Featured image adapted from Richie Korim on Facebook and courtesy of Richie.
A tourist on his first trip to Pulau Ubin hit the wildlife photography jackpot when he spotted the rare banded krait and spitting cobra in a single night.
He and his two friends were left ecstatic at the “unbelievable luck” they had with the snakes, hoping to return in the future.
Source: Richie Korim on Facebook
Richie, a Slovak national and reptile enthusiast, told MS News that he recently took his first wildlife photography trip to Singapore.
He travelled to the island city with his friends, Cain and Jack. All three live in Australia.
“We managed to see some cool findings on the mainland,” he said, but decided to give Pulau Ubin a try in hopes of catching sight of the elusive banded krait.
Image courtesy of Richie
The trio arrived on Pulau Ubin just after 7pm on 30 Aug.
Some time between 8pm and 9pm, the tourists caught sight of the distinct black-and-white pattern of the banded krait on the forest floor.
Richie was ecstatic at the successful find, telling MS News that banded kraits are “very rare to see”.
Source: Richie Korim on Facebook
Wildlife expert Dr Francis Seow-Choen previously told MS News that banded kraits are Singapore’s second most venomous snake, behind only the king cobra.
Despite this, they are extremely shy. Banded kraits prefer to tuck their heads under their coils or flee rather than fight.
Within that same hour, Richie and his friends struck gold again. They spotted a Sumatran spitting cobra in Pulau Ubin’s mangroves, another one of Singapore’s most venomous snakes.
Image courtesy of Richie
Spitting cobras are diurnal, or active during the day, making it particularly rare to spot one foraging during the night.
“Seeing both a spitting cobra and a banded krait in one night was unbelievable luck,” he said, especially given the full moon at the time.
Image courtesy of Richie
Richie explained to MS News that the illumination of a full moon makes reptiles more likely to become prey.
As a result, snakes restrict their activities and become harder to find.
We were ‘over the moon’. We took some photos, admired the animals for a bit and then let them go back to their business.
The three men then continued exploring Pulau Ubin, spotting giant Asian forest scorpions, Monarch geckos, and two palm civets.
Image courtesy of Richie
Richie also shared a photo of them with a coiled-up reticulated python, allegedly over three metres in length.
Image courtesy of Richie
Despite the great findings on Pulau Ubin and the main island of Singapore, Richie said there was still more to see, so the trio would “most likely return” in the future.
Also read: 5 of the most venomous snakes in S’pore & should you be scared of them?
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Richie Korim on Facebook and courtesy of Richie.