Chek Jawa III: Spicy Red Ants, Chocolate Truffle Rocks and Spiders of the Same Age.

hahah okay so we have seen all the intertidal inhabitants, now lets look at some land-based organisms!

Oh before that, CH / SONNENBLUME has very kindly helped me identify some of the intertidal organisms like:This is a Garlic-Bread sea cucumber. Sure does look like a loaf of bread HAHA maybe slighty moldy bread. (more info: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/scabra.htm)

and my super cute tiny crab buddy, which ashton enjoyed chasing around:

is a Sand Bubble Crab.. ah yes now i remember. the tiny circular objects around it are the sand bubbles made by the crab. (info: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/ocypodoidea/scopimera.htm)

(look at the comments of the previous post! Thanks CH / SONNENBLUME!!)

okay back to the main topic. Land-based organisms (if you dont like bugs, im sorry):


This super artistic photo is taken by willis (accidentally), this is a female spider. omg she is about the size of my palm! This spider seems to belong to the Golden orb web spider species but im really not that sure. (info: http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/inverts/nephila.htm)

the web is HUGE, above us:


we later stumble upon the 3D web:


i wonder how long did it take to build that web. and the male spider is TINY.

can you see that tiny red speck on the web? it is really the male spider (i think you should click to enlarge). ashton decided to ask his famous question "Are the Spiders of the same age?". the guide couldnt answer and the rest of us just burst out laughing. we are STILL laughing abt it if you are wondering.

apparently it is the ONLY male spider left on the web.. the female has eaten the rest of the males after mating with them. basic instinct huh.

next, we saw some crickets:


and also this truly magnificent sight of some cotton stainer bugs (info: http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/inverts/cotton_stainer.htm) mating, note how two bugs seemed to be 'connected' at the back:

(photo by Janette Goh)

and this world famous plant, Eurycoma longifolia, commonly known as the Tongkat Ali, an evergreen plant:

we were told that this Tongkat Ali plant was bald a few weeks ago, aparently some joker decided to harvest it for medicinal purpose and thus, cut off the leaves. what he did not know was that the medicinal properties of the plant lies in its roots. Luckily, Mr. Ali managed to regrow (:

Karin and I got very excited when we saw this:

THE ATAPCHEE!!! the very same one you eat in the Ice-Kachang. Another shot here of fallen atapchees, each husk contains exactly ONE precious atapchee:

Ah, how will we live without the Nipah Palm? it gives us the Atapchee and its leaves and stem were utilised for house building in the past. take a good look at it the next time you go to Chek Jawa, Sungei Buloh or Pulau Tekong, for it is considered endangered in Singapore. (info: http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/palm_nipah.htm)

We later saw an Oriental Whip Snake (info: http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/snakes/oriental_whip-snake.htm), lazy on a tree:



i wish we could have taken better photos of it, but its too high up!

We also saw one of the Oriental Pied Hornbills (which escaped from Jurong Birdpark to Chek Jawa, it was found with a tag!).. ah it is damn tough to photograph a bird, it doesnt stop moving.


this second photo is taken by Janette:

Apparently Hornbills mate for life, and the good people at Chek Jawa attempted to provide the lovebirds with a nice and comfy 'condominium', which was ultimately rejected:


When i was a kid, what i wanted to do was to be a biologist/ecologist. i somehow mixed biology/ecology up with geography and thus, here i am, doing a BA in geography.

But after this trip, i realised how much i like geograhy better. for it is the geographical processes that create the environment for these organisms to thrive in; it is geography (climate, presence of water) that dictates the distribution of these organisms. can you imagine polar bears in the tropics (lets not talk abt the singapore zoo)?

therefore, i suppose this is where CLIMATE CHANGE will come into place.

(okay note: it is NOT GLOBAL WARMING. because some areas in the world will be cooler than it is now... i get annoyed by that term HAHAHAHA)

with Climate Change, the environmental factors will be altered:
- tide levels will rise, thus, extinguishing intertidal habitats and wiping out the mangroves.
- temperature changes will affect the survival of both land and sea based organisms.

i dont want to jump onto the whole Al Gore and IPCC bandwagon (which i think is slightly alarmist in nature). i wld just like to highlight the POSSIBILTY of this happening.

i cant say that by doing our part (such as stop littering and over consuming) we can definitely stop the change. but i believe that by doing so, we can at least slow down the change to allow researchers some time to alleviate the problem.

but anyways, stay TUNED (happy now jiayi and jiangyang?)... ive got more on Chek Jawa!

