SENTOSA ! will update soon q:

so.. pics preview first ahah.

This morning, went along with SP Rovers to explore our shores(: haha bunch of funny & hyper people.


Hermit crabs crossing seagrass lagoon..! The seagrass lagoon is a rich ecosystem! It provides a calm breeding ground for creatures to lay eggs & juveniles to develop into adults. Note that seagrass is actually a flowering plant! with a proper root system and all.

Ribbon worm.

They may look defenseless. But they are actually fierce predators! Also studies have shown that they habour bacteria that produce poisonous toxins that make them poisonous to eat.

Octopus!

This october that the hunter-seeker found was actually quite large! & it was trying to escape from the container. no wonder it is one of the brainiest invertebrates around. & we actually witness how the octopus change colour to camouflage with its surroundings! cool!

Pregnant male seahorse! as you can see his pouch is actually bloated.

long-spined sea urchin (Diadema setosum)!

They may look immobile, but they are actually able to move by using their spines. Their head & mouth are located at the base. Sea urgin feed on seaweed and algae. The spines can inflict a painful wound if one happen to step on them.

Rhizostome Jellyfish (Order Rhizostomeae)?

I still can remember clearly during kayaking days at obs when one of them happen to vomit on board then we saw these jellyfishes!lol. Like any other jellyfishes, they have umbrella shaped bodies, stinging tentacles and pores at their tentacles where they filter feed for small organisms. Being poor swimmers, they swim by pulsing their bells but usually at the mercy of the currents.

Star Anemone (Condylactis sp.)?

Notice how their 'arms' actually congregate together thus forming a star shape aha.

Soft Corals (Family Alcyonaceae.)

This one looks like heart-shaped isn't it. Soft corals may look uninteresting as they 'flop over' during low tides. But underwater, when expand they look spectacular..! They too possess stinging cells but not dangerous to us human beings as our skin are thick enough (;

Hermit Crab with Knobbly Seastar!

This seastar can be as big as your face! It possess hard skeleton and is not poisonous though it may look like it is with the 'knobs' and everything.

It was again a great trip! Thanks everyone(:

O & happy birthday in advance to Ron, Samson & KS..!

was rushing off to work as usual yesterday morning. on the way passed by a roadsweeper sweeping off the leaves and all.

luckily i was observant enough to spot these from the (debris) ground(:

beautiful flowers~! though I don't know the ID for it q:

typical city people like us are always rushing and we hardly have time to stop by to notice the beautiful little things around us. so thats why we should slow down our pace at times and take a closer look at our surroundings. esp the plants around cause you never know what you are going to see..!haha.

hermit crab with jurongville sec!

Yes hermit crabs with the sec 3s from Jurongville secondary! (:

I must say we are wheelie lucky today! We actually saw dolphins on our way to Semakau! (though I only managed to catch a glimpse of it haha) The weather was good- no sun, so the walk to the intertidal flats was actually quite cooling.

& that’s ag with her own group who is a lead guide for the first time ahaha!

Cloudy weather.

Creeper shell (Family Cerithidae)! They usually gather in large numbers to feed on organic matter and algae.

Turban shell(Turbo sp.). They feed on algae and have a round thick operculum otherwise known as the'cat's eye' covering its opening. The 'cat's eye' is often collected for jewellery, buttons and even paperweights(bigger ones that is). They are also collected as food in some countries.

Cowry(Cypraea errones). Note that it actually has a pair of tentacle so it is actually alive! Their shell is covered with mantle which protects it from scratches hence maintaining its glossy appearance. Because of their beautiful nature, cowrie has greatly sought after by shell collectors hence are danger of becoming extinct! Cowrie shells have been used as currency in the past.

Fan worm(probably Sabellastarte indica). Beautiful creature I must say. It lives in its own tube using mucus and sand. Its end has a magnificent fan-like structure that protrudes outside the hole. This ‘fan’ helps to filter water for food which the fan worm can feed on! The tentacles also have ‘eyespots’ that detect changes in light intensity so that it can retract safely into its tube when threatened.

