Animal Behaviors Implying to Mudflow Event as Observed by Local People in Thapla District, Uttaradit Province

Abstract

     The purpose of this research is to identify animal behaviors prior to mudflow events in Thapla District, Uttaradit Province and to explain such behavior by means of scientific knowledge. The data were collected by mudflow eyewitness and key informants and were gathered by interviewing coupled with scientific process explanation. The result showed that there were two animal types reacting to this phenomenon, i.e., vertebrate and invertebrate. Vertebrate; consist of enormous population of frogs [Hoplobatrachus rugulosus], small green frogs [Microhyla pulchra1s molossus] and bull-frogs [Occidozyga limas] were found more than 10 times per catche when comparing with the same times of other years. Further, there were more than 30 Enhydris enhydris per 20 m² found on the road. For invertebrate, unusual number of centipedes and these were found with density more than 50 per 20 m². Additionally, evacuate land crabs were found in day-time with the long distance from the river at approximately 30 m.