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so cute😍

@thailandwild4897

3 ай бұрын

My thoughts exactly.

Wow... That is a fantastic capture...

@thailandwild4897

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Brian... it is something I've been looking for for a long time. I actually found the snake in hunting mode the day before, but it didn't catch anything, so I came back the next day a bit earlier in the morning and got lucky.

Une scène jamais observée! Vos vidéos,trop rares ,sont toujours excellentes,merci pour ce petit voyage!😊😊

@thailandwild4897

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind comment. Indeed, I really appreciate how fortunate I was to witness this rare spectacle.

Interesting specimen, usually one would expect this species to be a striking green!, though I’ve heard such color morphs are reasonably common depending on locality. Interesting thing is, the colloquial names for this fella given by rural country thai folk include such eccentric appellations as “ ง่วงกลางดง‘‘ ( wood- sleeper) and “ กล่อมนางนอน’’ ( lulls the damsel to bed) it used to believed by country folk that this species has very potent venom indeed, one bite from one shall have the dreaded effect of putting the pitifully afflicted individual into an immediate vegetative stupor, sapping away’ one’s life and soul in a very short span of time. Such folk beliefs are also applied to a species of long tailed grass skink, known by the people of isan as “ sang haa” ( สางห่า) where, according to folklore, the animal’s venom is concentrated in the very tip of the elongated tail, indeed picking up the animal by the tail is believed to be a highly foolish endeavor, as the sheer potency of venom alone is enough to burn one’s arm to a crisp. Such folk beliefs can be dismissed as old wives tales, but a part of me is inclined to believe there may be some truth to the matter, be it misunderstanding or exaggeration by deluded forbears, there remains in ancient China, tales of a poisonous bird , resembling a cross between a heron and a bird of prey known as “Zhenniao” which is believed to have venom concentrated in its feathers, so much so that the feathers were used by warriors to tip their arrows, according to Chinese annals, the bird went extinct sometime around the 12th century, due to increased settlement and human encroachment in its region, such tales were regarded as fantasy until scientists discovered a species of bird in the neotropics recently which indeed has feathers containing a type of venom. perhaps the ancients may know something we do not….

@thailandwild4897

12 күн бұрын

Ah... fascinating stuff. As you say, this species can have several colour morphs, but that appears to vary greatly between locations, and, as far as I know, all colours become green as they mature. I am particularly interested in your folk stories, and have often felt it would be a good subject for a book. Please let me know if you have any other gems of this type. As you point out, it may be quite a mistake to dismiss all such stories as ignorance or misunderstanding, and at the very least, stories like this teach us something about the relationship of people with the wildlife around them.

@phasusanamornthepadul7031

3 күн бұрын

@@thailandwild4897 apologies for the late reply, but yes indeed! I myself, apart from an undying fascination with the natural world, also have a deeply rooted interest in anthropological matters, and have conducted, to put in realistic terms, some degree of crude amateur research on the matter, now in regards to your inquiry about folk traditions regarding wildlife, I can assure you that Thais. And other peoples of this vicinity, has always had a deep rooted connection with the jungle, and its myriads of inhabitants, indeed one might say, the jungle, it’s natural products, as well as its goods and dangers, are intertwined with the daily lives of the people of this region from time immemorial, and indeed the concept of the jungle and by extension wildlife, is regarded with a thorough mixture of fear and awe in the psyche of the Siamese, regarding animals, there exist an almost innumerable number of traditions, myths, rituals and beliefs which differ greatly amongst regions, and indeed there can hardly be found a denizen of the forest for which no tradition and folklore is ascribed, I will thus only expostulate traditions which I have judged to be uniquely fascinating, please do peruse with your pleasure! Regarding birds, there are several traditions that relate to several kinds being particularly taboo, the barn owl, commonly known as the “nok saek” is particularly feared by traditional Thais, for it is regarded as being a harbinger of death and destruction, a vehicle of the grim reaper, the lord of death himself, a barn owl perched upon the roof is regarded as being a utterly fearful omen, an utmost symbol of death, for the poor inhabitant below that roof on which it is perched is surely soon to expire and depart from his mortal coil, the harsh, almost ravenously guttural cry of the barn owl is also one sure to evoke unparalleled terror amongst the Siamese of old, for that too can be considered an omen of death, it is feared in very much the same way as the shrill cry of the banshee is feared amongst the inhabitants of the Emerald Isle

