The Reptile Fauna

Das, Indraneil (2006) The Reptile Fauna. In: The biodiversity of a peat swamp forest in Sarawak. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Kota Samarahan, pp. 115-128. ISBN 983-9257-45-5

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Abstract

The reptile fauna of a peat swamp forest and its margins at Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Borneo, was inventoried over a period of five years (1998–2003). In all, 21 squamate species were recorded, including 13 lizard species and eight snake species. No species obligate to this peat swamp was found, although a palustrine crocodile, Crocodylus raninus, is known to be restricted to peat swamp habitats of Borneo. Divided into ecological categories, 13 species are exclusively arboreal, five terrestrial and one aquatic. Additionally, the lacertid lizard, Takydromus sexlineatus, although collected from terrestrial habitats in the study area, is generally associated with grass and saplings elsewhere. The high number of species that are arboreal, compared to rainforests, is therefore remarkable, and probably a reflection of the water-logged nature of peat swamps. When separated by diel time of activity, 12 are exclusively diurnal, eight exclusively nocturnal. The crotalid, Tropidolaemus wagleri, cannot be classified as being either diurnal or nocturnal, being active both during the day and at night.

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