Unrecorded sightings
I'll be updating the list as long as there's an unrecorded new species that slipped the way out before I can record them
Over the years of my life, there was plenty of creatures that I've either failed to manage to capture a picture or happened before knowing the existence of inaturalist and through that, my interest of taking pictures of creatures. Here are a few examples that I'll be going to list out:
SNAKES
Snakes has always been one of my favourite group of creatures, something about them just feels unique and magical, to me at least. I'm hoping to find one every time I go out but they seems to be hiding from me, though past experiences says otherwise and they'll just take you by suprise when you're expecting them the least!
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Brahminy blind snake-
If I still recall it, it was during 2017 when a heavy storm hits and causing several major floods in Penang and many other states of Malaysia. Many residential areas are flooded, though not very severe, but was enough to make many famillies waste their savings to replace their soaked furniture. Although I'm lucky to be living in a small apartment away from the disaster, my church, located at one of the flooded residential areas, was hit pretty badly. I was 13 y/o that year and my mother is one of those who volunteered to help cleaning up the aftermath, and brought me there to help her out. It was all muddy and dirty, that was until then I noticed a tiny wriggly "worm" on the muddy floor, probably washed to the surface by the flood. Being a curious kid, I managed to catch and put this weird black earthworm inside of a plastic bottle.
To my surprise, I noticed it had tiny scales all over it's body, unlike earthworms I've observed before that is segmented, and even more surprisingly, a tiny forked tongue, flicking it out from time to time. It was then I concluded in my mind, saying "it's the snake that I've seen on internet that is blind and lives in dirt!" I showed it to my mother and others and alot of people didn't believe it. I brought it home to further observe it, as much as I wish to keep it, I come to the realisation that I don't have the ability to keep it so I released it back to the wild. -
Mud snake ( Enhydris/Cerberus sp. )-
It was probably when I was around 14 when I and my several other friend went to splash some water at youth park, Penang.
Around the kids pool, there was a big, semi artificially altered stream (?) used to drain the water from a tiny waterfall above the pool. Whilst my friends were have fun playing, I was inside of the sandy stream. catching fishes. There was plenty of goldfish and guppies there and it was there I noticed something, something strange looking and long... It was until I get closer and I realised it's a snake, a water snake! I walked around it until I get to a safe landing spot, just right above it. It doesn't seem to care about my existence and kept staying motionlessness. I noticed it has its head lifted just right below the surface, was probably breathing air and out of nowhere, my mind told me to catch it, just like how they catch their neck in shows and exploring videos, so I did. I did it, my first snake catch, a mud snake. Recalling from my vague memory, it's greenish pale grey top and pale yellowish belly, I don't remember it having any stripes or spots. It wrapped weakly around my arm and seems relatively calm although what it looks like I'm choking it. Attracted by the ruckus happening here, a few Malay kids at the pool area saw what I did and they called me the "pembunuh ular" ( translates to "snake slayer" ) in cheer. I felt quite proud of myself but I wasn't going to harm the snake, just caught it out of curiousity. To avoid possible harm to human or the snake, I threw it into a deep ditch at the end of the stream and went back to my friends to tell them what happened.
-several others-
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Racer/keelback/ratsnake
It was at Penang national park when I was 16 with my friend. In the middle of a swampy area of the forest and I saw a long, reddish snake slithers away into the forest, we didn't see it's head. -
Treesnake/bronzeback/vinesnake
I was hiking alone on the hiking trail up Penang hill, hoping to find anything new. Saw a tiny snake at very far away on a tree, can't identify it as I haven't yet own a binocular and didn't take any pictures of it.
LIZARDS
Our cool reptilian cousins, both cute and ferocious.
Many people hate geckos dropping "bomb" everywhere in their house but other than that I don't think people have a reason to hate them?
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Gecko-( family Gekkonidae )
It was probably 2018 or 2019, where my mother brought me and my friends going on a fun vacation at genting Highlands. We stayed at a resort few evelations under genting Highlands. During an evening there, I saw something crawling on the asphalt paving, a geck. I caught and inspected it, it's size is of what a normal geck should have, but it's color is very, unique. It's dark in colour, but have yellow specks and spots all over it's body. At the time I still do not know much about lizards as a whole so I didn't bother identifying it. I put it in a plastic bottle for a night and released it on a tree the next day. -
supple/writhing skinks- ( Lygosoma/subdouluseps sp. )
I forgot when was that, but I was walking along Gurney drive, beside where is now a reclamation work going on. When I was stepping around the grass there, I saw something slithering among the dry grass and crumbly soft dirt. It's small but fast and i can vaguely see it, it is enough for me to at least identify what animal that was. I tried to catch it but it's like playing a game of whack-a-mole. At last it disappeared into the dirt and I couldn't find it anymore. -
green crested lizard-
I've told the story before, lol.
BIRDS
who doesn't like birds? They're pretty and have pretty songs. Though they can be quite the pain to take pictures without any professional gadgets to help. Imagine using a Olympus branded pocket binocular as magnifier to the phone, that's me with most of my bird pictures. What's worst? They fly away.
