tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40869945962467337052024-03-16T15:08:02.798+08:00God's wonderful creationGenesis 1:20‑21 "And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.comBlogger593125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-21214788695169859472017-05-01T18:21:00.000+08:002017-05-08T18:25:21.587+08:00Sunny day at Terumbu SemakauOn Labour Day holiday, the intrepid team surveyed Terumbu Semakau, a patch reef off Semakau Landfill. The abundance of hard corals have dropped as several ones did not survive the coral bleaching period last year. Nevertheless, there's still good growths of corals at certain stretches. We also saw both the Fluted and Burrowing Giant clams, a special sea cucumber and some pretty sea slugs!<br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/2860t7">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/2860t7</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-30744644609803195742017-04-30T18:11:00.000+08:002017-05-08T18:15:06.041+08:00Sea fan garden at ChangiBeyond the murky waters of Changi, one would be able to catch a glimpse of the colourful sea fan garden during super low spring tide! On 30 April 2017, I visited a stretch of Changi that I've not surveyed for years.<br />
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Other than having the joy of finding high abundance of sea fans, we also enjoyed a lovely sunrise, finds of commensals on the sea fans and other interesting critters such as the Sea Apple sea cucumber and the Armored sea cucumber.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/673787">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/673787</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-47193235244996749302017-04-29T14:55:00.000+08:002017-05-08T14:58:02.215+08:00New snail find at Kusu Island! We visited Kusu Island on 29 April 2017 and checked out the reefs. Am glad to see many of the corals survived the bleaching period last year and that the reef is still thick at Kusu.<br />
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Many fantastic finds such as featherstars, many heart urchins emerging from the sand at the lagoon and my first sighting of the Marlinspike Auger Snail (<i>Oxymeris maculata</i>)!<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/vg25un">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/vg25un</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-39618236044860007882017-04-28T20:00:00.000+08:002017-05-08T14:48:28.665+08:00First predawn at Tanah Merah shoreIt's our first predawn low tide trip this year and on 28 April 2017 we visited Tanah Merah shore. The first exciting find of the trip would be the stonefish!<br />
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I later also chanced upon a Knobbly sea star. The corals are still ok though some are dying or dead due to the previous round of coral bleaching. The seagrasses invaded upstream of the canal where we also found tiny white sea urchins and other interesting finds.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/yfT715">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/yfT715</a><br />
<br />Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-70167747562429929962017-02-14T22:00:00.000+08:002017-05-08T14:43:16.879+08:00Higher low tide at Big Sister's IslandOn 12 Feb 2017, we visited Big Sister's Island during an evening low tide. The tide didn't go down as predicted and we were stranded on the high shores. Nevertheless, the team managed to find some exciting critters both beneath rocks and above ground.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/i25Nq2">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/i25Nq2</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-83253926380482320932017-02-14T21:43:00.001+08:002017-02-14T21:43:27.960+08:00Windy at Cyrene ReefTwo weeks after Chinese New Year, we are out on another evening tide to check out one of our favourite shores: Cyrene Reef!<br />
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Cyrene Reef is ringed by petrochemical plants on Jurong Island and Pulau
Bukom. It is also right next to the container terminals on Pasir
Panjang. Cyrene Reef has one of the best seagrass meadows in Singapore
and its seagrasses are home to lots of marine life! <br />
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It was very windy on this trip but we also get to enjoy a rainbow that emerged from the direction of mainland. <br />
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As <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2017/01/cny-day-3-seringat-kias.html" target="_blank">previously sighted at Seringat-Kias</a>, the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/notaspidae/pleurobranchus.htm">Forskal's sidegill slugs</a> (<i>Pleurobranchus forskalii</i>) are in season and of course Cyrene never fails to host these fellow in great abundance. </span><br />
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Here's a variety of the different Forskal's sidegill slugs found during the trip.<br />
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It was difficult to spot critters on a windy and slightly higher tide. Am glad to still be able to find various slugs such as the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/sacoglossa/ornata.htm">Ornate leaf slug</a> (<i>Elysia ornata</i>), <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/boholiensis.htm">Bohol nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Discodoris boholiensis</span>) and the </span></span></span></span></span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/nodulosa.htm">Beaded nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Hoplodoris nodulosa</span>). This is probably our first sighting of the Beaded nudibranch in the south!</span><br />
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The mass gatherings of the adult <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<i>Protoreaster nodosus</i>) are nowhere to be seen from where we were exploring. They seem to have migrated, though we found one towards the end of the trip.<br />
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Whereas, the younger knobblies can still be found in their seagrass nurseries, though not many too. <br />
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I found one <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/echinoidea/urchin/prionocidaris.htm">Thorny sea urchin</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Prionocidaris</span> sp.) and noticed it is also home to a commensal <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/ophiuroidea/tinycolourful.htm">Tiny colourful brittle star</a> (<i>Ophiothela danae</i>).
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Hidden partially in the sand would be these <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/cassidae/glaucum.htm">Grey bonnet snails</a> (<i>Phalium glaucum</i>). The Grey bonnet is listed as 'Endangered' in the Red List of threatened animals of Singapore. It is threatened by habitat loss and over-collection. </span></span><br />
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Another special mollusc would be this heart-shaped <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/cardiidae/fragum.htm">Strawberry cockle</a> (<span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Fragum unedo</span>).</span></span> The strawberry cockle has red lines or beads on its shell.</span><br />
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All too soon, it was time to leave Cyrene Reef! Hope it will continue to thrive in our waters. <br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155021944613158.1073741934.547198157&type=1&l=5d154e4e40">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155021944613158.1073741934.547198157&type=1&l=5d154e4e40</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-63596636940860440362017-01-31T11:10:00.000+08:002017-01-31T11:10:32.748+08:00CNY Day 3: Seringat-KiasIt's CNY Day 3 and we are at the reclaimed shores of Seringat-Kias, which is also connected to Lazarus Island. <br />
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We enjoyed the pinkish sunset after the rain that poured when we arrived! There's a bloom of the Sea lettuce (<i>Ulva</i> sp.) seaweed that covered the intertidal stretches of the shore. <br />
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I was surprised to find the huge <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/notaspidae/pleurobranchus.htm">Forskal's sidegill slug</a> (<i>Pleurobranchus forskalii</i>) on the seagrass meadow! It's our first time seeing them on this shore. </span><br />
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And thereafter, many more were sighted, including a cute baby one (on bottom right)! This slug is often found in shallow lagoons, reef crests and pools and sea grass beds.<br />
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I was searching high and low for the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Protoreaster nodosus</span>) and was heartened to find a baby individual. Believe more of them are at the deeper ends which were not possible to check out due to murky waters after the rain. <br />
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When I first found this anemone, it was just a black blob as shown on the left. So I went to touch the body column to check out and it started to reveal its tentacles. Low and behold, it was the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/actinostephanus.htm">Haeckel's anemone</a> (<i>Actinostephanus haeckeli</i>) which are known to sting very badly. Thank God I didn't come in contact with its tentacles. <br />
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After the rain, more critters started coming out, such as this uncommon <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/naticidae/spotted.htm">Spotted moon snails</a> (<i>Natica gualteriana</i>). As the name suggests, they can be identified through the spots on their body. <br />
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It's been a while we last saw the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/stellae.htm">Starry flatworm</a> (<i>Pseudobiceros stellae</i>) on this shore. Was nice to see it again. <br />
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As usual there were several <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/archaster.htm">Common sea stars</a> (<i>Archaster typicus</i>) and that includes the baby versions. <br />
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Ria found the special <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/architectonicidae/perspectiva.htm">Sundial snail</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Architectonica perspectiva</span>)! This beautiful snail produces a detailed pattern of bands and spots
and they have rather flattened shells that coil to form a flat
disc-shape with a flat base. Interestingly, they feed on the polyps of various types of corals and sea anemones!<br />
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Here's a peek at the striped tentacles as it took forever to get easy and come out of its shell.<br />
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What can we find at the deeper ends? It was nice to see good growths of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/seagrass/thalassia.htm">Sickle seagrass</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Thalassia hemprichii</span>). These seagrasses are listed as 'Critically Endangered' on the Red List of threatened plants of Singapore.<br />
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Below the seawall are many hard corals that have established itself after reclamation. That includes several soft corals.<br />
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As well as hard corals! <br />
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A special find by Dr Huang Danwei and his students would be this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clam</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>)! <br />
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How lovely to have the rainbow right in front of our eyes! <br />
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And it's my first time seeing the foot of the rainbow so close. Too bad, the pot of gold is nowhere to be seen. It could be underwater! Haha. :)<br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154979939158158.1073741933.547198157&type=1&l=7a55d0bbed">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154979939158158.1073741933.547198157&type=1&l=7a55d0bbed</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-45609375003665604152017-01-30T16:01:00.000+08:002017-01-30T16:01:46.353+08:00CNY Day 2: Terumbu SelegiAfter 6 years, we are finally back on Terumbu Selegi on CNY Day 2!<br />
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Terumbu Selegi is a submerged reef in the middle of nowhere. The nearest islands would be Sentosa, St John's Island and Sisters' Islands.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>How is the reef after 6 years? It doesn't seem to be as good as our <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2011/06/virgin-trip-to-terumbu-selegi.html" target="_blank">previous visit during 2011</a>. But we did saw quite a number of interesting slugs instead!<br />