So these are zoanthids(or colonial anemones)! That many creatures like the hairy crab feed on making them poisonous. (the poison is transferred from the zooanthids to the animals which feed on it.)

Ocellated sea cucumber(Stichopus ocellatus)! This is recognisable by its many ‘eyes’. This species actually sput out its internal guts when it feels threatened! However they will still be able to regenerate their organs back. Still during this time they are not able to eat anything!

Flat worm(Acanthozoon sp.). ! They are haemophrodites- which means can be both male and female in nature..! However they will avoid being the female as it is very energy-consuming. They also perform sexual intercourse through ‘penis-fencing’! That is they can poke their penis into any part of the other party.

Pufferfish can inflate their body twice the size to deter predators! This can be done by sucking in or retaining air and water in their bodies. Puffers have also a pair of sharp front teeth that resembles a parrot beak, which enables them to crush on the shellfish and crabs they usually feed on. They are considered a delicacy by the Japanese and Koreans but must be properly treated as they are highly toxic!

Sunflower mushroom coral (Heliofungia actiniformis). Unlike hard corals which exists in tentacles of 6, this is a singly animal! It does not exist in colonies. This particular coral is also detachable from surface as it is not rooted to ground.

Maze coral(Platygyra sp.).

O talking about hard corals, we have some interesting(proud) facts:

There are about 200 species of hard corals in Singapore. Although Singapore's size is only 0.02% of the Great barrier reef, we have almost half the number of species found at there! (:

Nemo~! The clownfish is often found in the sea anemone as it offers them protection with its stinging tentacles. In return for its protection, the clownfish often lure fishes to the sea anemone for its food.

Marginated glossodoris nudibranch (Glossodoris atromarginata). Nudibranchs also mean 'naked gills', as seen in the flowery gills found at their back which is used for breathing. They are sea slugs without shells, however they are able to eject toxins to protect themselves. They are carnivores which feed on immobile creatures like sponges and corals!

Black phyllid nudibranch (Phyllidiella nigra).

They are well-known for ejecting toxins into surrounding waters when stressed! So it is not a good idea of keeping them in your aquarium.

Soft corals(Family Alcyonaceae)

They are closely related to hard corals but they lack in calcium carbonate skeleton. They also possess stinging cells but are usually dangerour to humans.

A Seahorse (Hippocampus sp.) is actually a type of fish! Seahorses are poor swimmers, hence they can only make a short burst of speed when faced danger. One thing I like about seahorse is that the male gets pregnant instead of the females! The female inject their eggs into the male's pouch using a penis-like tube. Inside his pouch, his eggs are fertilised and embedded to the bloodwalls where they obtain the nutrients and oxygen. When the baby seahorses are hatched, the male is ready for another patch of eggs! In other words he is constantly pregnant!

Stonefish sea cucumber (Actinopyga lecanora).

During low tides, it can actually harden up making it look and feel like any other rock! It is also edible as long as it is well treated.

Can you guess what is this?

(after flipping over.)

Yea it is the upside down jellyfish(cassiopea sp.)! Their tentacles are often coloured green, due to the presence of symbiotic algae(zooxanthelle). The jellyfish are found upside down as the zooxanthelle makes food for them, in return for a secure home.

Enroute back into the forest, we saw the sea hibiscus(Hibiscus tiliaceus).

It is a one day flower. As in its flower grows and withers within a day- changes colours throughout. This plant is easily recognisable by its heart-shaped leaf.

We were really lucky as it started to pour really heavily only after we board the boat back. Perhaps it was due to the students? Ahaha. All in all, it was a lucky and cool trip! Thanks to the students, guides and everyone!

Do check out the other guides' blogs!

Ron

July

Samson

Eunice

First OJT !

went to be an assistant guide with Ron to bring a group of public (spiderconch) to Semakau. First time to guide the public so was pretty excited & looking forward to it haha!

waking up at 5+ was no easy feat.. but it was rewarding as the sunrise was really beautiful..

at the jetty

a clearer view at the boat

enroute to the intertidal flats. it was a great weather(: though it gets a little hot after that.

This piece of grassland used to be the sea. But it has been reclaimed for the landfill. This is actually a red beacon which is used to mark the end of the sea(last time before it is reclaimed).

