Wildlife in Thailand: What to See and Where to Find It

Long-tailed Macaque Common Endangered

Macaca fascicularis

The bold, water-loving monkey of temples and mangroves, and the commonest primate in Southeast Asia.

Where: Coastal forest, mangroves and temples nationwide, Khao Sam Roi Yot. Best: Year round, day.

Asian Elephant Regular Endangered

Elephas maximus

The largest land animal in Asia, and a herd crossing open grassland at dusk moves over the ground faster than its size suggests.

Where: Khao Yai, Kui Buri, Kaeng Krachan. Best: Dry season (Nov-Apr), dawn and dusk.

Gaur Regular Vulnerable

Bos gaurus

The largest wild cattle on Earth, a muscle bound giant that dwarfs any farm cow.

Where: Kui Buri, Khao Yai, Kaeng Krachan. Best: Late afternoon, dry season.

Irrawaddy Dolphin Regular Endangered

Orcaella brevirostris

A snub nosed, almost smiling dolphin with no beak, including tiny populations that live in brackish lakes and rivers.

Where: Hua Hin, Songkhla Lake, Trat coast. Best: Early morning, coastal boat trips.

Lyle's Flying Fox Regular Vulnerable

Pteropus lylei

A large fruit bat that gathers in noisy thousands over temple grounds, hanging like dark fruit in the daytime trees.

Where: Temple and village colonies of the central plains. Best: Day roost, dusk flyout.

Leopard (incl. Black Panther) Occasional Vulnerable

Panthera pardus

A big cat that is unusually often born jet black, prowling as the fabled black panther.

Where: Kaeng Krachan (Ban Krang road), Khao Yai. Best: Dry season (Dec-Apr), early morning.

Clouded Leopard Rare Vulnerable

Neofelis nebulosa

Perhaps the most beautiful cat you will almost certainly never see, cloud blotched, tree climbing and maddeningly elusive.

Where: Huai Kha Khaeng, Kaeng Krachan, southern forests. Best: Night, deep forest.

Malayan Tapir Rare Endangered

Tapirus indicus

A living oddity, half jet black and half stark white, that looks assembled from spare parts.

Where: Kaeng Krachan, Hala Bala, Khao Luang (Krung Ching). Best: Night, near forest streams.

Sun Bear Rare Vulnerable

Helarctos malayanus

The world's smallest bear, with a golden chest crescent and a tongue long enough to raid a bee's nest.

Where: Kaeng Krachan (Ban Krang), Khao Yai, Kui Buri. Best: Dawn and dusk, near campsites.

Chinese Pangolin Very rare Critically Endangered

Manis pentadactyla

The northern cousin of the Sunda pangolin, more of a burrower, and just as devastated by the illegal trade.

Where: Hill forest of the north. Best: Night.

Indochinese Tiger Very rare Endangered

Panthera tigris

The largest cat in Asia and its top predator, a striped ghost most people only ever know from a paw print.

Where: Huai Kha Khaeng, Thung Yai, Kaeng Krachan. Best: Dry season, dawn and dusk.

Sunda Pangolin Very rare Critically Endangered

Manis javanica

A living pine cone of a mammal, armoured in scales and, tragically, the most trafficked wild animal on the planet.

Where: Lowland and hill forest nationwide. Best: Night.

Great Hornbill Regular Vulnerable

Buceros bicornis

A three metre wingbeat you hear before you see, the flagship bird of Asian rainforest canopy.

Where: Khao Yai, Khao Sok, Kaeng Krachan. Best: Year round, early morning at fruiting figs.

Wreathed Hornbill Regular Vulnerable

Rhyticeros undulatus

A big forest hornbill that travels in noisy flocks, its throat pouch pleated like folded cloth.

Where: Khao Yai, Kaeng Krachan, Khao Sok. Best: Year round, at fruiting trees.

Green Peafowl Occasional Endangered

Pavo muticus

The wild, and far rarer, cousin of the familiar peacock, with metallic green plumage and a towering train.

Where: Huai Kha Khaeng, Mae Wong, Mae Ping. Best: Dry season, dawn (listen for calls).

Sarus Crane Occasional Vulnerable

Antigone antigone

The tallest flying bird in the world, a grey giant with a bare red head, recently brought back to Thai wetlands.

Where: Buriram province wetlands. Best: Year round, rice fields and marshes.

Helmeted Hornbill Rare Critically Endangered

Rhinoplax vigil

A hornbill with a solid ivory casque, hunted to the brink for carving, whose call sounds like maniacal laughter.

