It must have been about 30 years ago, when I felt attracted to the field of Southeast Asia and started going there. Mr. K, who runs a tropical fish shipper in Bangkok, always provided me with material. One day, while we were talking, Mr. K looked serious and told me an interesting story about the giant mudskipper, which grows to 7 cm, that lives in Thailand, and that it can be seen near Bangkok. . Speaking of mudskippers, the southern mudskipper can often be seen in the mangrove areas of both Japan and Okinawa. However, its size is around 8 to XNUMX cm. At first, I thought the story was a joke, unable to believe that such a gigantic mudskipper really existed.
In order to convince me that I had a hard time trusting him, Mr. K promised to show me around the habitat the next time I visited Thailand. Soon after, I had the opportunity to visit Thailand, and Mr. K led me there to see the giant mudskipper.
Its habitat is Banpu, a suburb of Bangkok. This place is very close to Crocodile Farm, which is a famous tourist attraction in Bangkok. It is close to Bangkok, about an hour by car. I'm still in doubt, but I wonder if such a rare creature lives near such a city? That's what I was thinking. The place I was guided to was near a certain temple. On the sea side of this temple, there is a section where the monks who practice here live. Concrete roads have been built crisscrossing the mangrove forest, and houses for monks are being built one by one. If there are people living there, then of course there will be trash and there will be a feeling of life. It's hard to say that the place still has beautiful nature, and I'm starting to wonder if there are giant mudskippers in places like this. That's what I felt like.
When I visited, it was just the time of low tide. Beneath the mangrove trees, a muddy bottom appeared, where countless colorful fiddler crabs were active. Not only giant mudskippers but also normal-sized mudskippers live here. You can also see many mudskippers near your feet. Just as I was about to point my camera at such a creature, I suddenly heard the sound of violent water crashing. When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw some kind of creature jumping around. That was my first encounter with a giant mudskipper.
Its gray body with black vertical bands running through it is unmistakably a mudskipper. However, its size is unusual. Even small specimens are over 10cm long, and large specimens have a total length of 30cm as previously reported. There are surprisingly many individuals, and they live in considerable densities in waterways near human habitations. However, they have a strong sense of territory and will start chasing other individuals as soon as they approach. It's not cute and floppy like the Japanese mudskipper, but it's a fierce splatter. They live by digging burrows in the mud, and many individuals live near their nests. When I approached to take a close-up photo, it immediately burrowed into its burrow. It seems to be quite wary. This giant mudskipper is called the Giant Mudskipper in English, and its scientific name is Periophthamodon schlosseri. It appears to be widespread in mangrove areas in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. In the wild, they mainly feed on crustaceans such as crabs, but they also seem to eat small mudskippers that live in the same area. Unlike the herbivorous mudskipper, it is a fairly ferocious carnivorous fish.
It was a surprise to actually see a giant mudskipper with my own eyes, but there was another surprise at this place. As he was lying down in a narrow passage trying to capture the image of this giant mudskipper, he noticed a sign of something living behind him. A water monitor, probably over 1 meter long, poked its head out of the water. And it's not just one. Before I knew it, there were XNUMX of them just near me. It doesn't seem to be afraid of humans, and it voluntarily climbs onto the concrete bridge and trudges across to the other side. After I noticed them, I couldn't concentrate on taking pictures and couldn't help but worry about what was going on behind me.
When I spoke to the monks who live here, they said that killing animals is prohibited in this place, so living things live without fear of humans. Water monitors seem to feed on the falling chicks of waterfowl that nest on top of this mangrove forest. However, that didn't seem to be enough, and one time I saw several puppies fighting over each other and preying on them.
Being in this place where you can see a giant mudskipper and a giant monitor lizard at the same time makes you feel like a dinosaur might show up next. It's very interesting that a place like this still exists near Bangkok. However, recent environmental destruction has also affected this area. I often take my acquaintances to this place because I want others to experience the same wonder that I felt, but recently the giant mudskippers have become smaller in size and their numbers seem to be decreasing. . Water monitors, which you could always see if you visited 10 years ago, are often not seen these days. The decline in water monitors appears to be due to an increase in the number of their natural enemy, stray dogs, but a decrease in the number of wild birds living in mangroves may also be a factor. I visited once this year, and I saw that people had dug a large channel into the mangroves. As a result, the tides changed, making it difficult for the giant mudskippers to build their burrows, and their numbers were clearly decreasing. It makes me feel nostalgic for the old days when people and living things coexisted in a perfect balance.
