Once, when I talked to someone about my field photography, mainly at the waterfront in Thailand, someone asked me if they had ever seen the Indochinese giant snake. I was once asked. In the field, I am not only interested in fish and aquatic plants, but also aquatic insects, which I photograph. However, at that time, although I knew the name, I had not yet met the Indochinese giant.
As its name suggests, the Indochinese giant lizard is a large lizard that lives in the Indochina Peninsula. I always wanted to see with my own eyes its gigantic size, which is larger in circumference than the Japanese sea bream, so I always kept an eye on it while collecting fish. However, the only ones that always come into the net are Taiwanese Taikouchi, which are about the same size as the Japanese Taikouchi. In my mind, I thought that the place where I was collecting them was probably outside of their natural habitat. However, one day, when I visited a place called Chayapoon in northeastern Thailand, I was able to meet for the first time the Indochinese giant cuckoo, which I had admired.
Looking at its habitat, I was able to understand that I had been looking in the wrong place until now.

Chayaphun is located at a somewhat high altitude, with many places like small hills. The Indochinese giant snake lived in the streams and wetlands that flowed between them. The places I had been searching for before were flat rice fields and wetlands in the same northeastern part of Thailand. In places where Betta smaragdina inhabits, no matter how much I collect, all I find are Formosan snails.

It seems that I made a mistake in basing my thinking on the habitat of the Japanese tai-kouchi. As you know, they are the eggs of Columbus, but the Formosan and Indochina giants lived in separate habitats. Later, near the border between Kanchanaburi and Myanmar in western Thailand, we were able to confirm the appearance of the Indochinese giant hawk in a small stream. In observing living things, you must steadily improve your skills by gaining experience.

Now, I would like to report on the habitat of the Indochinese giant crocodile in Chayaphun.
Chayaphun has a somewhat unique environment in northeastern Thailand, where there are many flat areas, and there are many hilly areas. There is a place where a small narrow stream flows through it. In some places, this stream widens during the rainy season, creating a wetland-like environment. The Indochinese giant cuckoo lives in this environment with moderate currents.
When I visited, it was the rainy season, so there was a lot of water, and many wetlands were created by the overflowing water. It seems that the Indochinese giant crocodile prefers to live in such places and even breeds there. In fact, when I visited, I was able to observe many larvae. The larvae cover their bodies with mud as a protective color, similar to the Japanese larva, making it difficult to notice at first glance. I even saw a male and a female nestled together.

Eggs are laid in shallow waters near the water's edge, and are easily recognized by the distinctive shape of their breathing tubes. When both larvae and adults are collected, they take on the shape of extended legs and pretend to be dead. If it really dies, it won't look like this, so you'll know right away. The density of this species is much lower than that of the Formosan hawkfish, which also lives in northeastern Thailand. This seems to be related to the ecosystem of the habitat. Compared to rice paddies on the flatlands, there are obviously fewer fish and creatures to feed on.

In terms of breeding, it is basically the same as the Japanese Taikouchi. A simple set of aquatic plants, driftwood, etc. placed inside the aquarium to serve as a foothold for bringing the breathing tube to the surface of the water will suffice. Feed small fish such as medaka and shrimp. It is somewhat difficult to distinguish between males and females, but it is possible by looking at the differences in the morphology of the ventral subgenital plate. Even in captivity, they lay eggs in sphagnum moss and oases, and breeding is not difficult. There aren't many in circulation, so if you want to keep one, we recommend that you buy it without hesitation when you see it.

Finally, as a side note, in addition to the largest species, the largest species, the smallest species, also inhabits the northeastern part of Thailand. I wanted to photograph other aquatic insects such as the Indochinese giant beetle, so I was collecting them in northeastern Thailand and came across a very small giant beetle. This small tai-kouchi is thought to be closely related to the Esaki tai-kouchi, which is Japan's smallest tai-kouchi and lives on Yonaguni Island. Small-sized hawkfish similar to this one are widely distributed in Southeast Asia, and I myself have previously observed them in Malaysia and Laos. Although they are similar in size, there are differences in the length of their breathing tubes and the shape of their front legs, so it appears that there are multiple types.