Do you know that forests have lots of benefits?
Imagine what have we already got from the forests.
Can you believe that no matter how far you are from the forests,
The forests always relate to us
and are always important to our lives.
We can never live without forests.
Sometimes the forests are closer to us
than we thought. We could say; “backyard”.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum
is part of Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai Campus
located at the foot of Kho Hong Hill.
“Kho Hong Hill” is like a backyard for people in Hat Yai.
Kho Hong Hill
covers the area in the east of Hat Yai city, Songkhla Province.
It stretches north to south for about 5.6 kilometers.
The area consists of approximately 12 square kilometers
which includes
Kho Hong Hill has many values and importance by being a provider of ecosystem services, a water source and rainwater collector, a fresh air producer that absorbs carbon dioxide which is enough for about 400,000 people to breathe per day, a recreational area for local people and visitors
It is also a reflection of the forest restoration process after the invasion and destruction,
it is considered as the last forest of Hat Yai. Nowadays, more than 37% of the area in Kho Hong Hill Forest is a substitute forest that was restored and preserved in order to bring back the abundance to Kho Hong Hill and make it become a shelter for all lives once again.
Kho Hong Hill is another “recreation center for nature education” for young people and people who are interested.
This 1.2 kilometers nature trail covers the forest with several natural surroundings both primary forest and secondary forest.
Let’s “travel through the forest” to learn about the nature of “Kho Hong Hill”
on
The Nature Trail of Life Preservation, Prince of Songkla University
within 5 learning stations.
Station 1 “Heat Island”
Learn about the “Heat Island” which is a phenomenon of a city filled with “concrete forest” that has a higher temperature than the “green forest” area, resulting in having to waste energy and resources on reducing the temperature in the city.
However, having a forest like Kho Hong Hill that is located near Hat Yai city will help bring down this Heat Island phenomenon.
As “forest” is a key factor of decreasing the air temperature.
Station 2 “The Adaptation of the Root”
Learn about the “root” of underground plants which has other duties than absorbing water and nutrient for the trunk, depending on each type of root which will give different benefits to the plant.
Station 3 “The Water Bank”
Learn about the “water preservation of the forest”. Most of the rainwater will be stored in the space between the soil grains like depositing water under the ground. The rainwater came from the rain that falls on the canopy layer and the trunk of the tree and bring the rainwater into the ground, turning the land into a bank that has a huge amount of water.
When dry season comes, the stored underground water will be gradually released into the stream.
Just like Kho Hong Hill Forest which is the water source of the stream that runs to the reservoir of Prince of Songkla University and provides water for people to use all year round.
Station 4 “The Oxygen Producer”
Learn about “The Production of Oxygen” each day. Human needs a tree with 850 centimeters circumference to produce enough oxygen for breathing. Let see how the photosynthesis happens and how much oxygen can the forest on Kho Hong Hill produce for people.
Station 5 “Reliance between People and the Forests”
Learn about “the balanced relationship between human and the forest”. People have been gaining benefits from the forest for a long time. However, as human population grows, the need for resources has also increased. Forests have been destroyed for human’s benefits. Ultimately, as number of forests declines, the impact of it has come back to affect human who has obtained too much benefits from the forest and influences different aspects of life.
Do you know… which types of forest are mostly found on Kho Hong Hill?
Moist evergreen forests are classified as rainforests in the tropical climate.
They are usually found in the area with lots of rain and has constant amount of moisture in the soil all year round.
Dry Evergreen Forest
Its structure is similar to moist evergreen forests.
The number of deciduous plants that are scattered around depends on the weather and the moisture in the soil.
Hill Evergreen Forest
Thailand has divided hill evergreen forests into 2 types which are
low hill evergreen forest and high hill evergreen forest.
Peat Swamp Forest
A peat swamp forest is sometimes called a wetland as it is always flooded by water, a peat swamps forest is also a freshwater source which is equally important to being a home for various plants and animals. Can you see that one area
can be more than just a forest, depending on different ways of categorizations?
