June – July – Best Herping Season in Thailand?
I find June and July of each year to usually be the best months for finding snakes out and about.
Thailand Herping – Best Months?
We get more requests for ID during those months than any others. I usually find, catch, see more snakes during those months in Thailand than any other months – but occasionally I have a good month some other time during the year that eclipses those summer months.
Lately, I’ve not been able to get out to look. I did do a run up a local mountain the other day and heard a couple of swish sounds like they were snakes, but I didn’t have time to stop and look. I saw some amazing lizards though – including the draco-winged lizard on the size of a tree – a very decent size too, about as 6-7 inches long (body only), and 4 inches wide. This is before flying!
I have seen a couple of small snakes crossing the road as I flew by on the motorbike. A couple of Golden Tree Snakes… I always check them out to make sure they aren’t the Paradise Tree Snakes – which are pretty rare and make great photos.
We had a Malayan Pit Viper close to the house the other day. I caught a red-tailed racer a week or so back – very small, just crossing the road. Not sure if I posted any photos here, I’ve been using Facebook for some of them.
Had a guy come from Australia – ex herpetologist/biologist, and we saw no snakes at all I don’t think. Can’t remember. We did find different geckos and lizards – including a long-tailed lizard – the tail was 3 times the body length (or more).
Anyway – a mini-update on what we’ve seen here.
If you are planning on looking for snakes – nearly any time of the year is good except the hot months. You can still find the usual snakes during the day during the hot months – like golden tree snakes and various rat snakes… sometimes the monocled cobras… but usually the hot months and extremely rainy months are not ideal for herping in Thailand.
If you are planning to visit Thailand for a herping field trip, let me know – I might be able to go with you. I know a lot of the local snakes, though admittedly virtually nothing about the frogs, spiders, and lizards.