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Chay Hoon once again found tiny slugs! This time she found this red and white <i>Flabellina bicolor</i>. At first we thought she found only one. It was only during processing that I realised there were TWO! Wow.<br />
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Jianlin seemed to have received the bionic genes from Chay Hoon as he went on to find more ridiculously small sea slugs that requires special lens to shoot. This is a sap-sucking slug that he found among the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/seaweed/chlorophyta/bryopsis.htm">Hairy green seaweed</a> (<i>Bryopsis</i> sp.). <br />
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And he later found yet another tiny <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/gymnodoris.htm">Gymnodoris nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Gymnodoris</span> sp.)! So tiny that I couldn't get a sharp image after much struggle. </span></span></span><br />
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As for me, my standard is only to find slugs as large as this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/sacoglossa/ornata.htm">Ornate leaf slug</a> (<i>Elysia ornata</i>).<br />
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The reefs are not doing as well as before. Much of the hard and soft corals that we found previously have been decimated. What's left is fraction of the original state. I'm not too surprised given the recent years of pressures such as oil spills and coral bleaching. <br />
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The <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/gigantea.htm">Giant carpet anemones</a> (<i>Stichodactyla gigantea</i>) are still there though no sightings of any commensal fish or shrimps. </span></span><br />
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The unbeatable <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/leucospilota.htm">Long black sea cucumbers</a> (<i>Holothuria leucospilota</i>) are still around! </span></span> <br />
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An interesting find by Russel would be this large <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/anomura/hermit/veryhairy.htm" target="_blank">Very hairy hermit crab</a> (<i>Dardanus lagopodes</i>). We are not too sure why it was clinging onto the coral rubble. <br />
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This anemone-ish looking critter is likely a <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/corallimorphs/corallimorph.htm" target="_blank">Corallimorph</a> (Order Corallimorpharia). <br />
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Jianlin surprised us again by finding the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/indicus.htm">Blue-spotted flatworm</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudoceros indicus</span>). Furthermore, James Choi who joined me on this trip found the special </span></span><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/virgulata.htm">Red lined flatworm</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Maritigrella virgulata</span>)! <br />
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When we were about to leave, Jianlin stumbled upon this red and white <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/bornella1.htm">Starry mouthed nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Bornella stellifer</span>). The colour theme fits in CNY very well! </span></span><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"></span></span><br />
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Despite the difficult departure due to high waves, we were able to wait and leave the reef safely before the sun sets. Here's a sunset shot with Pulau Jong at the background.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found in my facebook album: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154977116448158.1073741932.547198157&type=1&l=cda22f1c8c">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154977116448158.1073741932.547198157&type=1&l=cda22f1c8c</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-40921516420232320182017-01-30T15:37:00.002+08:002017-01-30T15:37:43.036+08:00CNY Day 1: Semakau SouthIt's the Chinese New Year again! And that also signifies another round of low tide adventures. :) <br />
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This super tiny snail that is only around 5mm or less was found by none other than our bionic Chay Hoon! The scientific name for this fellow is <i>Cystiscus minutissimus</i>. And it's also apt for the CNY season given that it is all orange. <br />
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We were blessed to have miraculously escaped the storm that surrounded us when we began the survey. After some drizzles, we enjoyed a rain-free field trip. <br />
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Unfortunately, we came across this freshly-laid long drift net that is probably about 500-600m long! <br />
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And many different types of marine life were trapped as a result- that includes fishes, crabs and even sea stars. <br />
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I managed to free this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/chaetodontidae/ocellatus.htm">Kite butterflyfish</a> (<i>Parachaetodon ocellatus</i>) and it was taking some time to recover. <br />
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What's unique of the southern Semakau shore would be that there are many <span class="fullpost">Hell's <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/actinodendron.htm">Fire anemone</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Actinodendron</span> sp.). Despite the possible hell-like pain one can get from getting brushed by their tentacles, they do look pretty like flowers!</span></span><br />
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Another creature that is common in Semakau and not elsewhere would be this <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/horrens.htm">Dragonfish sea cucumber</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Stichopus horrens</span>). Can you spot the well camouflaged </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/archaster.htm">Common sea star</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Archaster typicus</span>)?<br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/snakes/cerberus.htm">Dog-faced water snake</a> (<i>Cerberus rynchops</i>) made an appearance! They are common on this shore due to its proximity to the mangroves. <br />
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This snake is quite docile and shy and this made it possible for us to go quite close to this fellow!<br />
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Though the tide wasn't that low, I was able to still find one <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea star</a> (<i>Protoreaster nodosus</i>). Good to know that they are still around!<br />
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Another pretty and charismatic critter would be this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/volutidae/nobilis.htm">Noble volute</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cymbiola nobilis</span>).This snail has a pretty fleshy body that is black in colour with bright orange spots.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mms1lRa8nF8/WI7pCDsAtJI/AAAAAAAAhhY/-1__l2mci_UifVI_aZ4cqJBi0ut0-BH5gCLcB/s1600/smk280117p12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mms1lRa8nF8/WI7pCDsAtJI/AAAAAAAAhhY/-1__l2mci_UifVI_aZ4cqJBi0ut0-BH5gCLcB/s400/smk280117p12.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
This seaweed looks like something I've never seen before. Haha!<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found in my facebook album: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154977047383158.1073741931.547198157&type=1&l=13645f7755" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154977047383158.1073741931.547198157&type=1&l=13645f7755</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-14998835439785574352016-08-06T23:30:00.000+08:002017-01-31T15:54:38.315+08:00Coral bleaching at Terumbu Pempang Laut On 6 Aug 2016, we visited Terumbu Pempang Laut for a coral bleaching check. However there are not many corals on this shore as compared to the rest.<br />
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We estimate about 20-30% of the hard corals are bleaching. About 20-40% of the leathery soft corals were bleaching. We estimate 20-30% of the corals have died recently. <br />
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Here's a look at the bleaching (and dying) <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/alcyoniidae.htm">Leathery soft coral</a> (Family Alcyoniidae). <span class="fullpost">Bleaching happens when corals (and also other
cnidarians) lose the symbiotic algae in their bodies which help produce
nutrients. It is the algae that give the animals their colour.
Scientists think that most bleaching is caused by an increase in sea
surface temperature. Find out more about bleaching in the <a href="http://bleachwatchsingapore.blogspot.com/p/what-is-coral-bleaching.html">Bleach Watch Singapore blog</a>.</span><br />
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It's my first time seeing a bleaching <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/phymanthus.htm">Frilly sea anemone</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Phymanthus </span>sp.) with blue-tipped tentacles. Such unusual colours usually appear when they are stressed. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Here's a photo of a bleaching <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/cryptodendrum.htm">Pizza anemone</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cryptodendrum adhaesivum</span>). </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wlNCAN9ORl8/WJBAP_RAHnI/AAAAAAAAhlQ/FN8gORkzFPIzQP1fTSh0JDmme8tbQlmqACLcB/s1600/tpl060816process05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wlNCAN9ORl8/WJBAP_RAHnI/AAAAAAAAhlQ/FN8gORkzFPIzQP1fTSh0JDmme8tbQlmqACLcB/s400/tpl060816process05.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
However, not all corals are bleaching. Here are some of the leathery soft corals that still retain some of its photosynthetic algae.<br />
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It's a surprise to find the <span class="fullpost"> <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/fungiidae/polyphyllia.htm">Mole mushroom coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Polyphyllia talpina</span>) on this shore as mushroom corals are usually found on more pristine reefs.</span><br />
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The space between the branches of the corals make good hiding place for commensals such as this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/trapezioidea/facebanded.htm">Face-banded coral crab</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Tetralia nigrolineata</span>). This crab has a bandit-like dark band across its broad face.<br />
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It's good to know that the resident <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clam</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>) is still doing well with no signs of being bleached.<br />
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Some lovely sightings include this <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/cardiidae/fragum.htm">Strawberry cockle</a> (<span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Fragum unedo</span>).</span></span> The strawberry cockle has red lines or beads on its shell.</span><br />
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As well as this beautiful <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/orangewhite.htm" target="_blank">flatworm</a>. <br />
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And there's also quite a fair bit of activity and company with the shore birds foraging for food!<br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154410914668158.1073741921.547198157&type=1&l=ed81550f67">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154410914668158.1073741921.547198157&type=1&l=ed81550f67</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-15001559140836720872016-07-23T23:30:00.000+08:002017-01-31T15:36:08.918+08:00Coral bleaching at Semakau EastOn 23 Jul 2016, we visited Semakau East to check out the coral bleaching situation. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sk3FeXTHBhM/WJA6iBl00dI/AAAAAAAAhkA/Svh_-JpZT4Uv0N_hTJCQpfehiJnN3_YiQCLcB/s1600/smk230716p01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sk3FeXTHBhM/WJA6iBl00dI/AAAAAAAAhkA/Svh_-JpZT4Uv0N_hTJCQpfehiJnN3_YiQCLcB/s400/smk230716p01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
It seems that the reef is doing badly. We estimate about 70% of the hard corals and 40% of the leathery soft corals are bleaching. We estimate 5-10% of the corals have died recently.<br />
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Above are three photos showing extensive bleaching in most hard corals. <br />
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<span class="fullpost">Bleaching happens when corals (and also other
cnidarians) lose the symbiotic algae in their bodies which help produce
nutrients. It is the algae that give the animals their colour.
