Kannan Raja

91 years is a good long run for most but too short for someone like Jane Goodall. Damn.

Perhaps, a mokele-mbembe?

Would love to be a part of it. I could even get some of the good folk from @herpsocsg.bsky.social to join as well!

It is as if there are two dromaeosaurs inside all of us. One "is wrong and bad"; the other "is more like it".
Which dromaeosaur wins?

Prehistoric Planet Ice Age homotheres, white and touching faces together.

Prehistoric Planet Ice Age Woolly rhino old adult and youngster.

Prehistoric Planet Ice Age Glyptotherium.

Prehistoric Planet Ice Age sloth mother with juvenile on back.

Prehistoric Planet Ice Age out later this year... such a thrill to put this series together, oh my goodness are you in for a treat :) Hopefully news on events and publicity coming soon! Sloths, cats, rhinos, glyptodonts AND SOOOO MUCH MORE!!

🐸
Purple Frog, aka Mahabali Frog
𝘕𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘩𝘺𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴
Thrissur - India’ 25

🦎 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐘 🦎

From tiny geckos darting up our walls to majestic monitor lizards cruising through our waterways, #lizards are a vital part of our #ecosystems. They help control pest populations, are prey for other #wildlife, and some even do nutrient cycling.

A curious little frog from my #WesternGhats trip last month. This species is highly endangered and is severely threatened by the loss of habitat due to the formation of tea & eucalyptus plantations in the hilly Munnar region.

Munnar Bush Frog
𝘙𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴
Munnar - India, July ’25

Happy #WorldSnakeDay, everyone!
Meet this stunning little ambassador spotted just around the corner from our accommodation during a recent trip to Kerala, India.

Hump-nosed Pit Viper
𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘦
Thattekad - India, July ‘25

Happy #WorldSnakeDay! Join us in celebrating these beautiful and misunderstood animals today. Singapore is home to almost 70 species of snakes, which come in a great variety of colours, patterns and sizes! 🐍

While I have yet to review all my photos & reconfirm some of the IDs, here is a preliminary list of the #herpetofauna species from the recent trip to the southern Kerala side of the incredible #WesternGhats. 🐸 🐍 🦎 🐢

Thank you! Despite our best efforts over three evenings, we only managed to spot one individual; perhaps the lack of rain played a role here.

Been wandering the Kerala side of the southern Western Ghats for almost a week, and I’ve finally met, quite possibly, the most stunning frog on the planet. Photos from my phone do not do this frog any justice.

Galaxy Frog
𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴

Happy #WorldRainforestDay! This reminds me that I have not been out wandering in a forest, rain or otherwise, in forever.

Ethics in Herping This code of ethics is the standard for members of the Herpetological Society of Singapore (HSS). Additionally, it serves as a guide for the general public in their interactions with wild herpetofa…

We've refreshed our Ethics in Herping guidelines to align with current best practices in wildlife observation and conservation.
Discover the updates here: herpsocsg.com/ethics-in-he...
Let's continue to herp ethically & responsibly.
🐸 🐍 🦎 🐊 🐢

I may or may not have assembled an army of frog-loving children at yesterday's talk at the Festival of Biodiversity. Aside from the slight disappointment at not having live #frogs at the talk, I think the kids loved the talk. And I also learnt that poisonous frogs are a popular topic of discussion 🐸

And that was a wrap for Day 1 of the #FestivalofBiodiversity 2025. But we are not quite done yet. Swing by tomorrow for more fun things, cool specimens, topped-up merchandise (we hear your requests), and two excellent talks by President @jkannanr.bsky.social & Co-founder Ingg Thong in the afternoon!

🐸 FANTASTIC FROGS & TERRIFIC TOADS 🐸

Come & join me at this very froggy talk at the Central Public Library, as part of the Festival of Biodiversity Spotlight Talks. While sign-ups are closed, walk-ins are still welcome!

1 June 2025, Sunday
2 PM - 3 PM
Central Public Library, Programme Room (B1)

#FOB25 IS HERE!! Come along & hear me talk about toads, frogs, and everything cool about them! 🐸

Sign up here: go.gov.sg/fobspotlight...!

🐍 It has been an incredible journey for the Society, growing from a small group into a key player in Singapore’s herp scene. As President, I am proud of what we have achieved & grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey.

Here’s to more years of herping & advocating for our herps! 🐸

Introducing the Herpetological Society of Singapore as an ASA Partner We are pleased to announce the Herpetological Society of Singapore (HSS) as the newest partner of the Amphibian Survival Alliance! Based in Singapore, HSS has spent the past decade working to protect ...

UPDATE: We are officially a partner of Amphibian Survival Alliance.

This partnership corroborates our work on #amphibian conservation. As an ASA partner, we have access to numerous resources & collaboration opportunities, enabling us to significantly impact amphibian conservation locally & beyond.

I am happy to have been chosen to lead this wonderful Society for the third time and on its 10th year, too! I do have a bunch of plans brewing and I hope to make them all happen this year!

This isn't wildlife rescue or snake removal. This is #animalcruelty, primarily influenced mainly by misguided fear, and a lack of proper snake-handling skills & 0 understanding of our native wildlife.

I look forward to these individuals & their company taking responsibility for this horrible act.

It's been a while since I posted pictures from the field trip module to Tioman, so here is one of the smaller finds from the trip.

Selangor Forest Skink 🦎
𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴
Pulau Tioman - Malaysia, July ‘23

Today, for the first time in seven semesters, I was given a #dinosaur I had never heard of, Sasayamagnomus, a neoceratopsian that was described just two months ago.
Imagine being just revealed & already being someone's favourite.
Kudos to my student for getting a brand new dinosaur as his favourite!

🐸 🎃 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐈 / 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 🪔 🦎

No matter the event, holiday, or festival, we will have a suitable herp for it!
So, dress up and enjoy your day, everyone, regardless of which holiday you resonate with!

Our local king cobra is no longer 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩, but 𝘖. 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴. We have updated our SG Herp Checklist to reflect this change, and you should update your lists too 👑 🐍

herpsocsg.com/sg-herp-chec...

I hit up two of our local zoos, River Wonders & Night Safari, with the missus after ages, and we had an excellent welcoming committee!

Perhaps, we can check out Bird Paradise on the next cool, overcast day?

I decided to divert from my usual posting to share some wildlife pics.

I shot this while wandering the wilds of Berlin at the tail end of spring amidst a racket of calls from various young birds begging for breakfast. In this instance, breakfast was a scarabaeid beetle, perhaps a common cockchafer.

How I landed on bluesky