Moist evergreen forest, Dry evergreen forest, Hill evergreen forest,
and Peat swamp forest are all
“EVERGREEN FOREST”
The word “tropical forest” is the forest that are located
near the equator, not a word for a specific type of forest.
Tropical forests in Southern Thailand starting from The Kra Isthmus
are especially remarkable for their moisture
because the south has more amount of rainfall than other regions,
consequently it has the highest number of moist evergreen forests and the they are similar to forests in Malaysia.
“Tropical Forest:
a community of the most
complex living things”
Southern Thailand has
one of the most intriguing
tropical forests in the world.
It is the habitat of various animals,
directly and indirectly relying on one another
and a home of many ecosystems worth studying about.
Ecological Relationships
Although most people are not living in the forest like in the past
and it seems like people have a complete separate life from the forest.
But “forest” still connects with and is important for human “lives”,
both directly and indirectly. Human has continued to receive
benefits from forests until now.
“Forests” are still something that human beings
cannot fully created by themselves
so people have to learn and understand them in order to preserve the forests.
Which of the following is incorrect about tropical forests in Southern Thailand?
A study has discovered that bats help “pollinate†not less than 10 important cash crops in southern Thailand
Lesser dawn bats help pollinate 2 types of plants which are bitter beans and durians by 80-100%, worth more than hundreds of millions of baht in economic value per year. This is an example of an ecosystem service that human get from nature.
Do not misunderstand!
Emerging disease does not always comes from animals.
Many wild animals are the sources of virus that can cause emerging diseases like when viruses were found in more than 200 types of bats. However, bats still have an immunity to protect themselves from getting sick and it is impossible for human to get diseases from animals without interfering or having a contact with them.
Do you know that
Is “rainforest†the “cure†for global warming?
One important role of tress when they are fully grown is collecting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and keeping it in a great storage around their tissue through photosynthesis. Moreover, rainforests are full of enormous and tiny trees scattered around, making them able to collect a huge amount of carbon dioxide. However, when trees are cut down and destroyed or when there is a forest fire, things that are properly kept will gradually be released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases such as Methane, Nitrous oxide and other kinds of Nitrous oxide which can later contribute to global warming. One of the alarming things is that it is expected that about 10% of greenhouse gases will be released each year into the atmosphere through human activities such as clearing the forest, cutting down big trees and burning the trees in the area of rainforests and peat swamp forests to expand agricultural land or residential areas.
Any so-called good cure that can solve global warming cannot beat a natural “cure for global warming†which is the protection and restoration of “rainforestsâ€. There is an example of an outstanding research published in a scientific journal called “Nature†in 2015, written by Houghton and his team. The researchers have interestingly speculated that “around the middle of the year 2050, rainforests will achieve the goal of absorbing carbon dioxide form the atmosphere or reducing the emission of greenhouse gases that can lead to global warming.â€
Do you know that
Tropical Rainforests: The lungs of the earth that are facing a crisis
Tropical forests are greatly important ecosystem service providers but they are also vulnerable. Forests are a water source, a food source, the earth’s air purifier, a source of herb and medicine, a habitat for wildlife, a recreation place and also a huge storage of carbon dioxide for the world. Do you know that a forests with the area around 10 square kilometers can produce enough oxygen for about 500,000 people? Meanwhile a tree that can be hugged by 1 person can store about 20 tons of carbon dioxide. Therefore, evergreen forests with big dense trees can produce oxygen and store carbon dioxide even more. However, nowadays factors like urbanization, converting forests to agricultural land and burning the forests are rapidly decreasing the number of tropical forests. They also contribute to the decrease of oxygen production and the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which even escalate the construction of global warming and fine dust. We only have 30% of the forests that are the earth’s lungs left and every hour a forest with the same size as a football field is disappearing. If human beings continue to destroy the forest at this rate, forests will be entirely gone within the next 100 years!
Lesser Swamp Frogs are amphibians that can live in peat swamp forests. Their reproduction happens during the rainy season when there is an immerse flood which reduce the acidity in the water. They can adapt to acid water well and usually live in the canopy of trees, in bushes, on branches or on the barks that are not underwater.