Where: Hala Bala, Budo-Sungai Padi (deep south). Best: Year round, tall rainforest.

Milky Stork Rare Endangered

Mycteria cinerea

A rare, ghostly white stork of the mangroves, its bare face flushing from yellow to red in the breeding season.

Where: Coastal mangroves and estuaries of the Gulf and south. Best: Year round.

Nordmann's Greenshank Rare Endangered

Tringa guttifer

One of the world's rarest waders, a stocky greenshank that winters on Thai mudflats among thousands of commoner shorebirds.

Where: Inner Gulf mudflats and southern coasts. Best: Winter visitor, Nov-Mar.

Rhinoceros Hornbill Rare Vulnerable

Buceros rhinoceros

A southern giant crowned with a spectacular upturned orange casque like a rhino horn.

Where: Hala Bala and the Bala forest (deep south). Best: Year round.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper Rare Critically Endangered

Calidris pygmaea

One of the world's rarest and most charismatic shorebirds, tiny and armed with an unmistakable spatula bill.

Where: Pak Thale, Laem Pak Bia (Inner Gulf). Best: Nov-Mar (winter).

Straw-headed Bulbul Rare Critically Endangered

Pycnonotus zeylanicus

A large riverside bulbul with a glorious bubbling song that has, tragically, made it one of the most trapped birds in Asia.

Where: Dense riverside thickets of the south, protected wetlands. Best: Year round.

Gurney's Pitta Very rare Critically Endangered

Hydrornis gurneyi

A gorgeous blue-crowned pitta once thought extinct, rediscovered in Thailand and now teetering on the very edge.

Where: Khao Nor Chuchi (Krabi), historically. Best: Rains, at dawn.

Masked Finfoot Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Heliopais personatus

One of the rarest birds in Asia, perhaps a hundred left, and Thailand may already have lost it.

Where: Historically quiet forested waterways and mangrove creeks; no reliable recent records. Best: No current season.

Asian Water Monitor Common

Varanus salvator

A dragon sized lizard that swims canals and city parks, second only to the Komodo dragon in length.

Where: Rivers, canals and parks countrywide, including Bangkok. Best: Year round, day.

Tokay Gecko Common

Gekko gecko

A big, boldly spotted gecko whose loud TOH-kay call echoes through Thai nights and, by legend, brings luck if it calls seven times.

Where: Buildings, temples and forest countrywide. Best: Year round, night.

Banded Sea Krait Regular

Laticauda colubrina

A sea snake that hunts eels underwater but must come ashore to rest, drink fresh water and lay its eggs.

Where: Similan, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, southern reefs. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Green Sea Turtle Regular

Chelonia mydas

The great grazing turtle of the tropics, the only sea turtle that turns vegetarian as an adult.

Where: Similan, Trang and Koh Libong, southern reefs and seagrass. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Common Flying Dragon Occasional

Draco maculatus

A tiny lizard that unfurls bright wings from its ribs and glides between tree trunks like a paper dart.

Where: Khao Yai, Kaeng Krachan, Khao Sok, forest with tall trees. Best: Warm season, day.

Hawksbill Turtle Occasional Critically Endangered

Eretmochelys imbricata

The reef's sponge specialist, its beautiful shell also the reason it was hunted to the edge.

Where: Similan, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, coral reefs. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Reticulated Python Occasional

Malayopython reticulatus

The longest snake in the world, a jewelled, net patterned constrictor that turns up from rainforest to city canals.

Where: Khao Yai, Khao Sok, wetlands and even cities. Best: Night, near water.

King Cobra Rare Vulnerable

Ophiophagus hannah

The world's longest venomous snake, and one of the shyest, so a sighting is a genuine holy grail.

Where: Khao Sok, Kaeng Krachan. Best: Warm season, daytime near forest streams.

Malayan Horned Frog Rare

Pelobatrachus nasutus

A frog that looks exactly like a dead leaf, complete with horned eyelids and a pointed snout for a leaf tip.

Where: Southern rainforest near streams, Khao Sok. Best: Rainy season, night.

Paradise Flying Snake Rare

Chrysopelea paradisi

A snake that launches from the treetops and glides between trees by flattening its body into a living ribbon.

Where: Southern forests and the peninsula. Best: Warm season, day.

Wallace's Flying Frog Rare

Rhacophorus nigropalmatus

A big green tree frog that parachutes between trees on huge webbed feet spread like four little sails.

Where: Far southern rainforest and the peninsula. Best: Rainy season, night.