Scientists think that most bleaching is caused by an increase in sea
surface temperature. Find out more about bleaching in the <a href="http://bleachwatchsingapore.blogspot.com/p/what-is-coral-bleaching.html">Bleach Watch Singapore blog</a>.</span><br />
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Even the anemones also suffer from bleaching and they do turn pinkish when distressed.<br />
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It's really a heartbreak to see both bleaching and dying corals while the others continue to hang on.<br />
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On the positive side, some of the coral species are still hanging on such as this huge <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/faviidae/diploastrea.htm">Moon coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Diploastrea heliopora</span>).<br />
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Some of the soft corals are still doing alright. <br />
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It's a consolation to see some of these animals that we often find on our shore trips such as this <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/crinoidea/crinoidea.htm">Feather star</a> (Order Comatulida)</span></span>.<br />
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This slug with purplish bumps is known as the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/nigra.htm">Black phyllid nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Phyllidiella nigra</span>).</span></span></span><br />
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The special find of this trip would be this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/vastus.htm" target="_blank">Curryfish sea cucumber</a> (<i>Stichopus vastus</i>). Think it's my first or second time seeing it! We hardly see them on our reefs. The animal may disintegrate if it is handled or take out of water for a long time. So please don't touch it.<br />
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It's good to also know that the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clams</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>) are not bleaching.<br />
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Let's hope that the shore will recover with new beginnings such as the dawn that we see in this photo.<br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154373785068158.1073741920.547198157&type=1&l=3959d11c34">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154373785068158.1073741920.547198157&type=1&l=3959d11c34</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-68734932855565860022016-07-11T20:17:00.000+08:002016-07-11T20:17:00.898+08:00Coral Bleaching in Terumbu SemakauOur final survey for this season of low spring tide would be to check out the coral bleaching at Terumbu Semakau, a patch reef off Semakau Landfill.<br />
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How are the corals doing? Unfortunately, they are not doing well.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I came across this patch of <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/acroporidae/acropora.htm">Acropora corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Acropora</span> sp.) <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2015/12/christmas-with-full-moon-at-terumbu.html" target="_blank">during Christmas last year</a> and checked them out again on this trip. All of them are now looking pale which is a result of photosynthetic algae leaving the coral colonies. <br />
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Some of the branches have in fact died off and become part of the coral rubble. <br />
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The corals that congregate at the reef edge now form a "white line" as the bleaching is going on. They now become more conspicuous. <br />
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This reminded me of the <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2010/06/more-bleaching-at-terumbu-semakau.html" target="_blank">mass coral bleaching in 2010</a> and the photo above was also from Terumbu Semakau. It took a few months for recovery to take place. <br />
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Looking across to Semakau East, a shore off the mangroves of the original Pulau Semakau, one can see even more bleaching corals. <br />
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This is once again similar to what we observed in 2010 as shown through the old photo above. <br />
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The corals that are submerged are also bleaching. <br />
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Here's more hard corals that are affected. In general, we estimate about 50% of the hard corals and 50% of the leathery soft corals are bleaching. In addition, we estimate 20% of the corals have died recently.<br />
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Here's a look at the bleaching <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/alcyoniidae.htm">Leathery soft corals</a> (Family Alcyoniidae). </span><br />
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On the brighter side where we look at the cup as half full instead of half empty, 50% of the hard corals are still alright and are not bleaching. Above is an assortment of different hard corals that still look fine. <br />
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The sea anemones are not spared as they too also contain photosynthetic algae that would exit their host during high sea surface temperature. Above is a collage of both a bleaching and non-bleaching (or slight bleaching?) <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/cryptodendrum.htm">Pizza anemone</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cryptodendrum adhaesivum</span>). </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUIFiD4cZpo/V4Hq44cII2I/AAAAAAAAhao/4lDG6EgqtaQE9Z6qFxkezi97ZnEoz93DACLcB/s1600/tsmk090716p11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUIFiD4cZpo/V4Hq44cII2I/AAAAAAAAhao/4lDG6EgqtaQE9Z6qFxkezi97ZnEoz93DACLcB/s400/tsmk090716p11.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/magnifica.htm">Magnificent sea anemones</a> (<i>Heteractis magnifica</i>) seem to be alright. I didn't see any of these anemones bleaching. <br />
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Ria came across two of these uncommon <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/mertensii.htm">Merten's carpet anemone</a> (<i>Stichodactyla mertensii</i>). The Merten's carpet anemone has shorter tentacles that densely cover the
oral disk. It also has colourful bumps on its body column.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KhaNwIx_hLw/V4Hq5YXgcpI/AAAAAAAAhaw/K6L2ZDWQ49wdS3PQ6kt3YiJ3mknd7L7oACLcB/s1600/tsmk090716p13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KhaNwIx_hLw/V4Hq5YXgcpI/AAAAAAAAhaw/K6L2ZDWQ49wdS3PQ6kt3YiJ3mknd7L7oACLcB/s400/tsmk090716p13.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/entacmaea.htm">Bubble tip sea anemones</a> (<i>Entacmea quadricolor</i>) are usually badly affected by bleaching events. All of those that I saw were badly bleached.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOFc72RO6p0/V4Hq5XfJ3jI/AAAAAAAAha0/iCv3AskevVsLuZgx_Duhzbxfb6Slsvz-wCLcB/s1600/tsmk090716p14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOFc72RO6p0/V4Hq5XfJ3jI/AAAAAAAAha0/iCv3AskevVsLuZgx_Duhzbxfb6Slsvz-wCLcB/s400/tsmk090716p14.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Some of the Bubble tip sea anemones are home to the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pomacentridae/frenatus.htm">Tomato anemonefish</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Amphiprion frenatus</span>)</span><span class="fullpost">. And it's quite sad if these bleached sea anemones die off because that would be the nemos would lose their home. </span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XrMVJQdzJEI/V4Hq5syyHPI/AAAAAAAAha4/zEGy2pzQwfs2otnby_oXoHicUd4T3EuPQCLcB/s1600/tsmk090716p15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XrMVJQdzJEI/V4Hq5syyHPI/AAAAAAAAha4/zEGy2pzQwfs2otnby_oXoHicUd4T3EuPQCLcB/s400/tsmk090716p15.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Here's another view of the nemo in the bleached anemone. I also took a video as shown below. <br />
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/173999283">Tomato clownfish with bleached anemone</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user696199">Loh Kok Sheng</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLolvDY62us/V4Hq55rtAyI/AAAAAAAAha8/LRG8zfsbIIgo3hGxA3OQAuV0X1i6SfYdwCLcB/s1600/tsmk090716p15a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLolvDY62us/V4Hq55rtAyI/AAAAAAAAha8/LRG8zfsbIIgo3hGxA3OQAuV0X1i6SfYdwCLcB/s400/tsmk090716p15a.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
And once again, it reminded me of what I observed in 2010. The photo above was taken during 2010's coral bleaching period. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UfCykbiQVqI/V4Hq5ywAkVI/AAAAAAAAhbA/tFdgiqF0SMkryivk0rvTR8aVUvV-2On_wCLcB/s1600/tsmk090716p16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UfCykbiQVqI/V4Hq5ywAkVI/AAAAAAAAhbA/tFdgiqF0SMkryivk0rvTR8aVUvV-2On_wCLcB/s400/tsmk090716p16.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
It was nice to see the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clam</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>) that the team found previously. It looks fine and is not bleaching. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i-BQCgyN_Bo/V4Hq6Cbx2HI/AAAAAAAAhbE/HB_TVWaJjBAddvOXaN8655leI3EghBZ1wCLcB/s1600/tsmk090716p17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i-BQCgyN_Bo/V4Hq6Cbx2HI/AAAAAAAAhbE/HB_TVWaJjBAddvOXaN8655leI3EghBZ1wCLcB/s400/tsmk090716p17.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
This <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/snakes/granulatus.htm">Banded file snake</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Acrochordus granulatus</span>) is usually sighted at or near Semakau. Surprisingly, some of them tend to be covered with algae. Not too sure why.</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Let's hope that the coral bleaching will end soon. Some of the corals are already dying or dead and we do wish for speedy recovery! </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154339767383158.1073741919.547198157&type=1&l=f2ba83ba54">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154339767383158.1073741919.547198157&type=1&l=f2ba83ba54</a></span>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-29111062669140876042016-07-06T16:11:00.000+08:002016-07-06T16:13:06.727+08:00Baby Knobblies at Pulau SekuduWith permissions from National Parks Board, we are back at Pulau Sekudu to do our annual survey. Otherwise, this island is actually out of bounds. <br />
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We had the best sunrise out of the 3 days we were out thus far! I must say this shot is definitely postcard-worthy. Thank God once again for great weather. :)<br />
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The top finds of the day for me would definitely be the numerous <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<i>Protoreaster nodosus</i>)! <br />
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I saw a total of 7 juvenile Knobblies on this trip! We don't see or don't often see the young ones on this shore before. That's a good sign because it means the stars are procreating and younger ones will replace the older ones that has been on Sekudu for ages. <br />
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Here's a collage of the adult Knobblies that I came across today. Coincidentally, also 7 of them. We have been seeing them every year on our annual surveys. <br />
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How's the corals doing at Sekudu? To begin with, I found less hard corals this year, in fact only two colonies. One of the two <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/porboulder.htm">Pore hard corals</a> (<i>Porites</i> sp.) is partially bleached. <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WrkByqiKALo/V3y3J-jE6fI/AAAAAAAAhYs/XMkPvTW8ySQWSHWBQAGQWtXmCkQKLAC4wCLcB/s1600/skd060716p06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WrkByqiKALo/V3y3J-jE6fI/AAAAAAAAhYs/XMkPvTW8ySQWSHWBQAGQWtXmCkQKLAC4wCLcB/s400/skd060716p06.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The other one looked fine. Where did the rest go? Did they die during the coral bleaching period? <br />
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All the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/nephtheidae.htm" target="_blank">Flowery soft corals</a> (Family Nephtheidae) are bleaching. Nonetheless, this made commensals more prominent. I managed to spot this <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/ovulidae/softcoral.htm">Soft coral false cowrie</a> (Family Ovulidae). </span><br />
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Somehow, the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/nepball.htm">Ball flowery soft corals</a> (Family Nephtheidae) seem unaffected. <br />
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This shot shows the unbleached and bleached version of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/posy.htm">Posy anemones</a>. Most of them seem to be doing ok. <br />
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The <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/gorgonacea/gorgonacea.htm">Sea fans or Gorgonians</a> (Order Gorgonacea) are doing alright but they seem to be not as abundant this year. </span><br />
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Similar to Chek Jawa, what's doing well would be the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/porifera/branchpurple.htm">Purple branching sponges</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Callyspongia </span>sp.). The sponge situation is also better! </span><br />
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Here's a collage of the different sponges found on the coral rubble of Sekudu, which is only revealed at super low tide. <br />