Distribution: Lesser Swamp Frogs are found around Borneo, Malay Peninsula, and lower part of southern Thailand. They live in tropical rainforests on lowland areas that are flooded. They are categorized as a near-threatened species. In Thailand Lesser Swamp Frogs can be found at Phru To Daeng.
Lesser Swamp Frogs are another type of animal that has a specific requirement from this ecosystem.
You can see that
we gain many things from the forests
Meanwhile, …
Forests are still continuously facing a crisis
and the amount of forests are likely to decline.
Factors like urbanization, forcing us to use more resources,
wildfire, extinction, or false practice of forest preservation
How can we help
to restore nature?
Thailand has different types of zoning which are Wildlife Sanctuary, National Park, Forest Park, National Reserved Forest or Non-hunting Area created for preserving wildlife and plants and preventing them from being encroached or destroyed.
Nowadays, there are Wildlife Preservation and Forest Conservation Law
enforced and controlled by Royal Forest Department, different environmental foundations and organizations.
How can we
help preserve the forest?
Let see how we can help preserve the forests Choose the answer that is true for you!
In the past, a monk named “Phra Nhon” built the pagoda styled with Hong (a Thai word for swans) so villagers called it “Ko Hong Hill” (a hill with swans shape created) which later became “Kho Hong Hill” (a swan’s neck hill).
The importance of “upstream forests”
Upstream is usually in 700 meters or more above sea level areas or more than 35% of the slope areas. It can be found in forests. We call these areas “upstream forests”. They absorb and store rain water serving as natural reservoir. They are the origin of streams that will merge into rivers.
What are primary forests and secondary forests?
Primary forests are the original forests that had existed since the very beginning; probably even before there were any living beings. Secondary forests are forests that emerged due to different factors, be it natural or man-made, for example, abandoned areas which are reforested. Sometimes we call this kind of forests “renewable forests”.
What is the canopy layer?
The canopy layer is a word used for telling the differences in the height of trees in rain forests or tropical rain forests. A canopy is the top layer of forests that are more than 20 meters tall.
Almost correct!
Kho Hong Hill actually has common traits of moist evergreen forest and dry evergreen forest
but most of the plants here belong to deciduous species so the forest is categorized as a dry evergreen forest.
There are many types of tropical forest in Southern Thailand such as moist evergreen forest, dry evergreen forest, hill evergreen forest and peat swamp forest.
If you want to know where we can find moist evergreen forests in Southern Thailand and what they are like, click here.
That’s correct!
Do you know that Kho Hong Hill has common traits of moist evergreen forest and dry evergreen forest?
However, most of the plants here belong to deciduous species so the forest is categorized as a dry evergreen forest.
There are many types of tropical forest in Southern Thailand such as moist evergreen forest, dry evergreen forest, hill evergreen forest and peat swamp forest.
If you want to know where we can find dry evergreen forests in Southern Thailand and what they are like,
click here.
Incorrect!
Kho Hong Hill actually has common traits of moist evergreen forest and dry evergreen forest
but most of the plants here belong to deciduous species so the forest is categorized as a dry evergreen forest.
There are many types of tropical forest in Southern Thailand such as moist evergreen forest, dry evergreen forest, peat swamp forest and also hill evergreen forest.
If you want to know where we can find hill evergreen forests in Southern Thailand and what they are like,
click here.
Incorrect!
Kho Hong Hill actually has common traits of moist evergreen forest and dry evergreen forest
but most of the plants here belong to deciduous species so the forest is categorized as a dry evergreen forest.
There are many types of tropical forest in Southern Thailand such as moist evergreen forest, dry evergreen forest, hill evergreen forest and also peat swamp forest.
If you want to know where we can find peat swamp forests in Southern Thailand and what they are like,
click here.
Various names of rain forests
Because rain forests are normally not only evergreen and overgrown, but also face monsoon or rain throughout the year in comparison with other types of forests, they are called tropical rain forests or evergreen forests.
Why isn’t a melaleuca forest a swamp forest?