Asian Giant Softshell Turtle Very rare Critically Endangered

Pelochelys cantorii

A huge, frog faced softshell that buries itself in river mud and surfaces to breathe only twice a day.

Where: A few remote lowland rivers and protected wetlands. Best: Rare, any time.

Leatherback Turtle Very rare Vulnerable

Dermochelys coriacea

The largest turtle on Earth, a jellyfish hunter that dives deeper than most whales and crosses whole oceans.

Where: Andaman waters and rare nesting beaches. Best: Nesting Nov-Feb.

Siamese Crocodile Very rare Critically Endangered

Crocodylus siamensis

A freshwater crocodile once thought nearly extinct in the wild, now clinging on in a few remote Thai wetlands.

Where: A few remote protected wetlands, Kaeng Krachan area rivers. Best: Rare, any time.

False Clownfish (Clown Anemonefish) Common

Amphiprion ocellaris

The famous orange and white anemonefish, immune to the stinging tentacles that shelter it and every group ruled by a single dominant female.

Where: Similan, Trang and Koh Libong, anemones on shallow reefs. Best: Dive and snorkel season, Nov-Apr.

Bumphead Parrotfish Occasional Vulnerable

Bolbometopon muricatum

A hulking, bull-headed parrotfish that rams and bites living coral, turning reef rock into the white sand of tropical beaches.

Where: Similan and outer Andaman reefs. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Siamese Fighting Fish Occasional Vulnerable

Betta splendens

Thailand's national aquatic animal is a wild rice-paddy fish, and the wild one looks nothing like the trailing-finned pet.

Where: Rice paddies, ditches and marshes of the central plain around Ayutthaya and Bueng Boraphet. Best: Jun-Oct wet season, when paddies flood.

Humphead Wrasse (Napoleon Wrasse) Rare Endangered

Cheilinus undulatus

A giant, curious reef fish with thick lips and a bulging forehead, able to crunch prey that few other animals can eat.

Where: Similan, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, outer reefs. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Thorny Seahorse Rare Vulnerable

Hippocampus histrix

Covered in long sharp spines and able to shift colour to match whatever it has wrapped its tail around.

Where: Seagrass margins and sponge rubble; Koh Tao, Trang and Koh Lipe. Best: Year round.

Tiger Tail Seahorse Rare Endangered

Hippocampus comes

A slender seahorse banded down the tail like a tiger, the male carrying and giving birth to the young.

Where: Andaman seagrass and reef margins, Trang and Koh Libong. Best: Year round.

Asian Arowana Ultra rare Endangered

Scleropages formosus

A living dragon that hunts at the surface and can launch clear of the water to take insects off overhanging branches.

Where: Blackwater swamps and slow rivers of the far south, notably around Toh Daeng peat swamp. Best: Year round.

Giant Barb Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Catlocarpio siamensis

The world's largest carp, a bronze slab of a fish with a head so big it looks borrowed from something else.

Where: Deep pools of the Mekong and Chao Phraya; Bueng Boraphet and large reservoirs. Best: Year round.

Indo-Pacific Sailfish Ultra rare

Istiophorus platypterus

The fastest fish in the sea, and it lights up electric blue across the sail when it is herding a bait ball.

Where: Offshore blue water; liveaboard crossings to the Similans, Surin and Hin Daeng. Best: Nov-Apr.

Jullien's Golden Carp Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Probarbus jullieni

A gold and black striped river carp that gathers at the same gravel bars each cold season to spawn, which is exactly why it is nearly gone.

Where: Deep runs of the Mekong in Nong Khai and Ubon Ratchathani provinces. Best: Dec-Jan spawning run.

Mekong Giant Catfish Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Pangasianodon gigas

The largest scaleless freshwater fish on earth, a three metre catfish that has all but vanished from the river it is named after.

Where: The wild Mekong along the Chiang Rai and Nong Khai stretches; realistically, stocked fish at Bung Sam Ran and temple ponds. Best: Apr-Jun for the historic Mekong run.

Redtail Sharkminnow Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Epalzeorhynchos bicolor

A jet black fish with a blood-red tail, found nowhere on earth but one Thai river system, and thought extinct for twenty five years.

Where: A few remaining clear streams of the Chao Phraya basin. Best: Year round.

Blacktip Reef Shark Common Vulnerable

Carcharhinus melanopterus

The neat little reef shark of the shallows, its black-tipped fins often cutting the surface over sun-lit sand flats.

Where: Similar shallow reefs, Similan, Trang and Koh Libong. Best: Dive and snorkel season, Nov-Apr.

