Wildlife of S. E. Asia and S. America. A Photo Journal by Francis Burlingham.: The Wildlife of the East Coast of Malaysia

Introduction

Over the last few years I have been lucky enough to live in Thailand, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Colombia and now Brunei. In my spare time I have had the opportunity to travel fairly widely, camera in hand, in search of wildlife. In these posts I aim to share some of these experiences and show you some of the extraordinary wildlife that can be found in these regions. All of the photographs you see within the posts and pages here are my own unless otherwise stated. Copyright © Francis Burlingham 2015

Thursday, 4 February 2021

The Wildlife of the East Coast of Malaysia

The east coast of Malaysia has many beautiful islands but the mainland coastline is also well worth a visit with its miles of sandy beaches and azure waters. This is particularly true of Terengganu state with its long sandy coastline and the Perhentian islands lying off shore.

Kampung Mangkuk, Penarik, Terengganu.

The Perhentian islands are particularly beautiful with great reefs for snorkelling, diving or kayaking. I managed to see barracudas, black tip reef sharks and turtles when I visited back in 2014.

A beach where I stayed on the Perhentian Islands

The islands are also home to a number of interesting mammals including dusky langurs, squirrels and the sunda colugo.

Trachypithecus obscura (Dusky Langur) Perhentian Besar Malaysia

Trachypithecus obscura

Callosciurus notatus (Plantain Squirrel)

Galeopterus variegatus (Sunda Colugo)

In April 2015 I drove up the east coast through Terengganu and stopped at a boutique resort in theTerrapuri Heritage Village, Setiu Wetlands, Penarik. This consisted of old wooden buildings which had been rescued and moved from the former state palace. It was a beautiful place to stay.

Terrapuri Heritage Village

The area was great for spotting reptiles that were thriving in the dry sandy conditions. Including butterfly lizards, golden tree snakes and garden fence lizards.

Leiolepis belliana (Common Butterfly Lizard) Penarik Malaysia

Calotes versicolor (Garden Fence Lizard) Penarik Malaysia

Chrysopelea ornata

Cherating beach is an easy 3hrsfrom KL and is good place for a weekend getaway or to start a journey up the east coast. I stayed there we my family a number of times in a simple boutique resort and always managed to see some wildlife in the grounds.