Although melaleuca grows in the original swamp forest areas making it similar to a swamp forest, we call such areas “second-generation swamp forests” or “declined swamp forests”. These are not authentic swamp forests because a melaleuca forest becomes a system with only a single plant differing from swamp forests with a variety of plants.
What are the differences between roots in swamp forests and roots in other types of forests?
Most plants in swamp forests have a special structure in their roots, which are diverse and necessary for living. “Poopon” or buttress roots, for instance, have a short primary roots system but strong and expansive secondary roots. Some have special or adventitious root systems with the upper part of roots grow on top of the soil and water to aerate, the lower part goes into the soil to help buttress the trunk. Moreover, some plants have pneumatophores.
What are swamp frogs?
Swamp frogs are amphibians which can live in swamp forests. Their reproduction time is in rainy season with a large amount of rain leading to the dilution of water acidity. They adapt well with acid water and usually live in the canopies, shrubs, branches, or bark in the flooding areas.
They can be found around the island of Borneo, Malay Peninsula, the southernmost part of Thailand, rain forests and flooded lowlands. In Thailand, they are found only at Phru To Daeng. Swamp frogs are one of the species that has specific requirements for this ecosystem.
Places that can be found
Due to the geography and location, the south of Thailand has the most amount of moist evergreen forests.
Interesting examples of tropical forest area in the south such as Tone Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary in Songkhla and Satun Province, Khao Luang National Park in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Yala and Narathiwat Province and Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani Province.
Plants
Moist evergreen forests are usually overgrown forests that consist of various kinds of plants.
Most of the plants in the upper canopy belong to the Dipterocarpaceae, including various palm trees or family Palmae which grow under the shade of other big trees. There are also shrubs and annual plants like rakum palm, rattan, different types of bamboo, different types of vine and epiphyte such as fern and moss.
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in moist evergreen forests: leopard, mouse-deer, tapir, great argus, helmeted hornbill, and Rhinoceros hornbill
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in moist evergreen forests: leopard, mouse-deer, tapir, great argus, helmeted hornbill, and Rhinoceros hornbill
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in moist evergreen forests: leopard, mouse-deer, tapir, great argus, helmeted hornbill, and Rhinoceros hornbill
Places that can be found
They are usually scattered around foothills, mountain slopes and valleys that are moist to the altitude not more than 950 meters. The lushness of the canopy differs each year. Examples of interesting dry evergreen forest in the south: Kho Hong Hill Forest, the backyard for Hat Yai people. Moreover, there are coastal dry evergreen forest which are usually found on the coast of island both in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, especially on limestone islands as the canopy is not too dense or too high. For example, Coastal dry evergreen forest at Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Coastal dry evergreen forest on limestone mountain near the coast of Tiger Cave in Krabi Province.
Plants
Dry evergreen forests that have low or inconsistent level of moisture in the soil will have more deciduous plants in the canopy layer
than forest that have high level of moisture which have fewer numbers of deciduous plants.
Example of plants in dry evergreen forests: Shorea roxburghii, Hopea odorata, and Pterocymbium tinctorium (Blanco) Merr.
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in dry evergreen forests: wild elephant, tiger, leopard, Asiatic black bear, gaur, Sambar deer, and wild boar
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in hill evergreen forests: clouded leopard, fea's muntjac, and wrinkled hornbill
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in hill evergreen forests: clouded leopard, fea's muntjac, and wrinkled hornbill
Places that can be found
Low hill evergreen forests can be found on mountains which are moderately higher than the sea level, from about 1,000 -1,900 meters. High hill evergreen forests usually cover mountain ridges and mountaintops that are higher than 1,900 meters.
Only low hill evergreen forests can be found in Southern Thailand because the highest mountaintop in the south is Khao Luang in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province which is only 1,800 meters high.
