Show n' Don't Tell

This post won't have too much writing, since I know so little about all these insects and critters, their habits, names, or how they fit into the larger ecosystem. As Thailand is a hot and humid environment pretty much year round, there are naturally an abundance of both one doesn't see in a place like Maine. I have been taking photos whenever one sat still long enough.  Lately, as it is the relative cold season, things on the bug front have been pretty quiet. I think my big gecko buddy may be in a state of semi- hibernation as a result. I rarely see him out. Once the weather heats back up, and especially in the rainy season, there should be a fresh onslaught, in which case I will make a new post. This first gruesome photo is of a rat I came across on the streets of NKP the night before we left to climb Phu Kreadeung on New Years. I haven't seen any live, but clearly the city, with its dirty pockets of water and trash would be an ideal habitat. Seeing this took me back to NYC when I lived there in the 80's and saw one or two on a daily basis.

What there were lots of throughout the fall were moths, all different sizes and colors. This is only a small sample of the ones I saw in Pla Pak and in my home.

 

You have seen the photos of my large gecko. This is the much smaller garden variety lizard that one sees everywhere. I probably have 30 or so living in my house. They make a loud chirping noise and they are very fast. Sometimes they drop out of strange places where they have ducked for cover. One fell into my fridge when I opened the door and he was packed into the rubber seal. It was hard scootching him out. Another was not so lucky when he hid on my front door and got crushed when I closed it. I found his skeleton dried there days later.

This little gem of a lizard turned up in my bed the first night I moved in. I was quite startled and so was he. He was truly luminous in his colors. I think he might have been a baby of the large gecko, but that is just a guess. I saw one other one about a month later but they are either scarce or very shy.

 

There are quite a range of beetles from the little ones that I usually don't bother to photograph, to these larger and occasionally stunning ones.

 This is a long, cool, green fellow. Heater had a photo of a walking stick that was in her last home that was even longer.

You can see by this photo that the centipede is very large and that Rita's foot is very small! The large centipede's bite is apparently quite harmful.

They eat quite a few frogs in Thailand, but not these. I spied each one just on a single occasion.

 I went out to use my bike one night to go to the night market and this guy was perched on my fender.

And speaking of perched on bikes, let's not forget the domesticated critters. I took this out of the bus windshield the other day. The duo actually passed me as I was waiting for the bus and I was stunned, sad that I did not have my camera at the ready. The bus came moments later and it was a wonderful race as I sat up in front, desperate for one good picture. The bus driver got a kick out of my joy as we finally caught up ( they were doing a good 40 kph) and I got this.

That brings me back to the king of all critters in Thailand- Chaddam- the orientation mascot. Both handsome charmer and total pain in the ass. As the line goes in The Jerk - He should not me named Chaddam, he should be called Shithead!