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With sponges come slugs that tend to feed on them. Though there are many distracting black blobs that are actually ascidians, I managed to spot this <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/intecta.htm">Black prickly nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Atagema intecta</span>). It was actually laying eggs. </span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTysgUT0wSo/V3y3LWU0kqI/AAAAAAAAhZM/8kzdl-29S-QnqFRN2ONM496krUWvrxrWACLcB/s1600/skd060716p14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTysgUT0wSo/V3y3LWU0kqI/AAAAAAAAhZM/8kzdl-29S-QnqFRN2ONM496krUWvrxrWACLcB/s400/skd060716p14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Other slugs and flatworms were also spotted such as the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/lineolata.htm">Lined chromodoris nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Chromodoris lineolata</span>), </span></span></span><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/fineline.htm">Fine-lined flatworms</a>, <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/blueline.htm">Blue-lined flatworm</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudoceros</span>
sp.) and </span><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost">also the </span></span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/laingensis.htm">Purple-spotted yellow flatworm</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudoceros laingensis</span>).</span> <br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/xanthidae/pictor.htm">Mosaic reef crab</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Lophozozymus pictor</span>) is the most poisonous crab of Singapore! There were several documented deaths caused by eating this crab. We seldom see them on northern shores as they tend to be sighted in the southern reefs. <br />
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I only saw one <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/echinoidea/sandollar/depressum.htm" target="_blank">Thick-edged sand dollars</a> (<i>Jacksonaster depressum</i>). <br />
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The team found the ever dreadful <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/synanceiidae/horrida.htm">Hollow-cheeked stonefish</a> (<i>Synanceia horrida</i>) inside the bubu fish trap that was later disabled. <span class="fullpost">The stonefish is one of the most dangerous fishes
on our shores. It has tough dorsal fin spines that can penetrate thick
soled shoes. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost">They are called stonefish simply because they
look like a stone and remain rather motionless most of the time, just
like a real stone.</span></span><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"> </span> </span><br />
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We enjoyed a great view of the egg yolk version of sun risisng from the horizon and also noticing the wild boars foraging on the coral rubble of Chek Jawa. Chek Jawa is just a stone's throw away from Sekudu. <br />
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Ending off this post featuring the team mates and also showing the numerous <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/haddoni.htm">Haddon's carpet anemones</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Stichodactyla haddoni</span>).<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154325598748158.1073741918.547198157&type=1&l=311078f9d7">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154325598748158.1073741918.547198157&type=1&l=311078f9d7</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-1691218177189736302016-07-06T15:44:00.002+08:002016-07-06T16:12:44.197+08:00My favourites on East Coast's reclaimed shoresDespite most people's perception that there's not much marine life in Singapore, we do have lots of shores to explore during low tide. And I'm back here checking out two stretches of East Coast after two years <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2014/07/colourful-shores-of-east-coast-park.html" target="_blank">since 2014</a>. How are they doing?<br />
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Once again, we ended our survey of 2 shores with a beautiful glow from sunrise. Prior to this, we spent some time checking two different stretches. <br />
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We first went to the jetty legs of Bedok jetty and they are still home to various types of marine life such as sponges, sea fans, ascidians, hydroids and soft corals.<br />
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Here's a collage showing the different types of organisms found on the jetty legs. <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost">On the whole, there were less encrustation and no large sea fans on the jetty legs. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r4Q9ibgCRj0/V3yxQhDL-iI/AAAAAAAAhXc/npI0hbAMRncsioHuiDKpUQgmX9JMHzTiACLcB/s1600/ecp050716p04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r4Q9ibgCRj0/V3yxQhDL-iI/AAAAAAAAhXc/npI0hbAMRncsioHuiDKpUQgmX9JMHzTiACLcB/s400/ecp050716p04.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
This looks like the purple version of the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/knobbly.htm">Knobbly soft coral</a> (<i>Carijoa</i> sp.). First time seeing it! </span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT9H1fL9qzg/V3yxQolWdTI/AAAAAAAAhXY/y8j80ALgYu4DNWCA2jVq7ZmxwOxbqFajQCLcB/s1600/ecp050716p05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT9H1fL9qzg/V3yxQolWdTI/AAAAAAAAhXY/y8j80ALgYu4DNWCA2jVq7ZmxwOxbqFajQCLcB/s400/ecp050716p05.JPG" width="297" /></a></div>
There are also <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/gorgonacea/gorgonacea.htm">Sea fans or Gorgonians</a> (Order Gorgonacea) on another wall, albeit lesser than two years ago. They come in various colours, shapes and sizes and only are exposed at super low tides. </span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cOap53xHBnc/V3yxQrH-5uI/AAAAAAAAhXg/yme4os2eU2orhkhfMoXAtguHEhV3QI8wgCLcB/s1600/ecp050716p06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cOap53xHBnc/V3yxQrH-5uI/AAAAAAAAhXg/yme4os2eU2orhkhfMoXAtguHEhV3QI8wgCLcB/s400/ecp050716p06.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
There was one <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/gorgonacea/tree.htm" target="_blank">Tree sea fan</a> (Family Melithaeidae) which looks stunning in bright orange! <br />
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I took a closer look to examine the sea fan and found commensals such as hermit crabs and also barnacles.<br />
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And here's a collage of even more types of sea fans! I can't stop posting them as they are one of my favourites!<br />
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The small team went on to another location to realise that beside the shore there's some construction works going on. <br />
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One of the surprises which happen to be my favourites would be to find sea stars. It's our first sighting of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/archaster.htm">Common sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Archaster typicus</span>) on this reclaimed shore!<br />
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Here's a closer look at the Common sea star that is no longer common on mainland shores due to coastal modification during the past decades.<br />
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Another lovely surprise would be to find two juvenile <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Protoreaster nodosus</span>)! The baby Knobblies seem to be found at various locations recently. The last we <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2016/06/coral-bleaching-check-at-tanah-merah.html" target="_blank">saw them on a mainland shore was at Tanah Merah</a>, for the first time too. <br />
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This is the second baby Knobbly that I came across during this survey. It looks more greenish, somewhat transiting from the completely green body to getting more brownish. <br />
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There were also tiny <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/tinyred.htm" target="_blank">Tiny red sea cucumbers</a> (Family Cucumariidae) that we don't see often on other shores.<br />
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It's my first time seeing the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/tetraodontidae/patoca.htm" target="_blank">Milk-spotted pufferfish</a> (<i>Chelonodon patoca</i>)! And there were a few swimming in the shallow waters. <br />
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To my dismay, the rocky areas closer to the site of construction seem to be not doing well at all. Couldn't find the usual animals. Only consolation would be to flip rocks and find some snails.<br />
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This shore has evolved over the years since 2007, the year I first visited. It was wiped out once before making a comeback over the past few years. Let's hope the shore will continue to stay alright.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154325596748158.1073741917.547198157&type=1&l=be8ae50c57">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154325596748158.1073741917.547198157&type=1&l=be8ae50c57</a> Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-62018363315195688512016-07-05T20:57:00.001+08:002016-07-05T20:58:29.861+08:00Predawn at Chek Jawa coral rubbleI'm back at Chek Jawa, one of the two seashores that started my passion in marine life (the other is Tanjong Rimau, Sentosa). It's like visiting your friend that has been there all along through different seasons. That applies to both the shore and myself. We were able to visit this shore with permission from Nparks. <br />
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The team soaked in the magnificent presence of the glows from the sunrise after we ended the trip. Yes, we arrived at Ubin before 3am to do a predawn survey and ended at dawn. <br />
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Here's how it looks like way before sunrise. We surveyed most parts of the coral rubble, near the beacon, on this trip.<br />
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The sponges seem to be doing better on this trip as compared to last year. Above shows a collage of the different types of sponges.<br />
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The <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/porifera/branchpurple.htm">Purple branching sponges</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Callyspongia </span>sp.) are definitely making a comeback! So much so that they colonised and grow among seagrasses. Something that we don't often see. </span><br />
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With sponges, there would be also slugs that tend to feed on them. Here's the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/atromarginata.htm">Black-margined nudibranchs</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Doriprismatica atromarginata</span>).</span></span><br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/spongiosa.htm">Purple foot nudibranch</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Atagema spongiosa</span>) is usually so well camouflaged that we miss spotting them. However, I managed to find this because the purple foot was pointing upwards. <br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/ascidiacea/pink.htm" target="_blank">Pink ascidians</a> are also doing very well at the jetty pilings of Chek Jawa. And of course the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/indicus.htm">Blue-spotted flatworms</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudoceros indicus</span>) were having a great time feeding on them. </span></span><br />
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It's my first time seeing the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/ascidianbeige.htm" target="_blank">Marbled flatworms</a> <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost">(<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudoceros </span>sp.) </span></span>and they tend to be found on <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/ascidiacea/beige.htm" target="_blank">Beige sheet ascidians</a>. <br />
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Here's a closer look at the Marbled flatworm. The flatworm is edged with a fine narrow line and has really nice patterns on its surface.<br />
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How are the corals doing during this bleaching period? Most, if not all of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/nephtheidae.htm" target="_blank">Flowery soft corals</a> (Family Nephtheidae) are bleaching. <br />
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About 50% of the hard corals were bleaching. Most of the ones we came across are <span class="fullpost">Boulder <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/porboulder.htm">Pore corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Porites </span>sp.).</span><br />
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Here's a healthy-looking Boulder pore coral that is all brown and well. <br />
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The coral rubble habitat is made of a nice mix of seagrass, rubble and sponges. And there's lots of critters to find. <br />
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I managed to find one adult <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea star</a> (<i>Protoreaster nodosus</i>) and believe there are more elsewhere. <br />
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Jonathan found this pretty adult-sized <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/anthenea.htm">Cake sea star</a> (<i>Anthenea aspera</i>) in brown and yellow. Lovely!<br />
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And here's the assortment of sea stars sighted on this trip. <br />
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As the Flowery soft corals get bleached, the commensal <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/ophiuroidea/tinycolourful.htm">Tiny colourful brittle stars</a> (<i>Ophiothela danae</i>) become more conspicuous. <br />