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Rufous woodpecker-
Outside of botanical gardens, Penang, and right Infront of the moongate is a wide shallow river. I was walking down the more forested part of the river and I saw a brown bird hopping and clinging from trees to trees. It seems to be very alert and disappeared into the forest as soon as I approached it. Unsure of what I've seen, I finally identified it after I'm at home, online. -
Greater coucal-
It was probably last year (2021 ) when I was hiking up to Air Itam dam, Penang. I saw two birds flying over me and I quickly realised they're a pair of greater coucal, hopping into the trees and never to be seen again, and there was I, watching in awe, completely forgot what I was here for. -
Long tailed sibia-
Earlier this year (2022) I, with my mother, and two others, went to Fraser hill for a quick vacation. Upon reaching the resort I saw few birds on a tree nearby with a long tail but I've got no time to identify as I'm taking our luggages out from the car and taking them to the resort. Second day, I woke up early with my friend to see what can we find in the morning. Very unluckily, It was fogging for the entirety of the day and we can't see anything very clearly, let alone spotting birds. We do see few birds flying to a tree above us just as we walked out of the resort but I failed to take any pictures as the visibility was very low but this time I'm confident that they're long tailed sibias. They say third time's a charm, but no. When we're back to the resort I went and sat on the chair by the balcony. I completely have not realised, that a tree literally right beside our resort, was a few long tailed sibias. I didn't realise them until they flew away just not far in front of me, few large billed crow then came occupied the same tree. -
Black throated sunbird-
When I was with my friend looking for any creatures outside of the resort, I heard some chirping noises, birds. I can't quite see the birds as they're tiny, and the foliages + the fog is an unholy combination of visual obstruction. I've concluded that they're black throated sunbirds. My friend, being as numb as ever, didn't even notice the birds as he was more interested in finding cool-looking beetles and just walked right under them. I shouted to tell him to not scare away the birds. Too late, they're already quite deep into the forest edge, I was quite frustrated by it and I ended up giving up after failing to take any good pictures of the birds. -
Cattle egret, Grey heron and Asian openbill-
On several occasions, I was on my mother's car going back to Butterworth from Penang on the highway and you can see a lot of birds along the forest/river edge. Intermediate egrets being one of them, but as they're more common I managed to take a few pictures in the car at above 70kmph. Not the case for cattle egrets tho, I only occasionally see them along the road and it's always too late to take pictures when I know it's them.
As early as yesterday, whilst we're going back to Penang at around 6~7, so are the birds. I saw a big grey bird flying not far beside us, maintaining the same speed as our car for a brief moment and then losing sight of it, and that was before I'm done figuring out what bird that was. Same with an Asian openbill flying pass right above our car as we drive.
FISH
There's quite an amount of fish in my life. In fact, they're what that make me interested in animals in the first place, by sacrificing many fishy lives as I don't know how to take care of them.
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Tiger datnoid-(???)
It was very long ago when my age is still at single digit. I was on a dock at Kerian river, a river that borders the state of Penang, Kedah and Perak. I saw a large fish, close to the riverbank, with distinct black stripes and a body of bright orange. I do not know what that fish was until I have more understanding in fisheries. My suspect is a tiger datnoid. Although I have no clue if tiger datnoid even exist there. -
Knifefish (Notopterus/chitala sp. )-
Also when my age is still at single digit, I was again, at Kerian river but at a different spot where local anglers come to fish near a small swampy garden. There was n man i and my mother know that fishes there often, so we see him there again as we visited the place. Coincidentally, we're at time as he caught a fish. A truly special fish, a snow white, red eyed, sharp tailed fish was caught. I know instantly this is a knifefish as I've seen them often in pet stores, but an ALBINO? From the wild? This is as lucky as winning a lotto. The fish was small, just about the size of an adult palm size. I'm unable to recall what exact species that is as it's an albino + my very vague child memory. -
Asian swamp eel-
I forgot when and where was that, but I think it has something to do with either church or school. It was held at a hall like place. As I don't really like staying at a place that disinterest me for too long, I went outside and walked around the venue.
It was rainy that day and the drain is flooded. It seems like drain is flooded long enough for quite some aquatic plants to grow. There's was a alot of dark-sided chorus frog tadpoles in the drain, when I squatted down to inspect them, something terrifying appeared, a long, yellow "thing" came out from a crack in the water filled drain. At the time, I have literally no idea what that thing is all I can conclude it's maybe an eel or snake. When I came to inspect it, it was breathing air directly from the surface, or what seems like it's doing. From what I saw It has no visible eyes, weird mouth and just, nothing but a long yellow thing. I poked it with stick and it went in and out, I even reached the stick to the crack it's staying it to lure it and it actually bit the stick. After then I be leaving it as I was going home. After so many years I now know what that "thing" was now I know the species better.
BUTTERFLIES
Same problem with birds. I guess it's a love hate relationship between me and flying animals.
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Blue glassy tiger-
At botanicals flower garden, I saw a blue glassy tiger, or at least I think it is, flew by me. I didn't take any shots of it as I was just standing there and staring at it. -
Tailed jay-
For alot of times, they just flies by me super quickly -
Emigrants-
Same with tailed jay, they never stop flying