Plants
Low hill evergreen forests have thick canopy and have dense undergrowth plants. Although similar types of plants with moist evergreen forests and dry evergreen forests can be found, they also have temperate plants and mountain plants that need to be in cold climate throughout the year like “Fagaceae”. High hill evergreen forests have a completely different types of plant from low hill evergreen forests and are usually located on the area covered with cloud so they are also known as “cloud forest”
Example of plants in hill evergreen forests: Plants in the family Fagaceae such as Castanopsis acuminatissima Rehd., Castanopsis armata (Roxb.) Spach, Lithocarpus auriculatus (Hickel & A. Camus) Barnett, Castanopsis purpurea Barnett, and Quercus semiserrata Roxb. There are also other types of plants such as Magnolia rajaniana, Magnolia baillonii Pierre, Magnolia liliifera (L.) Baill. var. obovata (Korth.) Govaerts, Schima wallichii, Podocarpus neriifolius, Phyllanthus emblica
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in hill evergreen forests: clouded leopard, fea's muntjac, and wrinkled hornbill
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in hill evergreen forests: clouded leopard, fea's muntjac, and wrinkled hornbill
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in hill evergreen forests: clouded leopard, fea's muntjac, and wrinkled hornbill
Places that can be found
Peat swamp forests are found in the area flooded by fresh water, created a basin.The soil in these forests is an accumulation of decayed vegetation and organic matter called “peat”. Peat swamp forests in Central Thailand are sparse while peat swamps forests in Southern Thailand are denser. The structure of peat swamp forests that are not disturbed is similar to moist evergreen forests but they have very different types of plants.
Examples of interesting peat swamp forest in the south
Phru To Daeng, Narathiwat Province or Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary which is the most abundant peat swamp forest left. Many peat swamp forests have turned into Samed peat swamp forest
which is a peat swamp forest deteriorated from being constantly disturbed. There were many peat swamp forests in the south such as Phru Kuan Kreng in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phatthalung Province, Phru Ba Jor in Narathiwat Province, and Phru Ban Mai Khao in Phuket Province.
Plants
The top of the canopy layer in peat swamp forests can reach 24-37 meters.
Most plants in peat swamp forests have a special structure to survive in permanently flooded environment,
especially the roots in floodwater.
Example of plants in peat swamp forests:
Borassodendron machadonis, Calophyllum soulattri Burm. f., Parishia insignis Hook. f., Cammosperma macrophylla, Santiria laevigata Blume, Goniothalamus giganteus Hook. f. & Thomson, Madhuca motleyana (de Vriese) J. F. Macbr., Knema furfuracea (Hook. f. & Thomson) Warb., Rattan palm, Calamus caesius, Eleiodoxa conferta (Griff.) Burr.
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in peat swamp forests: smooth-coated otter, Asian small-clawed otter, black hornbill, and lesser swamp frog.
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in hill evergreen forests: clouded leopard, fea's muntjac, and wrinkled hornbill
Animals
Examples of interesting animals in hill evergreen forests: clouded leopard, fea's muntjac, and wrinkled hornbill
How is Kra Isthmus important?
“Kra Isthmus” is the smallest and narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula, currently in Ranong province. It is used for dividing forests in Thailand. In the territory down from the Kra Isthmus, it often rains all year round, so many rain forests are found. The part above the Kra Isthmus is a monsoon area coming in season, so most forests are deciduous or dry evergreen forests. It is an important joint of the geographic life distribution in Southeast Asia.
Why is the Thai peninsula forest similar to that of Malaysia?
Southern Thailand and Malaysia have similar topography and are also similarly influenced by monsoons, so both are tropical forests. We can find life with similar characteristics but there are also some plants that can only be found in the Thai peninsula.
Are the tropical forests on the Thai peninsula globally fascinating for real?
The Thai peninsula has a wide variety of topography and the Kra Isthmus is the important joint of the geographic life in Southeast Asia. Researcher teams of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum have the opportunity to collaborate with many leading international institutions. This joint research in the Thai peninsula has made various contributions to the public.
The definition of an ecosystem
An ecosystem refers to the physical relationship between organisms that live together in one place whether between living things and inanimate things, or between living things with other living things. We can classify ecosystems in two main types: terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They are different but they overall have the following components:
Abiotic Components consist of
li>Inorganic substances such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, water, carbon, etc.