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More commensals sighted include the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/synsponge.htm">Sponge synaptid sea cucumbers</a> found around sponges. <br />
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Here's another shot of the synpatid sea cucumbers around the purple branching sponge. <br />
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And you would notice there are also more critters living among the sponges such as the porcelain crabs. <br />
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I was hoping to find the psychedelic <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/violaceus.htm" target="_blank">Sea apple sea cucumber</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudocolochirus violaceaus</span>)</span></span> and my wish was answered! :)<br />
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Will end off this post with two fishy finds- the first one is the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/triacanthidae/triacanthidae.htm">Tripodfish</a> (Family Triacanthidae) which I've not seen for a while.<br />
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Another not common-sighted fish would be this <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/muraenidae/reevesii.htm" target="_blank">Brown spotted moray eel</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Gymnothorax reevesii</span>). </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Till next year, Chek Jawa! </span>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-40133275633223152182016-07-02T23:08:00.002+08:002016-07-02T23:09:52.413+08:00Back at Pulau Tekukor with turtle findAfter 6 years, I finally set foot at Pulau Tekukor again! My <a href="https://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2010/05/my-first-trip-to-pulau-tekukor.html" target="_blank">last survey here was in 2010</a>. <br />
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The natural rocky coastline is a prominent feature of this untouched island that sits right across Sentosa and St John's Island. <br />
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Though there are not many hard corals at Pulau Tekukor, some of the ones we find there are huge boulder-shaped. And about 60% of all corals we came across were bleaching. <br />
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My first sighting of the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/doreensis.htm">Snaky sea anemone</a> (<i>Macrodactyla doreensis</i>) on this shore. They are named snakey anemones because of their snake-like tentacles that tend to curl. This particular anemone is unfortunately bleached completely. </span><br />
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I later came across more of the same species of anemone and some are still not bleached. <br />
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I saw the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/crispa.htm">Leathery anemone</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Heteractis crispa</span>) again on this shore, alas this fellow has been bleached too. </span></span><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost">The leathery anemones have purple tips on their snakey-like tentacles. In addition, they have </span><span class="fullpost">bumpy prominent verrucae on their whitish body column.</span></span></span></span><br />
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Here's a nice shot of an unbleached <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/alcyoniidae.htm">Leathery soft coral</a> (Family Alcyoniidae) underwater with the cliffs on the background! </span><br />
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Other than corals and anemones, we also saw quite a number of interesting critters on the shores of Tekukor. The first to greet me after landing would be the stunning <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/crinoidea/red.htm" target="_blank">Red feather stars</a> (<i>Himerometra robustipinna</i>).</span></span><br />
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I don't think I have seen this slender goby-like fish before. It has pretty white dots and bands on its body. Not too sure of its identity. <br />
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This peek-a-boo crab is one that we took notice on
Cyrene. It hides inside a hole and carries the rock along as the
ultimate camouflage. Looks like this fellow is really the king of crab
camouflage as compared to the Velcro crab counterpart. <br />
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Though it was bright daylight, we were fortunate to see a couple of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/reefoctopus.htm" target="_blank">Reef octopuses</a> on the shore. They tend to be more nocturnal in nature. <br />
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There were a few surprises on this trip such as the find of this pair of <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/platydoris.htm" target="_blank">Platydoris nudibranch</a> (<i>Platydoris scabra</i>) which we do not commonly see on our shores. <br />
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This field trip took place on my birthday and Jianlin gave me a lovely present by finding three <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/cypraeidae/tigris.htm" target="_blank">Tiger cowries</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cypraea tigris</span>)! This was unexpected! And it's not the first time we see them in a cluster of 3. I wonder why it is 3, not 2 or 4. <br />
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A<span class="fullpost">ccording to the <a href="http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/redbook/aaaCypraea-tigris1aaa.pdf">Singapore Red Data book</a>,
although this cowrie was considered one of the commonest cowries of
the Indo-Pacific, and present on Singapore reefs in the past, the tiger
cowrie is now exceedingly rare.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/173157767" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="415"></iframe>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/173157767">Tiger Cowrie at Pulau Tekukor</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user696199">Loh Kok Sheng</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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Here's a video recorded underwater showing how the cowrie moves. They are really pretty!<br />
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Another surprise would be the find of this adult <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clam</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>)! It's amazing no one spotted it before given that it is not near the reef edge and that it is quite large. <br />
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The final surprise would be to stumble upon this Green turtle (<i>Chelonia mydas</i>) that seemed to have died not long ago. I was shocked to find it on the shore with the incoming tide. <br />
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The common name of Green turtle arose from the colour of the cartilage and fat deposits around their internal organs. Adults eat mainly or only seagrasses and thus found near coastal areas with seagrass meadows. Juveniles are omnivorous and eat seaweeds, crabs and squid. <br />
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We wondered why it died as there were no signs of being strangled or hit. One possibility could be due to consumption of plastic and other materials. <br />
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In all, we had a fruitful trip surveying the shore and checking for bleaching. Hope to be able to come back some time soon. Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-87177819782617763602016-06-08T19:00:00.000+08:002016-06-21T12:57:20.449+08:00Coral bleaching at Cyrene ReefMost of the time,we will be exploring the seagrass and sandy areas of Cyrene Reef as they are thick with critters. On a super low tide, we decided to dedicate a slot for Cyrene Reef to look at the reef edge. However, it coincided with the coral bleaching period and it became a survey to monitor the extent of bleaching. <br />
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It's heartbreaking to see many of the corals bleaching. About 80% of the hard and soft corals appear stressed as they lose their coloration.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span class="fullpost">In case you are scratching your head wondering
what is coral bleaching? Bleaching happens when corals (and also other
cnidarians) lose the symbiotic algae in their bodies which help produce
nutrients. It is the algae that give the animals their colour.
Scientists think that most bleaching is caused by an increase in sea
surface temperature. Find out more about bleaching in the <a href="http://bleachwatchsingapore.blogspot.com/p/what-is-coral-bleaching.html">Bleach Watch Singapore blog</a>.</span><br />
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Here's another look from far on the bleached corals. They become more distinctive now. <br />
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And here's a closer look at both bleaching hard and soft corals. <br />
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This collage shows an assortment of different types of hard and soft corals affected by the bleaching event. <br />
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As the coral cover at Cyrene Reef is not thick, the bleaching looks sparse in photos like this. However, most of the corals are affected. <br />
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When they turn white, those commensals living in corals become evidently visible. Such as these orange <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/ophiuroidea/tinycolourful.htm">Tiny colourful brittle stars</a> (<i>Ophiothela danae</i>) on the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/nepasparagus.htm">Asparagus soft corals</a> (Family Nephtheidae).</span><br />
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Here's more colourful tiny brittle stars on the soft corals. <br />
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As for the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/pocilloporidae/pocillopora.htm">Cauliflower corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pocillopora</span> sp.), one can easily spot the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/trapezioidea/redcoral.htm" target="_blank">Red coral crab</a> (<i>Trapezia cymodoce</i>) living among the branches. <br />
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The sea anemones are also affected by the bleaching event and they also lose their coloration or turn slightly purplish when stressed up. <br />
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The consolation would be that not all the corals are affected. Some of them still look healthy.<br />
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Here's a collage of the hard and soft corals that still look alright. Let's hope they stay ok. <br />
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One may wonder where did many of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Protoreaster nodosus</span>) go to. On this trip, as I walked far to the other end, I realised they have moved to this corner of Cyrene. There are so so many of them! <br />
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A lovely surprise on this trip would be to find a juvenile <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clam</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>)! It's been a while since we see them on Cyrene.<br />
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Jellyfish seems to be very common in this hot season and we see quite a number of them in our waters. And near some of them, you can find fish swimming around. <br />
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This was the fish that swam around the purple jellyfish. <br />
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Jonathan spotted this interesting moment of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pseudochromidae/subducens.htm">Carpet eel blenny</a> (<i>Congrogadus subducens</i>) snacking on a <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/labridae/dussumieri.htm">Diamond wrasse</a> (<i>Halichoeres dussumieri</i>). It later swallowed the whole wrasse by gulping it down. <br />
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The team found several of the special <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/pentaceraster.htm">Pentaceraster sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pentaceraster mammilatus</span>) in different coloration. </span></span></span><br />
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Shall end off this post with a photo of the beacon at the other end of Cyrene Reef.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/22o2E3">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/22o2E3</a> Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-44445704124062787062016-06-07T21:02:00.001+08:002016-06-07T21:28:12.330+08:00Spongey comeback at Beting BronokBeting Bronok (BB) is one of our last northern reefs that is home to a wide variety of marine life that we don't see on our mainland shores. We only visit BB once a year to do our annual survey and noticed over the years that the reef is deteriorating. <br />
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BB is located off the north of Pulau Tekong and it is only
exposed at a good low spring tide. Just right across the channel
(Eastern Johor Straits) would be Pengarang, Johor. Today, we noticed that the sponges are making a comeback! You can see good growths of the colourful sponges in this landscape shot. <br />
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Here's a look at how BB was like in July 2008. Back then there were more sponges and the branching ones were doing very well. <br />
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Back to 2016, The growth in sponges have improved as compared to 2015. In fact, we noticed a lot more of the red <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/porifera/xestospongia.htm">Barrel sponges</a> (<i>Xestospongia testudinaria</i>) starting to take root here.</span><br />
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Here's another look at how the Barrel sponge looks like before they become huge like barrels. The shapes range from fingers, hollow tubes to adult-like large vase shapes.<br />