Sponges! like what you see in spongebob square pants. It is actually an animal, a simple one though. These organisms eat by filtering the water for plankton. Some sponges are actually poisonous so avoid handling them with your bare hands. With its natural defense mechanisms and a constant flow of oxgenated water through it, sponges are actually home to many tiny creatures as well!

Raise your hand up if you are enjoying yourself..!

That's my group- spiderconch crossing the seagrass lagoon. Do not belittle this patch of seagrass..! With plenty of shelter and food, the seagrass meadow is actually an important habitat for organisms to lay their eggs and juveniles to develop into adults.

Common seastar (Archaster typicus)

Yes they are mating! The male being the smaller one, lies on top of the female one. Despite doing this, their reproductive organs actually do not meet..! Seastar practise external fertilisation, where their sperms and eggs are released outside silmultaneously. This position is to increase their chances of fertilisation. Seastar also have remarkable regenerative power. They can regenerate their lost limbs as long as the central disk is not damaged. But that does not mean you can pluck off their arms q: Unlike human beings, they use sea water instead of blood so do not take them out of water for too long.

Those tiny things sticking out are their tubefeet. Seastar travel by using tubefeet.

These tiny shells are homes to the hermit crabs! So try not to pick up shells in future even though they are empty. Hermit crab changes shells every now and then as it grows. Without shells, they are vulnerable to their predators and external factors.

The carpet anemones (Stichodactyla sp.) are among the largest of sea anemones. They have stinging tentacles and eats small animals! It can inject toxins at the organisms and move them to its central mouth. It does not have an anus so it actually has to spit out indigestible wates from its previous meal before it can consume the next one.

& we saw nudibranches(:

Chromodoris lineolata

Nudibranchs also mean 'naked gills'. these sea slugs are really colourful. They breathe using the flower-like feathery external gill found on their backs. The pair of tentacles found at the other end is known as the rhinophores. They are believed to detech chemicals in the hunt for their prey and mates. As they have lost their shells as adults, they inject poisonous toxins to protect themselves and tis is warned by their bright colours. Despite being small, these beautiful little creatures are actually carnivores! They feed on immobile creatures like zoanthids, sponges and eggs of other organisms.

Gymnodoris rubropapulosa

This is another nuidibranch. It is actually a fierce eater as it eats other slugs from the same species! Since slugs are haemophrodites, they have both the male and female reproductive organs hence fertilises each other. However for the gymnodoris, seeing its same species means food and sex for them! So when they meet each other, they try to fertilise and eat each other! Eventually the loser will be eaten up and the winner will perform the function of the mother to give birth.

A ferocious predator, the noble volute seeks on other shells using its siphons and suffocates its prey with its huge muscular foot and wait till the exhausted clams to open out their shells to breathe (which may take several days)! It then sticks its proboscis in and consumes it with its radula(tongue).

Boulder coral (Family Favidae)

or is it knob coral? (Favia sp.) X:

The above is a hard coral. Each hole on the hard coral has a coral animal (known as polyps). These animals build their own house using calcium carbonate. & they are actually carnivores that feed on planktons.

Ocellated sea cucumber (Stichopus ocellatus)

This species of sea cucumber do not eject sticky threads for defense, but it may eject its internal organs which is even worse! When removed from water for too long, it becomes limp and may disintegrate. But it is still able to reverse the process if it is not too badly 'melted'.

Moon snail (Family Naticidae)

Looks pretty, but it is a fierce predator. Unlike noble volute, even if the bivales refuse to open up their shells, it can secrete an acid to soften their shell. & it uses ts radula(tongue) to further create a hole so as to feed on them! So next time when you see empty shells with hole at its end, you know what has happened huh.

Scallop (Chlamys sp.)

Bivalves(two part shells) feed by taking in water and filter it for planktons. It can 'swim' by flapping its valves.

After the walk, we went to the southern most end of Singapore where the public can access. The sea water is really blue and beautiful here. Agnes and July even mention of swimming and snorkelling here which I think is pretty cool aha.

Overall it was a great trip and again an eyeopening experience. Thanks everyone!(: