PULAU TIOMAN: LAND OF BURONG TIONG (MYNAHS), MONITOR LIZARDS

Tioman got its name from "tiong" which means a mynah bird in Malay. The word "man" is short-form of "teman" which according in Pahang Malay dialect means "ours". The photo shows a statue of the mynah bird standing facing the sea from the Esplanade of Tekek Village

The photo of the real mccoy, a mynah bird. They are found in abundance on Tioman Island

Besides mynah birds monitor lizards are found aplenty in Tioman Island. They hardly have predators other than perhaps the sea eagles. As Tioman Island have few Chinese (some of whom love monitor lizards stewed with Chinese medicinal herbs)
the reptiles are spared from the cooking pot. This particular monitor lizard was oblivious of the presence of yours truly.It was so coolly nonchalant

The one that got away! This particular monitor lizard or biawak in Malay was so afraid of people that it just scampered madly up a tree on seeing me

Cattle Egrets or Koereiger (Bulbulcus Ibis) are found along the coastal areas of Tioman Island

A specimen of a Green Turtle commonly found in the waters around Tioman Island

Pusat Informasi Taman Laut (Marine Information Centre) Pulau Tioman located on the northern fringe of the bay where Tekek Village lies

A close-up of a long-tail macaque monkey which was a member of a family of monkeys residing near the TAT Turtle Sanctuary

Fishes swimming unharassed in the waters just outside the Marine Information Centre of Tioman Island whose surrounding waters including other smaller islands are protected as a marine park