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This collage shows the variety of colourful sponges that reside on BB. I hope they continue to do well as Chek Jawa and Pulau Sekudu are still not as sponge-filled as BB. It would be sad to lose this last stronghold. <br />
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How are the corals doing in this bleaching period? The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/neppink.htm">Pink flowery soft corals</a> (<i>Dendronephthya</i> sp.) and <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/nepball.htm">Ball flowery soft corals</a> seem to be alright. <br />
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However, the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/nepspiky.htm">Spiky flowery soft corals</a> (<i>Stereonephthya</i> sp.) have bleached.<br />
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Here's how they look like from far. They have become a lot more conspicuous as they have been bleached. <br />
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About 30% of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/porboulder.htm">Boulder pore corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Porites </span>sp.) have been bleached. This is similar to <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2016/06/coral-bleaching-check-at-tanah-merah.html" target="_blank">my observation at Tanah Merah</a> where this genus seems to be one of the firsts to be affected by thermal stress. <br />
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The other types of hard corals seem to be ok, such as this boulder-shaped coral. <br />
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Today we noticed an explosion of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/olive.htm">Olive flatworms</a> (<i>Tytthosoceros lizardensis</i>) as they are in season. This was the first moving animal that I saw after landing. <br />
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There were also many <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/acanthozoon.htm">Black spotted flatworms</a> (<i>Acanthozoon </i>sp.) and this particular one is super long! </span><br />
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Similar to last year, the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/gracillimum.htm">Slender ceratosoma nudibranchs</a> (<i>Ceratosoma gracillimum</i>) are common during the survey. These slugs tend to be spotted by divers. <br />
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Jianlin saw lots of these <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/ianthina.htm">Blue dragon nudibranchs</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pteraeolidia ianthina</span>). We never fail to be amazed by the electrifying blue colour on their body. </span></span><br />
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Chay Hoon lived up to her name by finding this super small blob that is actually a slug of some sort. We do not know its identity yet. <br />
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Today we saw the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/craspidaster.htm">Bordered sea star</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Craspidaster hesperus</span>)! Here's how it looks like in-situ.</span><br />
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We came across a bountiful harvest of about 6 or more today! Here's 3 of them in one shot. <br />
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According to Dr Lane's "A Guide to Sea Stars and Other Echinoderms of
Singapore", the arms of this sea star are bordered with a distinct
series of wide marginal plates which themselves taper in size towards
the ends of the arms. The upper surface consists
of closely packed table-like paxillae crowned with short spinelets.<br />
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Sadly, the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Protoreaster nodosus</span>)
that used to be found in higher numbers have either moved away or have
died. Even at the lowest tide, I could only find one at the usual stretch. Later on, Nick found another one at an unusual spot. There are also the </span></span></span></span></span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/gymnanthenea.htm">Spiny sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Gymnanthenea laevis</span>) and the </span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/anthenea.htm">Cake sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Anthenea aspera</span>).</span><br />
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This is my first time seeing the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/echinoidea/urchin/diadema.htm">Long-spined black sea urchin</a> (<i>Diadema setosum</i>) on BB, though it has been recorded here before. </span></span></span><br />
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Compared to previous years, we saw more <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/crinoidea/crinoidea.htm">Feather stars</a> (Order Comatulida) on this trip! </span></span><br />
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Jianlin was hoping to see the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/syngnathidae/kuda.htm">Estuarine seahorses</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Hippocampus kuda</span>) and Jonathan found the first one. It's bright in yellow! </span><br />
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And soon after, I found another one which is more speckled with black. I find the pattern really nice! <br />
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Another fishy surprise would be this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/ostraciidae/nasus.htm" target="_blank">Shortnosed boxfish</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Rhynchostracion nasus</span>). The boxfish has a strong and hard body shell. This species is likely to
be able to secrete a powerful toxin on the skin (called ostracitoxin).
This toxin is poisonous to other fishes and can even kill the boxfish
itself if it is confined in an aquarium. Thus they are not recommended
for aquariums.<br />
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This <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/menippidae/hardwickii.htm">Thunder crab</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Myomenippe hardwickii</span>) was spotted to be holding on tightly to its new prey- the</span></span></span></span></span></span> <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/dasyatidae/lymma.htm">Blue-spotted fantail ray</a> (<i>Taeniura lymma</i>)! Our first time seeing this crab snacking on the stingray. <br />
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Here's a mandatory shot of BB with Pengarang, Malaysia at its background. We will meet again in 2017! Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-3882167841693064892016-06-06T18:18:00.001+08:002016-06-06T18:18:51.665+08:00Back at Changi's echinoderm havenOne of the first few shores that shore lovers would visit definitely includes Changi Beach. <br />
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After one year, I'm back to take a look at how it is doing and we agreed it has changed. Nevertheless, it is still an echinoderm haven.<br />
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Firstly, there still many sea cucumbers which mainly are <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/cercodemas.htm">Pink warty sea cucumbers</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cercodemas anceps</span>)<span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"> and </span></span><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/colochirus.htm">Thorny sea cucumbers</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Colochirus quadrangularis</span>)</span>. Unfortunately, there isn't as many sea stars on this stretch as compared to the past.</span></span><br />
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It's always a joy to say hello to the psychedelic <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/violaceus.htm" target="_blank">Sea apple sea cucumber</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudocolochirus violaceaus</span>)</span></span>! Though pretty and brightly coloured, these sea cucumbers are extremely toxic when placed in an aquarium or tank. <br />
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Here's a collage showing an assortment of the different types of sea cucumber species that one can find at Changi.<br />
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We were relieved to find more of the sea stars further down. They include <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/goniodiscaster.htm">Biscuit stars</a> (<i>Goniodiscaster scaber</i>), <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/anthenea.htm">Cake sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Anthenea aspera</span>), </span><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/sandpainted.htm">Painted sand stars</a> (<i>Astropecten</i> sp.) and <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/asterina.htm">Crown sea star</a> (<i>Asterina coronata</i>). Strangely, we didn't see any of the common <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/sandplain.htm">Plain Sand stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Astropecten </span>sp.).</span> </span> <br />
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The team also found a large <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/luimaculata.htm" target="_blank">Eight-armed sand star</a> (<i>Luidia maculata</i>). They are not so commonly found on our shores.<br />
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I later on found another two juvenile ones. Unfortunately, they have lost some limbs. <br />
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Jonathan found what seems to be a <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/crinoidea/purpurea.htm" target="_blank">Purple feather star</a> (<i>Comatula purpurea</i>)! This is the only 10-armed feather star seen in Singapore. <br />
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Where the pipes leads to the deeper waters are some small branches of <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/gorgonacea/gorgonacea.htm">Sea fans or Gorgonians</a> (Order Gorgonacea). </span><br />
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This Changi shore has changed in many aspects, one of which would be the new growth of the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/seagrass/rotundata.htm">Smooth ribbon seagrass</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cymodocea rotundata</span>).</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Terrain-wise, the ground is definitely a lot more firm. There are many areas that used to be too soft to walk on but today I could safely transverse without sweat. Wonder where these sediments come from. </span><br />
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More organisms sighted include this cute crab with knobs on its claws hiding beneath the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/haddoni.htm">Haddon's carpet anemones</a> (<i>Stichodactyla haddoni</i>). It really look like a kid hiding under a carpet. Haha!</span><br />
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Here's how the crab look like without the "shield". We still do not really know its identity. <br />
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I came across this whelk that looks like the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/nassariidae/limnaeiformis.htm" target="_blank">Speckled whelk</a> (<i>Nassarius limnaeiformis</i>). I seldom pay attention to whelks but this one has a nicely-patterned shell. <br />
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Though we saw a couple of moults, there's also this living <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/arthropoda/limulidae/carcinoscorpius.htm">Mangrove horseshoe crab</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Carcinoscopius rotundicauda</span>).</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost"> Sadly, the horseshoe crab and a sea pen have been entangled with fishing lines. This is a result of irresponsible disposal of fishing lines. Thankfully I brought a scissors to cut off the line from the horseshoe crab and the sea pen.</span><br />
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There's still a myriad assortment of marine creatures on Changi despite the various pressures faced since it is such an accessible yet tiny mainland shore. <br />
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Just like today's sunrise, every cloud has a silver lining. I mean golden lining (literally). Let's hope we will continue to still enjoy rich marine life off the coast of Changi. <br />
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Here's ending off the post with the amusing "Sea dragon" cloud formation. :)<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/aTL2ui">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/aTL2ui</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-59624488193391030722016-06-05T17:06:00.000+08:002016-06-06T17:31:35.757+08:00Coral bleaching check at Tanah MerahI have been visiting the <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2009/05/probably-best-mainland-reef.html" target="_blank">reefs off Tanah Merah since 2009</a> and it continues to be the best mainland coral reef despite being a reclaimed shore. It has <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2010/06/checkup-on-tanah-merah-coral-garden.html" target="_blank">suffered from the oil spill and coral bleaching period in 2010</a> and after about 6 years we are facing yet another coral bleaching period this year. <br />
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How are the corals doing? From this photo, you can see that some species are more affected than others.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span class="fullpost">In case you are scratching your head wondering
what is coral bleaching? Bleaching happens when corals (and also other
cnidarians) lose the symbiotic algae in their bodies which help produce
nutrients. It is the algae that give the animals their colour.
