Good morning Changi!

What a wonderful 1st post to share. Changi beach is not just one for campers or joggers but it does contain quite a bit of Singapore's natural heritage. Though much has been lost, let us protect what remains. Thank you Siyang for accompanying, or else I would have to be a lone ranger.


This sunrise made me sleepyhead waking up early worthwhile! Background is Tekong on the left and Pengarang, Johor on the right.

Other than the pretty little button shell (Umbonium vestiarum), can you spot the goby (Istigobius ornatus)?

With the metal chopsticks as a scale, can you imagine how big this Geographic sea hare (Syphonota geographica) is? It swims by flapping the sides of its body.

Lots of tidal hermit crab clustered together. (Diogenes sp.)

This tidal hermit crab (Diogenes sp.) is sheltered by a bigger shell and even has an anemone attached on top of the shell. Most likely used to protect itself as the anemone has stinging cells.

Have you eaten a Gong gong (Strombus canarium) before in a seafood dish? Actually they are very cute snails., usually eat algae and detritus. Can you see their eyes. Why cute, see the video below.


These snails hop by stretching out its operculum and foot to the sand and flips itself over especially to avoid "predators" like me.

This is a sea pencil (Cavernularia sp.) Interesting name isn't it? It is because it resembles a pencil...duh. Out of water, their secondary polyps are retracted.

These anemones are rather small. Looks like they were recently recruited.

This is not your udon or noodles. Haha.. These pink noodly things are probably eggs of the sea hare, suggested by Ria. Thanks!

Dead Cake sand dollar (Arachnoides placenta), which is smooth without any spines, unlike one that is alive.

Commion Moon snail (Polinices sp.) inflats its body with seawater as it emerges from the shell. What a beauty! They hunt for the tiny button shells as preys.

Sponge (Phlyum Porifera) is an animal though they hardly move.

Striped hermit crab (Clibanarius sp.) likes to shelter in empty shells of dead snails. So dead snail shells are not useless after all.

A Sand star (Astropecten sp.), thanks Ria for correcting my id. Was excited because, yes, my first time seeing a sea star in the shores. Finally right? Sad to see one arm gone. However they can regenerate lost arms but may take one whole year to do so.


Lets see the sea star in action beneath it. It uses these tube feet to walk, handle food and also breathe. How amazing.

The bunches of pink stuff that looks like a carnation are eggs of a muricid snail, suggested by Ria. Thanks once again!

A common sea pen (Pteroides sp.), which is actually a colony of several animals!

Egg capsules of perhaps the Spiral melongena?

What a beautiful Moon crab (Matuta lunaris)! With their little spades of paddles, they can really disappear into the sand in a second or two. Tested and proven. haha.

Crabs fiesta in Changi. Yes, seriously they are everywhere. One of them is dead, can you guess? Clue: It's not the thunder crab (Myomenippe hardwickii) at the bottom right.

A cowrie shell with a false limpet (Siphonaria sp.) attached on it. The false limpet breathes air through lungs, much like a land snail.

Dead fishes washed ashore, including a dead horseshoe crab (Tachypleus gigas).

This photo features our fav frog island, Pulau Sekudu!

Our fav lost and found shore, Chek Jawa!! The boardwalks are almost complete, yippee that the public can visit w/o trampling.

Surprised to see more sponges towards the end. Blue and pretty isnt it?

That ends a HOT Monday morning. Thank God cos the sky was clear for a beautiful sunrise! So I am not complaining much when it gets hotter. :P Sunrise more important.

A female brown-throated sunbird at the end to brighten the day. For you bird-lover, Shuyi!

Feels great to be in the shores after camping in library for 3 weeks!

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Reference: Ria Tan and Alan Yeo (2003), Chek Jawa Guidebook