Giant Manta Ray Occasional Endangered

Mobula birostris

The largest ray on the planet, an ocean wanderer that can span seven metres and loops through plankton clouds in slow somersaults.

Where: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, Koh Bon and Koh Tachai area. Best: Peak Feb-Apr.

Ocellated Eagle Ray Occasional Endangered

Aetobatus ocellatus

A dramatic ray that flies through open water on wings spangled with white spots, trailing a whip-like venomous tail.

Where: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, Similan drop-offs. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Reef Manta Ray Occasional Vulnerable

Mobula alfredi

A four metre wingspan gliding overhead in slow, hypnotic loops that leave divers grinning for days.

Where: Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Hin Daeng. Best: Nov-Apr, Similan and Hin Daeng pinnacles.

Zebra Shark (Leopard Shark) Occasional Endangered

Stegostoma tigrinum

A gentle, spotted shark that lies on the sand like a giant lazy cat, striped as a pup and spotted as an adult.

Where: Similan, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, sandy patches. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Whale Shark Rare Endangered

Rhincodon typus

The biggest fish in the ocean, a spotted, bus sized filter feeder and the undisputed holy grail of tropical diving.

Where: Richelieu Rock, Koh Tachai, Hin Daeng, Phi Phi. Best: Feb-Apr, Andaman dive sites.

Bowmouth Guitarfish Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Rhina ancylostomus

Half shark, half ray, with ridges of thorns above the eyes that look like a set of eyebrows.

Where: Sand adjacent to reef in the outer Andaman; Similans and the Burma Banks. Best: Nov-Apr.

Giant Freshwater Stingray Ultra rare Endangered

Urogymnus polylepis

The largest freshwater fish on earth by some measures, a two metre disc carrying a 38 cm barb.

Where: Deep channels of the Maeklong, Bang Pakong and Mekong rivers. Best: Nov-Feb, clearer low water.

Great Hammerhead Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Sphyrna mokarran

Uses the flat of its head to pin a stingray to the seabed, then bites chunks out of the wing.

Where: Deep outer Andaman pinnacles; Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and the Burma Banks. Best: Feb-Apr.

Largetooth Sawfish Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Pristis pristis

A seven metre ray with a chainsaw for a nose, and almost certainly gone from Thai waters.

Where: Historically the Gulf, the Andaman coast and the lower Chao Phraya. Best: No current season; no reliable records for decades.

Scalloped Hammerhead Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Sphyrna lewini

The head is a sensory antenna, packed with electroreceptors that can find a ray buried under sand.

Where: Deep Andaman pinnacles and the Burma Banks; occasionally Hin Daeng and Richelieu Rock. Best: Feb-Apr.

Whitespotted Wedgefish Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Rhynchobatus australiae

Its fins are the single most valuable in the global shark fin trade, which is why it has all but disappeared.

Where: Sand beside reef on both coasts; historically the Gulf and Andaman shelf. Best: Year round.

Magnificent Sea Anemone Common

Heteractis magnifica

A great carpet of stinging tentacles that is home and fortress to the anemonefish, a partnership at the heart of the reef.

Where: Similan, Trang and Koh Libong, shallow reefs. Best: Dive and snorkel season, Nov-Apr.

Staghorn Coral Common

Acropora species

The fast-growing branching coral that builds the living thickets of the reef, nursery and shelter for a whole community.

Where: Similan, Trang and Koh Libong, shallow reefs. Best: Dive and snorkel season, Nov-Apr.

Carnation Soft Coral Regular

Dendronephthya species

An explosion of pink, red and orange bloom that inflates with water to feed, turning shaded walls into hanging gardens.

Where: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, Similan shaded walls and overhangs. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Chromodoris Nudibranch Regular

Chromodoris species

A tiny sea slug in outrageous colours that borrows toxins from the sponges it eats and flaunts them as a warning.

Where: Similan and Andaman reefs, on sponges. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Giant Sea Fan (Gorgonian) Regular

Annella species

A great lattice fan spread across the current, a soft coral that farms the flow for plankton and shelters seahorses and hawkfish.

Where: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, Similan current-swept walls. Best: Dive season, Nov-Apr.

Anchor Coral Occasional Vulnerable

Euphyllia ancora

Every tentacle ends in a fat hammer-shaped tip, so the whole colony looks like a field of tiny anchors.

Where: Sheltered reef slopes and lagoons; Koh Tao, Phi Phi and Koh Chang. Best: Year round.