Scientists think that most bleaching is caused by an increase in sea
surface temperature. Find out more about bleaching in the <a href="http://bleachwatchsingapore.blogspot.com/p/what-is-coral-bleaching.html">Bleach Watch Singapore blog</a>.</span><br />
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Tanah Merah is a special reclaimed shore where different types of corals grow close to each other. From this shot, one can see that some of the not-so-tough corals that first succumb to bleaching include <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/porboulder.htm">Boulder pore corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Porites </span>sp.), <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/fungiidae/circular.htm" target="_blank">Circular mushroom coral</a> (<i>Fungia </i>sp.), </span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/dendrophylliidae/thin.htm">Thin Disk coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Turbinaria </span>sp.) and some greenish-looking </span><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/gonbig.htm">Anemone coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Goniopora </span>sp.).</span></span><br />
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The branching <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/pocilloporidae/pocillopora.htm">Cauliflower coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pocillopora</span> sp.) in the middle is also one of the first few victims of thermal stress in the waters. </span><br />
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This photo shows the bleaching of <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/porboulder.htm">Boulder pore corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Porites </span>sp.) and<span class="fullpost"> </span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/dendrophylliidae/thin.htm">Thin Disk coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Turbinaria </span>sp.). There's a huge jellyfish on the left! </span><br />
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Some of the Boulder pore corals are already dying as a result of losing their symbiotic algae. <br />
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Here's a collage of the different types of bleaching hard corals. <br />
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Yet on the other hand, about 70% of the corals are still fine and healthy as they look brown, blue and green. Let's hope they stay resilient! <br />
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Surprisingly, I usually do not spot much reef organisms. Probably due to the fact that this shore is one of, if not the toughest shore to navigate. Nevertheless, good to still see the resident <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/chaetodontidae/octofasciatus.htm">Eight-banded butterflyfish</a> (<i>Chaetodon octofasciatus</i>). They mainly feed on coral polyps. </span><br />
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The <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/grapsidae/albolineatus.htm">Sally-light-foot crab</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Grapsus albolineatus</span>) is common on the higher shores and this individual caught another crab to feast on. </span></span><br />
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Ian found the pretty <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/naticidae/onca.htm">China moon snail</a> (<i>Natica onca</i>). This moon snail is not usually sighted. <br />
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Since Jianlin's find of the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Protoreaster nodosus</span>) during his survey in May, I was keen to see them for myself. And we were glad to find two baby ones! Other sea stars include the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/archaster.htm">Common sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Archaster typicus</span>) and the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/sandpainted.htm">Painted sand stars</a> (<i>Astropecten</i> sp.). <br />
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At the rocky and seagrass areas, we were surprised to find several types of sea cucumbers. <br />
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There are some jellyfishes that got stranded during the low tide. They look a lot better when placed back into the tide pool. <br />
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Here's another one that has spots on its surface. Not sure of its identity though.<br />
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That's all for the report from this trip. We will be checking another southern shore later this week and will give more updates on coral bleaching.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/RM20P1">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/RM20P1</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-23556551544085941072016-05-09T21:09:00.000+08:002016-06-06T13:09:21.665+08:00Checking out the reefy East Coast shore It's been about 3 years since I last visited certain stretches of East Coast Park during super low spring tide. Yes there's marine life at East Coast! However, they are only exposed at
super low tides that do not usually occur much in a year and that
limits the number of times we can go down to take a look. <br />
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One of my favourite spots would be this stretch that is home to lots of colourful sea fans! Even at the minimum tide, the sea fans are still half submerged and I had to endure the splashes from the waves.<br />
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It is not difficult to find the rarey <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/ophiuroidea/basket.htm">Basket stars</a> (Family Euryalidae) clinging onto the sea fans if you look hard enough. <br />
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Here's another one that got swept up the higher shore. According to Dr David Lane, juveniles are often found on sea fans, while adults are typically found under large corals and crevices during the day, but at night climb up to an elevated point to unfurl their arms into the current. <br />
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What a surprise to find an octopus among the rocks by the seawall! <br />
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Earlier during this trip, I had a quick look at yet another stretch which used to be full of reefy organisms. <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost">This shore was <a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-are-east-coast-shores-doing-after.html" target="_blank">previously badly hit</a> by the <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2010/05/oil-spill-off-changi-east-singapore_30.html" target="_blank">oil spill in 2010</a>. During our <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2013/06/back-at-colourful-shores-of-east-coast.html" target="_blank">last visit in 2013</a>, it seemed very sparse. Back then, w</span></span>e figured it could be due to beach nourishment
(topping up of sand) that took place earlier. This could have smothered
many of the marine life.<br />
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During this trip, I noticed the shore is still not at its former glory but it is slowly recovering. One of my favourite moments would be to find this rock with a tiny colony of the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/dendrophylliidae/turbinaria.htm">Disk coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Turbinaria</span> sp.), a </span></span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/gymnanthenea.htm">Spiny sea star</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Gymnanthenea laevis</span>) and also a small </span>red <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/gorgonacea/gorgonacea.htm">Sea fan or Gorgonian</a> (Order Gorgonacea). </span><br />
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There are also other types of encrusting hard corals such as the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/faviidae/oulastrea.htm">Zebra corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Oulastrea crispata</span>), </span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/dendrophylliidae/tubastrea.htm">Cave corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Tubastrea </span>sp.) and the </span><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/faviidae/faviidae.htm"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"></span></span></a><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/porboulder.htm">Pore hard coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Porites </span>sp.)<span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"></span></span>.<br />
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This shore has always been a good spot to find many of these <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"></span></span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/gymnanthenea.htm">Spiny sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Gymnanthenea laevis</span>). Here's one clinging onto the rock. </span><br />
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On top of the Spiny sea stars, there are also new finds on this location- the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/goniodiscaster.htm">Biscuit stars</a> (<i>Goniodiscaster scaber</i>)!<br />
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I saw came across a large <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/sandpainted.htm">Painted sand stars</a> (<i>Astropecten</i> sp.).<br />
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The sea fans are making a comeback with smaller colonies growing onto the rocks. There's also <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/ovulidae/ovulidae.htm" target="_blank">Spindle or False cowrie snails</a> (Family Ovulidae) found on some of them!<br />
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I particularly love this tiny red sea fan with purple tentacles. How cool-looking it is!<br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/cypraeidae/milliaris.htm" target="_blank">Miliaris cowrie</a> (<i>Erosaria miliaris</i>) used to also be found on this shore and I'm glad to find one on this trip. <br />
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And to end off with a lovely surprise, I stumbled upon a handsome <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/cypraeidae/arabica.htm">Arabian cowrie</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cypraea arabica</span>)! First time seeing it here. Let's hope this shore will continue to recover with no further impact. </span></span></span><br />
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<span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost">More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/2Ef6TA">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/2Ef6TA</a></span></span></span>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-14080509126148533772016-05-08T18:00:00.000+08:002016-06-06T12:41:36.697+08:00Coral overdose at Kusu IslandKusu Island is home to hard corals that grow in high density on the intertidal shore. They are exposed only at good low spring tides which usually happen at predawn hours. <br />
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Despite having to wake up super early, we will occasionally be rewarded with spectacular breath-taking sunrises such as this! <br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/acroporidae/montipora.htm" target="_blank">Plate montipora corals</a> (<i>Montipora</i> sp.) are growing so well at Kusu that you can't believe this shot was taken from Singapore. There is hardly any space to even navigate among the corals. <br />
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There are also other types of plate-like, branching and boulder-shaped corals that are found close to each other. <br />
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At the water's edge during the lowest tide level, one can get a glimpse of the thick growths of even more hard corals packed closely beside each other. <br />
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Here's another look at another stretch reef edge. <br />
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It's quite uncommon to see huge growths of the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/acroporidae/acropora.htm">Acropora corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Acropora </span>sp.) and Kusu is quite pristine to have them. </span></span><br />
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What's special in Kusu would also be the explosion of <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/magnifica.htm">Magnificent anemones</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Heteractis magnifica</span>). I saw a </span></span></span><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pomacentridae/ocellaris.htm">False clown anemonefish</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Amphiprion ocellaris</span>) on one of them. </span></span><br />
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This <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/bifurcus.htm">Red-tipped flatworm</a> (<i>Pseudoceros bifurcus</i>) was found over the pink ascidian. We suspect this flatworm feeds on this type of ascidian. </span><br />
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I came across this huge stingray at the murky water and was apprehensive to go closer to check out more as they are capable to jabbing. Took a few shots to process photos at home to find out more.<br />
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Here's a closer look at the stingray. Not too sure about it's identity though. <br />
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Chay Hoon once again amazed us with her microscopic find of this slug that is usually found on the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/heliopora/heliopora.htm">Blue coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Heliopora coerulea</span>).</span></span><br />
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As the coral bleaching season is starting, we noticed a few of the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/haddoni.htm">Haddon's carpet anemones</a> (<i>Stichodactyla haddoni</i>) are losing its zooxanthellae or symbiotic algae.</span><br />
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Here's a last look and check at the corals inside the lagoon. They looked ok! <br />
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And here's signing off with a sunrise shot from land.<br />
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More photos of the trip can be found here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/8222oR">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/8222oR</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-46018578824050520822016-05-02T21:09:00.002+08:002016-05-02T21:10:02.032+08:00Semakau North with Giant Clam findsWe were back at Semakau last Sunday and surveyed the northern shore which has thick reefs at the edge. <br />
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A lovely purplish sunrise accompanied the start of our trip. The weather looked good from the eastward direction. <br />
