Finding Wildlife in Urban Cambodia
You do not have to be tramping through the rainforest slapping at mosquitos or hiking over mountains to be able to experience the wilderness of a new country. Often the wild will come to you by walking through the dusty streets of Battambang or even by simply stepping out onto your balcony in Siem Reap. You just need to look.
This is what I discovered when I explored the streets of Cambodia. The things that flew past my nose and ran past my feet often amazed me. So, here is a look at some of the urban wildlife you may see while in Cambodia.
THE CHANGEABLE LIZARD or ORIENTAL GARDEN LIZARD.
A Male Changeable Lizard or Oriental Garden Lizard
Masters of disguise, these guys are easy to miss. The Oriential Garden Lizard is common throughout SouthEast Asia and is part of the Agamidae family, which includes iguanas. The males change colour during mating season, with red hues darkening their throat. They have very long tails, which they often hold stiffly behind them like a spear. Their diet mainly involves insects.
My mornings were often spent walking along the river in Siem Reap trying to spot these tricky lizards. They have a tendency to stay very still on the tree trunks, until you are within their space, then they will quickly run off.
Tip on how to see them: Stay still by a tree and just wait until they come to you.
DOGS and CATS
A cat at Angkor Watt
Dogs and cats are a common sight in the streets of Cambodia. Locals often look after these guys - even if not their own in the sense of a pet. It is a community thing. One thing I noticed that a lot of them had short tails, which is said to be a genetic issue. The parents may have had broken or mutated tail which in turn lead the kittens to have tail issues.
While it is tempting to give every fluffy you meet a good head scratch or belly rub, I would recommend practicing caution. Some are not pets and may react with aggression. And no one really wants their holiday to have that hospital moment. Just use common sense people.
Tip on how to see them: simply walk around the streets, dogs and cats are almost everywhere in urban Cambodia.
ANTS
A weaver ant nest
All marching neatly in a row, ants were a common sight during my travels throughout urban Cambodia. I was even lucky enough to get bitten on the finger by one of these guys. And for a small creature, they do pack quite a punch.
Weaver ants or green ants are the unique type of ant that can be found here. As their names suggest they weave their nests using larval silk and leaves. The colony can be extremely large, spanning over numerous trees and a workforce of half a million ants. They are rather territorial and will defend their nests quite vigorously against intruders. They can not sting, but will bite or/and spray formic acid at the wound, making for an uncomfortable time.
Tip on how to see them: Look at tree trunks or on phone wires. They often crawl across these. For weaver ants, look up at a tree and you may be able to spot their nests. They are leaves clumped together with white webbing.
CRAB-EATING MACAQUE
Monkey
As well as old ruins and amazing architecture, you may chance upon a few macaques as you explore the Angkor temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. They often laze around on the ancient stones or under the trees in their troops.
The way I chanced upon them was I spotted a bunch of photographers crowding around something in the trees- on closer inspection I realised it was a monkey with her baby. Very adorable, though it was quite the sight seeing around 20 people crowding around two monkeys trying to get their good side.
After this, I seemed to spot them everywhere. Running around the temples, enjoying the sun, or climbing trees. With monkeys, it is a good idea not to show them you have any food as they may try to try a nibble on your chips or museli bar.
Long tailed macaques are interesting creatures. They are matrilineal, meaning there is a female prevalent hierarchy in their troop. Their troops will often have around 20 or so females, offspring and one or two males. Most males leave the group upon reaching puberty.
Tip on how to see them: Look for congregated photographers haha. Or simply walk around the temple complex, they seem to like hanging out of the stone in the sun.
TROPICAL CARPENTER BEE
Tropical Carpenter Bee
The Tropical Carpenter Bee is one of the largest bees of the world. Though he or she may appear a tad intimidating when you first encounter one, they are actually gentle giants. Only the female can sting, though she rarely does. So unless you sit on her accidentally, you should be fine. The males may divebomb you if you go too close to their nest, but it is all for show. They are quite interesting creatures to observe. They will fly around and then return to their nests, which is a burrowed hole in a piece of dead wood.
In the Airbnb I stayed in, the balcony was decorated with old bamboo sticks. The Tropical Carpenter Bees decided that this was the ideal location for their nests. I spent quite a lot of time simply watching these guys fly around - their big shape seeming almost comical flying. Capturing them on camera was quite difficult, as they did not like to stay still for too long.
The biggest bee in the world is the Wallace Bee, which was thought to be extinct until a few biologists videoed it in the wild last year. This was the first sighting in 40 years. I have linked the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb8LYU279S4
Tip on how to see them: Look for burrows in dead wood. This could turn out to be a nest.