snakes, wild boars, sleeping birds, bats, and beetles.

Overall, that was a nice experience with great people while also helping this wildcat project.

If you would like to join and help them, you can check their program. Please visit their web here https://www.swagcat.org/

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