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However over at the southwest direction were flashes of lightning that made us felt threatened. Thank God the scary elements went away and didn't hit us. <br />
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One of the first finds by Ria would be this huge <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/culcita.htm">Cushion star</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Culcita novaeguinea</span>)! From far, it may be mistaken as a huge rock or hard coral. </span></span><br />
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Among the different types of sea anemones sighted, this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/crispa.htm">Leathery sea anemone</a> (<i>Heteractis crispa</i>) is not commonly seen. They have distinctive long tentacles with purplish tips.<br />
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Mei Lin found this injured <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/lilacina.htm" target="_blank">Spotted foot nudibranch</a> (<i>Tayuva lilacina</i>). Not too sure how it lost part of its body. <br />
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This cute little purple jellyfish was swimming and pushed by the waves at the reef edge. I'm not sure what is the identity of this fellow. <br />
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As usual, the edge is thick with corals of all sorts! The sargassum seaweed is not completely gone and we await their disappearance so that we can check out the corals that were hidden beneath the seaweed bloom. <br />
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Here's some underwater shots of the coral garden at the reef slope. <br />
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And in some of the shots, you may also catch some photobombing fishes! Haha.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralsoft/letsmooth.htm" target="_blank">Smooth leathery soft coral</a> (<i>Sinularia</i> sp.) look like underwater fingers sticking out from beneath.<br />
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I can't exactly make out how many <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/nudibranchia/atromarginata.htm">Black-margined nudibranchs</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Doriprismatica atromarginata</span>) are there in this photo- 2 or 3? :)</span></span><br />
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It's nice to have good friend Mei Lin (aka our giant clam expert) back on our intertidal surveys. And how nice to find a new <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clam</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>) that we have not seen on our previous trips here. This large clam was found right at the edge. <br />
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Whereas Mei Lin found a really pretty <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/crocea.htm">Burrowing Giant Clam</a></span><span class="fullpost"> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Tridacna crocea</span>)! It is buried deep in the rock or coral rubble. The clam bores into the hard surface with a combination of chemical and mechanical methods. </span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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If you zoom in, you can notice that the colours on the mantle are indeed very nice. The giant clam harbours symbiotic zooxanthellae (a kind of single-celled algae) in its fleshy body that also gives the clam its mantle colour. The zooxanthellae produce food through photosynthesis which it shares with the clam.<br />
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And before we depart, we had a look at this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/squamosa.htm">Fluted giant clam</a> (<i>Tridacna squamosa</i>) that we found on our previous trip. Good to see that it is still there! <br />
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Here's an underwater shot which clearly shows the giant clam's siphon which allows it to get food by filtering sea water.<br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/P74hD2">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/P74hD2</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-63037481913375325602016-04-23T18:51:00.003+08:002016-04-23T18:52:40.753+08:00Predawn at Berlayer CreekI visited Berlayer Creek during predawn for the first time (as my previous 2 trips were during evening tides). The tide on this trip was lower and I was looking forward to see what lies at the lower water mark.<br />
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It was a lovely morning when I did a solo trip to this mainland shore that seems to be improving over time. This shore is just right next to Labrador Park.<br />
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True enough, I came across more hard and soft corals on this trip as the tide was lower as compared to my previous trips here! Unfortunately, the sargassum bloom is still around and thus many more corals were not visible as the seaweed covered them as the tide went out. <br />
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Among the seaweed was this large <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/reefoctopus.htm" target="_blank">Reef octopus</a> that would be very well camouflaged if not for its suckers. <br />
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I also came across this pretty <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/blueline.htm">Blue-lined flatworm</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pseudoceros</span>
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On top of the assortment of corals, there is also quite a devent variety of sponges. However, the nudibranchs that eat them were not sighted. <br />
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This juvenile <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/chaetodontidae/ocellatus.htm">Kite butterflyfish</a> (<i>Parachaetodon ocellatus</i>) was swimming near the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/haddoni.htm">Haddon's carpet anemones</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Stichodactyla haddoni</span>). This preference of the kite butterflyfish sticking close to the anemone has been observed before. <br />
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Can you spot what I saw here? I was only able to see it because it was moving! This is the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/soleidae/pavoninus.htm">Peacock sole</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pardachirus pavoninus</span>). </span></span><br />
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Also found on other mainland sandy shores, the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/olividae/mustelina.htm" target="_blank">Weasel olive snails</a> (<i>Oliva mustelina</i>) can be found plowing underneath sand in search of prey. <br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/echinoidea/sandollar/depressum.htm" target="_blank">Thick-edged sand dollars</a> (<i>Jacksonaster depressum</i>) are not commonly found on our shores and I'm glad to find to them on Berlayer. <br />
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Nothing makes me more excited than finding sea stars! Unfortunately, this <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea star</a> (<i>Protoreaster nodosus</i>) has two missing arms.<br />
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Later on, I found yet another Knobbly sea star- this time an intact fellow! :)<br />
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Somehow after sunrise, the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/notabilis.htm">Remarkable sea cucumbers</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Holothuria notabilis</span>) start to be more visible. Though still found burrowed within the sand, these cucumbers were just beneath the surface and can be seen through the breaks on the surface. </span><br />
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I went to check out the rocky areas to see if the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/cryptasterina.htm">Cryptic sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cryptasterina</span> sp.) are still there. And they are still doing ok! </span></span><br />
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And before leaving, I took a quick look at the mangroves. The mangroves of Berlayer Creek is one of the last fews hugging along the southern coastline of Singapore.<br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/j4hx7y">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/j4hx7y</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086994596246733705.post-50125765976327482332016-04-09T18:17:00.004+08:002016-04-09T18:20:59.311+08:00St John's Island's underwater garden<div style="text-align: left;">
It's our first predawn trip of the year and I'm trying to adjust to having to wake up at wee hours again! We are back at St John's Island this time. </div>
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The best part of today's trip would be to survey the rich reef edge of the island. This is something that requires both good low tide and daylight to happen. In addition, there must be any boat movement around to stir the sediments and good visibility also helps! <br />
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The previous time I did such a <a href="http://wondercreation.blogspot.sg/2010/05/half-snorkelling-at-new-stretch-of-st.html" target="_blank">"half-snorkeling" attempt at St John's was 6 years ago</a>!<br />
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Today I survey a further stretch of reef edge and found stunning growths of hard corals such as this bed of <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/gonbig.htm">Anemone corals</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Goniopora</span> sp.).</span><br />
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There's even some of these uncommon <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/agariciidae/pachyseris.htm">Ringed plate coral</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pachyseris </span>sp.)!</span></span><br />
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Underneath the jetty are some of the large and intimidating-looking <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/echinoidea/urchin/diadema.htm">Long-spined black sea urchins</a> (<i>Diadema setosum</i>). </span></span></span><br />
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This photo was also taken underneath the jetty of St John's Island. Doesn't it look like I was diving? :)<br />
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And this shot shows the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/porifera/xestospongia.htm">Barrel sponge</a> (<i>Xestospongia testudinaria</i>) together with the surrounding corals. </span><br />
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This bed of <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/oculinidae/galaxea.htm">Galaxy coral</a> (<i>Galaxea </i>sp.) is really huge! And there's also the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/agariciidae/pavona.htm">Lettuce hard coral</a> (</span><span class="fullpost"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pavona</span></span><span class="fullpost"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sp.).</span></span><br />
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Just like the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/dendrophylliidae/turbinaria.htm" target="_blank">Turbinaria Corals</a> (<i>Turbinaria sp</i>.) shown in this photo, the hard corals are doing ok and are not bleaching. <br />
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What a lovely surprise to find the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pomacentridae/frenatus.htm">Tomato anemonefish</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Amphiprion frenatus</span>)</span><span class="fullpost"> in the </span><br />
<a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/magnifica.htm">Magnificent sea anemone</a> (<i>Heteractis magnifica</i>). They are really cute.<br />
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/162168388" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe> </div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/162168388">Tomato clownfish of St John's Island</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user696199">Loh Kok Sheng</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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And here's a video of the two lively anemonefishes frolicking among the tentacles of the anemone.<br />
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I also came across the <span class="fullpost"><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pomacentridae/ocellaris.htm">False clown anemonefish</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Amphiprion ocellaris</span>) on the </span></span><span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/gigantea.htm">Giant carpet anemone</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Stichodactyla gigantea</span>). </span><br />
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With the outgoing tide, many different types of fish were trapped in the tide pool. And you can see that they are quite active as it was still dark before sunrise. <br />
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I managed to catch a glimpse of this huge <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pseudochromidae/subducens.htm">Carpet eel blenny</a> (<i>Congrogadus subducens</i>) snacking on a fish! It was a quick act. <br />
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Like the fishes, the <a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/reefoctopus.htm" target="_blank">Reef octopus</a> was quite active in the dark. <br />
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I crossed over to the rocky shore to check out the reef at the lowest tide. Representatives of hard and soft corals are still around but my general sensing is that the reef is not as rich as before. <br />
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Chay Hoon found this pretty pair of the <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/bifurcus.htm">Red-tipped flatworm</a> (<i>Pseudoceros bifurcus</i>) among the rubble. <b> </b></span><br />
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Literally, the star find of today's trip would be 4 of these adorable-looking <span class="fullpost"><a href="http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/asteroidea/protoreaster.htm">Knobbly sea stars</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Protoreaster nodosus</span>)! Great to know they are still thriving here. </span><br />
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It was a quiet yet rejuvenating predawn trip out at St John's while everyone's still asleep. The shore is just a 15-20 min boat ride away from city centre, yet it's so quiet and charming.<br />
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More photos of the trip here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/5QgqP5">https://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/shares/5QgqP5</a>Kok Shenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380103046957038325noreply@blogger.com0