Organic substances such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc.
Physical environment such as temperature, light, pH, salinity, moisture, etc.
Biotic Components consist of
Producers
Consumers/li>
Decomposers
This one is already correct!
Moist evergreen forests and dry evergreen forests are both evergreen forests and most of their characteristics are similar.
Moist evergreen forests are tropical forests that have high amount of moisture in the soil all year round. They are usually located in the area with high levels of rainfall like the south of Thailand.
However, dry evergreen forests have inconsistent amount of moisture in the soil and have some deciduous plants growing in the forests.
This one is incorrect!
Deciduous dipterocarp forests are the most common forest in Northeastern Thailand and can be called “Pa Daeng”. They are sparse forests that are usually found in a very dry climate and categorized as a deciduous forest which is one of the tropical forests. They can be found in the climate which is the opposite of Southern Thailand that has heavy rainfall throughout the year and has high moisture level. Therefore, you cannot find this kind of forest in the south of Thailand.
This one is already correct!
Most tropical forests in Southern Thailand are evergreen forests
because the land can contain more amount of rainwater and moisture than other area.
The most common ones are moist evergreen forests which have lush canopy all year round.
This one is already correct!
Peat swamp forests are usually found in the area flooded by fresh water, created a basin.
There are accumulations of vegetation and organic matter that are not decomposed. Southern Thailand is a home of the biggest peat swamp forest in Thailand but now most of the peat swamp forests are secondary forests. Most plants in peat swamp forests have a special structure to survive in permanently flooded environment.
Do you know that in the past there were leopards and deer in Kho Hong Hill?
Many years of Kho Hong Hill studies reveal that this place used to be home to many large animals such as leopards, deer, boars, wild boars and many others. But following the human use of the forest areas, these large animals eventually began to migrate. This information is obtained via collecting biological samples and drawings of different organisms. The study of Kho Hong Hill ecosystems help explain how they have changed and assist in the analysis of the correct approach to forest conservation and restoration.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to the existence of various types of living organisms in the ecosystem. It consists of 3 components:
Species Diversity refers to the diversity of species in one area. It can be the number of living things or the proportion of different organisms.
Species Diversity refers to the diversity of species in one area. It can be the number of living things or the proportion of different organisms.
Ecosystem Diversity refers to the habitats of living things that are marked by the diversity of natural habitats, substitutions, and geographies that allow different organisms in different areas to evolve by adapting to each ecosystem.
What are ecosystem services?
Ecosystem services are the ways we benefit from nature. "Buy one, get a tremendous gift" is a term that can be used to describe the value of investing in forest or environmental conservation. Because when we have a forest or an ecosystem with a complete composition of plants, wildlife, and microbes, we will receive free ecosystem services from the forests. Hat Yai people, for instance, get clean water and air from Kho Hong Hill or even forest restoration made possible by wildlife of Kho Hong Hill’s secondary forests.
Characteristics
It stands about 110-120 centimeters tall and has a length of 210 centimeters when spreading its wings. Its head and neck has reddish yellow skin with a few scattered short feathers. Its head is similar to a bald head so it is also known as “Nok Tong Hua Lan” in Thai. It has big, long and pointed beak. The feathers on its upper body is black and shiny and the belly has white feathers. They are widely distributed but they are very difficult to find in Thailand. They are a protected wildlife and are likely to be endangered.
How is it interesting :
Lesser adjutant is a big bird that was found in many regions of Thailand but now it can be found, laying eggs in their natural habitat, only at Phra Thong island. As it is a bird that like peaceful environment so it is quite sensitive to disturbance so there are only a few of them left.
