The Python and the Porcupine:

March 17th - March 25th:

We returned to the initial base island after saying goodbye to our boss Luke "The Magnificent" Gibson at the dam. After setting up my Hammock in the late evening I decided to go for a swim in the lake. *Reader discretion is advised*.

So i decided on a naked swim so after removing my clothes I walked down to the waters edge and got my feet in the water (at this point it was pitch black but I had my head torch pointed at the water from a distance). Just as I was about to jump into the water I saw a huge black shape loom past my right foot. I realized it was a huge snake (2.5m) but I had no idea what kind of snake (Thailand has a large population of King Cobras as well many other large deadly venomous snakes). I shouted my good friend Ricky "del bosque" over (Making it very clear that I was in fact naked at the time) then went to get my head torch. Fortunately the snake had not swam far when I returned, turns out it was a Reticulated python just cruising the side of the island probably hunting large frogs or moving from island to island. 

Our return to our camping island in the northern reservoir finally revealed the porcupine which was stomping around by Rickys hammock and quite frankly didn't seem to care that we were there. After nicknaming the little fellow "Quill.I.am" he promptly wandered off back into the forest.

The following day while doing a reptile survey I was VERY fortunate to see a Malaysian Blue Coral Snake, an exceptionally beautiful (and very deadly Asian snake) wriggling across the transect line. In the middle of the day, a very rare occurrence for this nocturnal and rare snake.

Our resident Porcupine, kindly caught on film by R. Carr.