Blue Coral Occasional Vulnerable

Heliopora coerulea

The only coral on earth with a blue skeleton, hidden under brown tissue until the animal dies.

Where: Shallow high-energy reef; Surin, Similans and parts of the Gulf. Best: Nov-Apr.

Giant Clam Occasional Critically Endangered

Tridacna gigas

The largest shellfish on Earth, a metre-wide clam that farms algae in its own rippling, jewel-coloured flesh.

Where: Similan, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, shallow reefs. Best: Dive and snorkel season, Nov-Apr.

Indo-Pacific Horseshoe Crab Rare Endangered

Tachypleus gigas

Not a crab at all, closer to a spider, and its blue blood is used worldwide to test every injectable drug for contamination.

Where: Quiet sandy and muddy shores; the inner Gulf, Ranong and Trang. Best: Spawning on spring tides around the full and new moon.

Pineapple Sea Cucumber Rare Endangered

Thelenota ananas

A metre-long sea cucumber covered in star-shaped spikes, and one of the most valuable animals per kilo in Asian seafood.

Where: Reef slopes in the Andaman; Similans, Surin and Koh Lipe. Best: Nov-Apr.

Chambered Nautilus Ultra rare Endangered

Nautilus pompilius

A living fossil that has kept the same shell design for 500 million years and steers by pumping gas between chambers.

Where: Deep Andaman drop-offs beyond recreational depth; occasionally on very deep night dives. Best: Nov-Apr.

Coconut Crab Ultra rare Vulnerable

Birgus latro

The largest land invertebrate on earth, with a grip strong enough to crack a coconut and hold ninety times its own body weight.

Where: Remote uninhabited islands; parts of the Surin and Similan groups and outer Andaman islets. Best: Year round, at night.

Leopard Lacewing Common

Cethosia cyane

A fiery orange butterfly edged in intricate black and white lace, common along sunlit trails.

Where: Gardens, scrub and forest edge nationwide. Best: Year round.

Common Birdwing Regular

Troides helena

A hand-sized black and gold butterfly that cruises the canopy like a small bird.

Where: Lowland forest and gardens nationwide. Best: Year round.

Golden Birdwing Regular

Troides aeacus

A huge butterfly with black forewings and blazing golden hindwings, sailing high along the forest edge.

Where: Forest edges and gardens, Khao Yai, Kaeng Krachan. Best: Year round, sunny mornings.

Paper Kite (Tree Nymph) Regular

Idea leuconoe

A large white butterfly, veined and spotted in black, that drifts through shade like a scrap of tissue paper.

Where: Coastal and lowland forest, southern Thailand. Best: Year round.

Synchronous Firefly Regular

Pteroptyx malaccae

Mangrove trees hung with thousands of fireflies, all flashing in perfect unison like living fairy lights.

Where: Riverside mangroves, Amphawa and the Gulf/Andaman coasts. Best: Year round, best in the rains, after dark.

Atlas Beetle Occasional

Chalcosoma atlas

A giant three-horned beetle built like a piece of living armour.

Where: Forest nationwide. Best: Rainy season, at lights.

Atlas Moth Occasional

Attacus atlas

One of the largest moths on Earth, its wingtips shaped and coloured like a cobra's head.

Where: Forest and forest edge nationwide. Best: Rains, at rest by day.

Giraffe Stag Beetle Occasional

Prosopocoilus giraffa

The longest stag beetle in the world, with jaws nearly as long as the rest of it, used to lever rivals off a tree.

Where: Sap runs and lit buildings at forest edges; Khao Yai, Kaeng Krachan and the north. Best: Apr-Aug.

Jewel Beetle Occasional

Sternocera aequisignata

A living gemstone, its wing cases a metallic emerald green so brilliant they were sewn into royal cloth.

Where: Open forest and edges nationwide. Best: Rainy season.

Lantern Bug Occasional

Pyrops candelaria

A gaudy planthopper with an upturned red snout once believed, wrongly, to glow in the dark.

Where: Lowland and hill forest, on certain trees. Best: Rainy season.

Rhinoceros Beetle Occasional

Xylotrupes gideon

A glossy tank of a beetle, the male armed with a forked horn for wrestling rivals.

Where: Forest and plantations nationwide. Best: Rainy season, at lights.

Rajah Brooke's Birdwing Rare

Trogonoptera brookiana

Jet black with seven electric green flames along each wing, and the males gather in dozens at hot springs to drink minerals.

Where: Lowland rainforest and hot springs in the far south; Hala-Bala and Bang Lang. Best: Feb-May.