Characteristics
The head and body length of flying lemur is about 34-42 centimeters. Its tail length measures 22-27 centimeters. Its weight is 1-1.8 kilograms. It has winkled skin, big red eyes that can reflect the light and small ears. The color of the fur differs depending on its origin. Female flying lemur has paler fur. A patagium connects between its front legs and back legs, between its front legs and neck, between every fingers and between its back legs and tail (which acts like an abdominal pouch for carrying its baby)
How is it interesting :
Flying lemur is the only animal in the family Cynocephalidae that eats leaves and treetops. It has similar characteristics and the ability to glide like the giant flying squirrel (but it can glide further than the flying squirrel) so sometimes people think that it is a flying squirrel. However, flying lemur and flying squirrel belong in different order. In southern dialect, flying lemur is called “Phajong” or “Phungjong” but in northern and north eastern dialect it is called “Bang” so there are some confusions. Flying lemur will climb up to high treetop of a singular tree to increase the distance of gliding and it will hang its head down before gliding to shorter trees.
Characteristics
The head body length of a fully grown Asiatic black bear is 120–150 centimeters. Its tail length measures 6.5–10 centimeters. Its weight is about 150–160 kilograms. Its head and body is large. It has stout legs, short tail, small eyes and round ears. It has coarse textured black fur with a distinct white patch on the chest, which has the shape of a V while a sun bear, which is smaller, has a U-shaped chest patch. The Asiatic black bear lives in a forest and feeds on different kinds of food such as meats, fruits, leaves, bamboo shoots, animal carcasses, insects, beehives and bee larvae. Southern Thailand is the southernmost territory of the distribution of Asiatic black bears
How is it interesting :
Asiatic black bears can eat both plants and animals and sometimes go to find food in agricultural land, causing a conflict with local people. They like to strip tree barks to mark their territory. They live and look for food alone except during a breeding season or when they have newborn cubs. Asiatic black bears have a rather poor eyesight so they are quite aggressive. When they are alarmed or curious they will stand on their back legs, pounce on their opponent with their front legs and bite violently.
Characteristics
The head and body length ranges between 107 to 129 centimeters. Its tail length measures 79–99 centimeters and its weight is 45–65 kilograms. Its body is brownish yellow or yellowish with dark spots grouped in rose-like markings called “rosettes” which are formed along the body. Leopards can eat any animals that they can catch such as pigs, deer, monkeys, peacocks, dogs and insects or sometimes they also eat crabs and fish. They can swim well and they live in sparse forests. Leopards can hunt their prey on the trees or drag the prey up to eat on trees. They can be found in Africa and Asia. In Thailand, they are commonly found in forests but mostly found in the south and are considered as a protected wild animal.
How is it interesting :
Leopards and black panthers belong in the same family but are commonly misunderstood as different species. The same litter of cubs can have both leopards and black panthers but they are more likely to be leopards. A black panther has black fur all over its body and also has spotted markings like a leopard but hidden due to the black pigment of the fur so they cannot be seen clearly. Due to their beautiful fur, black panthers or melanistic leopards are usually hunted for the fur which is a symbol of prestige or are hunted for their fangs and meat based on the belief of people who like to consume wild meat.
Characteristics
Rhinoceros hornbill is a large hornbill. Its body measures about 120 centimeters. The females are a little bit smaller than the males and have a hump near the ear and paler eyes than the males. The plumage on the wings and the body is black. It has white stomach and white tail with a black horizontal band. It has long beak and a red horn-like shaped casque which is similar to a rhinoceros horn where its name comes from. Rhinoceros hornbills are distributed in the Sundaic region. In Thailand, they can be found only in southern Thailand. They have been decreasing in number and are likely to become endangered
How is it interesting :
Rhinoceros hornbill’s diet is mainly fruit and it might eat other animals, especially during breeding season and when it takes care of the young, such as grasshoppers, millipedes, gliding lizards and centipedes. Rhinoceros hornbills are considered as the protector of the dynamic of the forest ecosystem. They spread the seeds from the fruits that they eat by spitting or excreting them and these seeds will become new plants. It is an efficient way to grow a forest and also balance the population of other animals in the forest. These hornbills make their nests inside tree trunks so they need a big tree with a hole and need a fertile forest to make a home.