@phasusanamornthepadul7031

3 күн бұрын

Another bird said to be jinxed with a potent taboo is that of the vulture, amongst whom the black/ Himalayan vulture is most feared, one perched upon the rooftop is said to bring about such wickedness that in olden days, one would be obliged to send for the monks, and let them initiate a ritual of chanting, said to placate propitiate and cleanse the damned house of any hexing energy, Indeed it is said that in the waning days of the great kingdom of ayutthaya, a black vulture of such a kind was observed by the townspeople, to fling itself headfirst through the air in a torpedo like fashion, before ultimately crash landing upon the steeple of the grand temple, this was regarded by the court astrologers, as an irreversible omen of apocalyptic porpotions, heralding great catastrophe, and it came to pass that not long after the peculiar incident, the once glorious city of ayutthaya, unrivaled in splendor amongst the courts of Southeast Asia, fell, never again to regain the splendid days of her prime. Of the Asian koel there exists one peculiar legend, which I have gathered from the Shan people, traditional inhabitants of Shan state in Myanmar, and the northern Thai provinces of Chiangmai and Mae hong son, it is believed that the koel sprang from an unfortunate tragedy, two star crossed lovers, their marriage disrupted by the disapproval of the wicked mother in law, was forced to flee, lost from each other due to a sudden bandit raid, the woman soon found herself alone in a great jungle, and being with child, went into labour in the expanse of that wilderness, having given birth, she left to child hither, instructing it to “ go seek thy father” before disappearing one last time into the wilds, the child, through some unknown process of supernatural metamorphosis, was soon transformed into a bird, and flying upwards, emitted the cry of “ pho eui, “pho eui” ( O father, O father!), thus the koel came to be, and its cries are still interpreted by the Shan to this day, forever seeking it’s lost parent

@phasusanamornthepadul7031

3 күн бұрын

The Asian green peafowl is also said to be an espically auspicious bird, and its appearance at the birth of a child, is a sure sign that the infant is surely to become an individual of great nobility Of all the denizens of the forest, perhaps no other is shrouded in as much mystery and superstition as the humble slow loris, indeed with its phantom like movements sleeking gently through the dense undergrowth, coupled with its singularly strange appearance, there exists little wonder that it is considered as an almost phantom like creature in the minds of the Thais of old, indeed, among hunters, its appearance upon first entering the jungle is considered to be particularly taboo, as this will assuredly insure that no other animal is to be seen and hunted for the entire night, to the great frustration of the hunters, but of great jubilation to all other wildlife, There exists, in several country villages throughout the central region, a most obscure ritual of great peculiarity, one in which men and women arw said to be habitually possessed by the spirits of animals, and in some villages, even by inanimate household objects. this is usually performed during the long festive nights of songkran, men women and children would gather in the ลานบ้าน ( village square, comparable to a village green in England) the individual chosen by lot to be possessed would be ( in country villages of Chonburi) either seated in the middle of a great circle of villagers upon the bare earthen ground, or otherwise ( in the case of rural hamlets in Phetburi) sat upon the rim of a large rice mortar, his hands are then clasped in supplication, then heavily laden with fragrant joss sticks, candles, and other implements of a ritualistic nature, said to guide the arrival of the spirits to this world from the other. in the next progression of this curious exercise, his eyes are then blindfolded, then villagers, with great exicitement, would begin to chant fervently, clapping their hands in unison. The chants, seemingly a cryptic, nonsensical jumbled mess of words, may have ritual significance, as a form of sympathetic magic, the details of which i will explain later on,

@phasusanamornthepadul7031

3 күн бұрын

Translated, the content of the chants goes as follows: ลิงลางเอย เกาหูเกาหาง มานั่งเจ่าจุก พี่เลี้ยงเป็นทุกข์ สนุกหนักหนา ลิงลมเอย มาอมข้าวพอง เด็กน้อยทั้งสอง มาทัดดอกจิก พญานกพริก พญานกเขา ตวงเบี้ยตวงข้าว ให้พระเจ้าลิงลม Oh! Dear Wind Monkey! ( colloquial name for the loris) Scratching your ears and your tail Crouched and squatting here will you sit Suffering will the Nannies be Oh monkey! Will you have great glee! Oh dear monkey! Will you come and eat your ball of roasted rice Two young babes to fold your flowers Lord Jacana, and Lord Dove Shall weigh the money and grain for dear lord monkey, all nice and nice! Upon the conclusion of this chant, the chosen man shall become thoroughly possessed by the spirit of a slow loris, lost in a maze of trance, he is no longer aware of his surroundings and indeed of anything that shall happen to him, nor would he respond to his name or show any acknowledgment of any kind, with great agility and grace, he will prance around, climbing trees and scaling walls with his forelimbs, indeed in this state, he seems to be possessed of great strength, two grown men ( the nannies referred to in the earlier chant) would stand in the ritual arena armed with two great iron chains, used to restrain the afflicted man, for the possessed man, now the very incarnation of the loris itself, would often, snarl bark and bite the gathered villagers, as lorises do, upon the conclusion of the episode, the person may be awakened by the villagers shouting his name in his ear, at which the man would immediately gain consciousness and return to his former self.

shoe string snake on the hunt for some FOOD

@thailandwild4897

3 ай бұрын

Yes…. It really is a thin one, isn’t it.