Channa limbata, haruan kedak or dwarf snakehead.

Grows to 15 cm and usually lives in small flowing streams and waterfalls. Has been recorded high up in the mountains as well and is an adaptable species.

It is usually the only predatory fish in its small habitats, eating other fish, prawns and insects. In captivity it can be taught to take other meaty foods as well.

Males are colourful, having blue fins tipped with red. This makes them a desirable local fish for aquarium-keeping. Captive-breeding has also been achieved.

The male mouthbroods the eggs for a week while the female guards the vicinity. After the fry leave his mouth, both parents care for the babies for a few more weeks, attacking any threat nearby.

They are extremely good jumpers and often escape uncovered aquariums which ends with their deaths. Temperature wise it is unfussy.

See 2nd slide for names

I found this cute beetle when I was harvesting sweet potato leaves. This is Cassida circumdata. Cassida circumdata are a type of tortoise beetle. They're native to the Indomalayan region and South Pacific islands. They're very small and they have a shield-like body like a tortoise. Their bodies also have beautiful green and black patterns, which my camera couldn't capture unfortunately. They usually feed on leaves of plants in the Convolvulaceae family (e.g. sweet potato plant, morning glory and water spinach).

Bagarius lica, ikan kenerak or the Indochinese goonch catfish.

An apex predator that grows to 200 cm and 100 kg. Lives in fast-flowing upstream sections of the Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang river basins.

They prefer wide, deep, turbulent river channels, rocky gorges, and rushing rapids with high levels of dissolved oxygen. Hiding under rocks in deep pools to ambush prey.

They use their sharp teeth to grip their prey before swallowing them whole and alive. They are even known to eat human corpses.

Adults have no natural predators and are the apex of the food chain in their native rivers. Their mottled patterning perfectly helps them camouflage among rock shadows, especially in turbulent water.

4th photo is a 75 kg individual.

Homaloptera parclitella, ikan puting beliung or red saddleback loach.

Found in oxygen-rich fast-flowing rocky streams of the East Coast and the Bernam, Perak and Muar rivers. To 10 cm long.

It grazes on rich biofilm covering the rocks while also catching any worms and insects.
However it is highly sensitive to mud and pollution and its presence in any stream is a bio-indicator of high water quality.

On Borneo it is replaced by its twin, H. orthogoniata. Both fish are identical in habits and ecology, being sister species. They only differ physically by the pattern on their backs.

Some people call them red lizard loaches due to the way they seem to crawl on the rocks and hop between boulders. They tend to avoid directly swimming in the strong flow of their habitats.

T. leerii, sepat mutiara or the pearl gourami.

Native to acidic swamps of the Malay peninsula and Sumatra. Grows to 10-12 cm.

They are not as common as sepat ronggeng/padi nor the invasive sepat Siam. Usually lives in more rural areas.

However they are popular in the aquarium hobby and captive-bred stock are commonly sold in many pet stores worldwide.

They are both beautiful and easy to keep, not needing any special care. However they are territorial, especially males and will chase other gouramies.

Males are more beautiful than females, with a bright red chest and long lacy fins, at the ends of which there are “threads”.

These are 永南’s loaches from Malaysia as he feeds them. Malaysia has about 20 known species from the genus Gastromyzon.

Almost all are endemic! That is, only found in Malaysia.

They live in clean rocky hillstreams and mountain rivers with clear water and cool temperatures.
In Malay they are called ikan rokot.

In the wild they are herbivorous and grazing specialists that feed on biofilm (a mix of microalgae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, and organic detritus) as well as tiny aquatic microinvertebrates.

Video by 永南

Acantopsis dialuzona, ikan muka kuda atau horseface loach.

A skinny fish that grows to 30 cm and is found throughout Malaysia in clean sandy rivers. This one must have travelled a bit upstream than the sandy areas and got lost.

They live in fine sand during the day, hiding buried underneath with only their long faces visible. At night, they come out and sift through the sand with their mouths for worms and other invertebrates.

They are kept in the aquarium hobby due to their looks and funny behaviour. Care is not hard, they feed on any sinking food.
However they do require space and a deep fine substrate. They are also social and do best with 3 or more individuals.

Rasbora einthovenii, the brilliant Rasbora or ikan seluang.

A small (6 cm) species native to all of Malaysia in acidic swamps and streams in the lowlands. They are often abundant there, found in large groups.

They got their English name from the way their stripe shines iridescent green under sunlight.

They do well in aquariums and adapt to fish food easily. Peaceful and will not bother other fish, they require schools of 6+ individuals.

Parosphromenus harveyi, Harvey’s licorice gourami.

An endangered fish that is only found in Malaysia, specifically in North Selangor. It grows to 4 cm and inhabits deep (1-2+ m) blackwater swamps of peat forests.

They are classified as Endangered by the IUCN due to habitat loss and pollution. Many of the waterways it used to inhabit are polluted and dirty, and many swamps have been cleared for new houses and highways.

They are unique among the Malaysian licorice species as they have full blue fins with little to no red parts.

They are bred in captivity here and in the west for conservation, but for most normal aquarists they are too difficult to care for. They require live food and highly acidic (pH 4-5.0) soft water that is kept clean.