Characteristics
Lesser dawn bat is a medium-sized bat. The head and body length measures 8-13 centimeters. It has a very short tail. The tail length is only 1-2.5 centimeters. It has a rather long face with very a long tongue. The hair is short and has a grey-brown color. It feeds on nectar. The second finger (or an index finger) lacks a claw which is different from other types of fruit-eating bat, hence the name Khang Khao Lep Kud in Thai language which means “a bat with a shortened claw”. Lesser dawn bats roost in the caves in big colonies which can have up to 50,000 bats in one cave. These bats are widely distributed and can be found all over Thailand.
How is it interesting :
Lesser dawn bat is a very important pollinator of many economically important crops such as bitter beans, durians, bananas and also of several plants in mangrove forests. Each night lesser dawn bats travel away from the cave to feed for about 1.25 kilometers but they can travel from their day roosts up to about 18 kilometers in order to feed.
Characteristics
Large flying fox is a very large bat. It has a wingspan of about 1.5 meters and weighs about 1 kilogram. The hair is black or dark brown while the head has orange-brown hairs. It lacks a tail. Big colonies of large flying foxes use trees as their roosts and they can be found along forests near the shoreline. The number of large flying fox continues to decline as these bats are being hunted and are experiencing habitat loss.
How is it interesting :
The large flying fox is Thailand’s largest bat. It primarily feeds on fruits and has significant role of spreading seeds especially seed of big trees with high canopy and seeds of big fruits which small fruit bats cannot eat. It can carry the seeds far away as they can fly up to 50 kilometers in one night. It feeds on nectar as well so it also helps with pollination for plants such as wild durians which are taller than common durians in orchards.
Characteristics
Malayan pangolin has a tail that is as long as its head and body length and it is covered with about 30 scales. Its body has brownish yellow or dark brown color with some thin hairs. When it is disturbed, it will roll into a ball to protect its stomach that does not have scales which is the meaning behind the name ‘pangolin’, coming from a Malay word ‘penggulung’ which means roller. Pangolins mainly feed on ants and termites captured from the mounds by using long and powerful claws to tear the mound and using long and sticky tongues to retrieve ants and termites. The Malayan pangolin is categorized as a protected animal and is considered to be critically endangered. In Thailand, these pangolins can only be found in the forests in the south.
How is it interesting :
“Pangolins” are the most trafficked and killed animal especially in the year 2019 with reported cases of illegal trade of 195,000 pangolins due to the demand of the scales as they are believed, according to traditional medicine, to cure asthma and arthritis. The border of Thailand and Malaysia is an important point of smuggling pangolins out to other places, especially to China. However, after the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese authority has officially banned the trade of pangolin scales.
Characteristics
It is similar to freshwater crabs in the group of waterfall crabs and other wild crabs by having the same oval-shaped carapace and the side of the carapace has no anterolateral teeth. The characteristics that are different from other species in the nearby area are the lacks a flagellum on the exopod of the third and fourth maxilliped. It has a curve to the back and has relatively long ambulatory legs.
How is it interesting :
It is a new genus and species of freshwater crab that was recently discovered. Normally crabs in the family Potamidae usually live not far away from water sources but this type of crab was found as a full-grown one on a mountain ridge far away from a water source or a permanent water source. Therefore, specimens of this crab have not been collected by zoologists who study aquatic animals for a long time before they were discovered and defined as a new genus and species.
Characteristics
This butterfly has a slow flight by gliding through the wind, hence the origin of the name “Ron Lom” in Thai language which means “glide with the wind”. It has wide and thin wings. The wings are white with black veins and black spots scattered around them. There are 2 genera of this butterfly. The first one is Genus Ideopsis. Nowadays only one type of this butterfly can be found in southern Thailand which is the small wood nymph or Ideopsis gaura perakaa (Fruhstorfer, 1899). The second on is Genus Idea which are the tree nymph or Idea lynceus lynceus (Drury, 1773), the Malayan tree nymph or Idea hypermnestra linteata (Butler,1879), the ashy-white tree nymph or Idea stolli (Moore, 1883), and the Siam tree nymph or Idea leuconoe siamensis (Godfrey,1916). Almost every types of tree nymphs can only be found in southern Thailand but the population is quite small. However, the Siam tree nymph can be found in the east of Thailand as well.