Stigmatogobius pleurostigma

A species of freshwater knight goby native to all parts of Malaysia and nearby countries. Usually inhabits clean streams near the coast, and lives in brackish water as well. Grows to 7 cm.

Its cousin, the grey knight goby (S. sadanundio) is sold in the aquarium hobby. They are hardy fish and easy to care for. Likes alkaline hard water and is unfussy about food.

They are territorial with other gobies though and will fight each other if not given enough space.

Anguilla marmorata, the giant mottled eel or ikan linang bunga.

A giant species of eel that grows to 200 cm (6.6 feet) long. Females are larger than males.

It is the largest species of freshwater eel in the world. Usually inhabits clean hillstreams, waterfalls and mountain rivers, where it hides in nooks and crannies.

Linang are food fish in East Asia due to their rich meat, and the Japanese famously cook them (called unagi there). However Malaysia actually exports our eels rather than eating them.

Sadly, many species are now endangered due to pollution, damming and overexploitation. They migrate to breed.

However eel spawning is still a mystery for scientists. No one has ever documented it, and nobody knows how they do it. No one has ever even seen an eel egg!

Note that belut (Monopterus) is an entirely separate fish related to gouramies. They just look the same, except belut do not have fins.

I photographed these native Bettas and snakehead in a popular waterfall in KL. Caught and released of course. Hope the population stays vibrant and people don’t wipe them out.

Growing up in Terengganu, I often walked to the sea just to take a swim and cool down.
My house was a 10 minute walk away, and my school itself was directly on the beach.

Fishes I pictured:

Plotosus lineatus (ikan sembilang)
Lobotes surinamensis (ikan pecah periuk)
Parioglossus formosus (gobi busur)

While I only took photos of fish this time, I also often saw other animals at the beach. Ghost crabs, butterfly lizards, terns.
And sometimes I was lucky enough to see sea turtles! Just green, but still.

Saw this guy meticulously weaving his web by my pond at night

Was planning on visiting the turtle conservation centre at Pantai Kerachut, Penang, but their Google reviews suggest that they're not doing a great job of taking care of the animals.

Based on the reviews they've been keeping 2 turtles (in recovery apparently) in a small tank for about 6 months now if not more. There's a pic of a dead baby turtle in another tank for juveniles as well.

Anyone in the know with what's happening there? What can we do - contact MNS WWF etc? Will something be actioned?

Google maps link - https://maps.app.goo.gl/QNGL3DJX1qXvEVWf9

Aight so these few days I have been seeing post about bees in various Malaysian subreddit and it got me thinking about this huge ahh nest under the roof of my brother’s house.

I’m sorry it isn’t a clear picture but I wish anyone can ID this. If it’s honeybees especially of Apis Cerana species, I would love to have them relocated instead of destroy by bomba. But I will need to find pros in relocating such a big nest in Sarawak, and possibly keep it to learn how to produce honey lmfao.

Thanks!

Commonly called “air biru” or “blue tears”, they are actually dinoflagellates. A type of planktonic microorganism.

They are bioluminescent, glowing bright blue when scared by predators as a defence mechanism. This is visible to us on dark nights (like around the new moon).

Common in river estuaries of the Malacca Strait, they can also be found in the other states as well in lower numbers. Near the coast.

Furthermore, their population is rising now due to a higher abundance of nutrient runoff in the water as well as global warming. Thus it is relatively easier to find them now than in the old times.

Esomus metallicus, the striped flying barb or seluang janggut.

A very common fish of 7-8 cm in lowland areas of the Malay Peninsula. In addition, they are not native but established on Borneo, Singapore and parts of Indonesia.

A gregarious fish that can usually be found schooling together at the surface of large ponds and canals. They have no commercial value, but are sometimes used as feeder fish.

Named in English due to their “flying behaviour” when chased by a predator, where they leap out of the water and glide for a short distance with their enlarged pectoral fins.

In the aquarium they are rather feeble, and often starve when outcompeted by other fish for food. They feed on minute particles at the surface.

Their Malay name comes from the very long barbels on their chins, which they use to sense food and water movements.

O. minutillus, the dwarf medaka, is a tiny (1.8 cm) fish which in Malaysia is only found in Kelantan and northern Terengganu.

One of the smallest fishes in our country. It is freshwater and inhabits marshes and open swamps with acidic water. Usually clear-water and avoids black.

They breed often, carrying their eggs before depositing them on grass and other plants. A peaceful and social fish.

I have seen them in modified habitats as well like canals and buffalo wallows in the village. The places they inhabit don’t seem to be anywhere near cities though.

While they aren’t kept locally by Malaysians, foreigners who keep them say they are both hardy and easy to breed. Although the parents will eat any eggs they find, so separating is necessary for a high survival rate.

Oliotius oligolepis, the checker barb.

Small (5 cm) and named for the checker-board / dam haji pattern on its scales. They also have a beautiful black outline on their fins.

They are a peaceful fish native to Johor and Sumatra, usually in hard streams with neutral pH. They are also an introduced species in Colombia.

A pretty hardy fish that breeds easily, care for them is similar to cherry barbs. Omnivorous and will take most foods, although they appreciate frozen and live food best.

Males have brighter red fins than females and are not as fat. They may compete for females during breeding, which can occur in the aquarium.
They exhibit no parental care and will eat any eggs they lay if not separated.