Love, serene!

Chek Jawa II: Spicy Red Ants, Chocolate Truffle Rocks and Spiders of the Same Age.

we left off with me ranting at in-discriminant rubbish throwers. okay i got my head back and i'll now introduce you to some of the inhabitants of Chek Jawa.

things you never thought existed...

Organisms found at the Intertidal area (sand banks)

The Nudibranch - which is commonly known as a sea slug (but note: sea slugs aren't necessarily nudibranches). We were REALLY REALLY lucky to see this Nudibranch, as they usually dont appear much in these shores, the guide claims it mating season.

Front:

Backside (HAHA):Next, the Common Crab: im sorry, as im not a marine biologist, i have no idea what this species is. if any one do, pls let me know! (: its cute anyways HAHA


This is the Fire Worm. This is something you dont want to touch, apparently the fine bristles on it will attach itself into(or shd i say POKE) your skin, and even the doctor wldnt be able to remove it. Thus, you'll have to live with the pain till your body finds a way to push it out!!!!!!

scary!! and here i thought it looked so friendly and yummy.


A Sand Dollar it is related to the Sea Stars and Sea Urchin, a rather common feature in the intertidal area, only it is usually buried beneath the sand.

Front: (This poor sand dollargot a part chipped off!)


Back (note the sea star like formation):


This is the Toadfish or a scorpion fish (Which the guide claims it to be). But upon goggling it looks more like a Toadfish.

anyways, sorry for the lousy photo, but its too dangerous to get it out of the box.


This is a Noble Volute part of the snail family (Info: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/volutidae/nobilis.htm). we can tell that the snail is still alive because its 'foot' is still in place i.e. the area with orange spots


After the snail dies, a Hermit Crab will take over the empty shell. (http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/s324.htm)

Like this:

so next time when you see a nice pretty and empty shell by the sea, do not pick it up! let the Hermit have a home!



And there is also the Moon Snail... which i suspect is something that ive eaten in China, seriously. Anyways, see that "wall" around the shell? ITS REALLY THE EGGS!

The Moon snail is damn smart.. it camouflages using the eggs, as a Stingray in the half buried sand. i.e IT PRETENDS TO BE A STINGRAY.SERIOUSLY. (for more info: http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/s421.htm):

AND THIS IS MY FAVOURITE: THE KNOBBLY SEA STAR (for more info: http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/c631.htm)

it is HUGE. and it looks like a piece of star shaped bread with chocolate chips (:


And there is the Biscuit Sea Star:


Front:
Back:
you can see the little suctions on its limbs, they are actually moving rather rapidly.


Here comes the Sea Cucumbers!

#1 Ball Cucumber (for more info: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/phyllophorus.htm)


#2 Thorny Sea Cucumber


#3 ... SEA CUCUMBER. im sad to say i didnt catch the name of this humongous thingie. maybe i was too busy gawking at it.PLEASE HELP HERE!

Front (JUST LOOK AT IT):

Back (its really cute and squishy. it take the shape of one's palm after holding it):


moving away from the cucumbers, here we have the Sea Hare, which is another type of sea slug. more info at: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/anaspidae/anaspidea.htm

this thing is seriously squishy:


a sea hare in the water, can you spot it?

And there is the Fiddler Crab!i heard the name came about because of the Male's huge left/right arms. For more info: http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/s321.htm

Male:
the males are kinda chauvinistic if you ask me. they literally SHOVE their favored mates into holes in the sand. the poor girls.

Female (really tiny compared to the males):
are you now amazed that all these actually exist in Singapore? never thought about it did you. HAHAHA. some of it can be found on the mainland too, if you know where to look (: i will be looking! keep an eye out for them yeah?

MORE COMING UP!!!!! PLEASE STAY TUNE!
Love, serene!

Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa - an introduction

Im almost embarrassed to say this.

Despite being a girl guide for 4 years in secondary school and a girl scout for 3 years in JC and post-JC.. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO PULAU UBIN UNTILL THE 28TH OF MAY 2009.

This isnt a sight you often see in Singapore. Well, here we are, 28th May '09, my first visit to Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin. and i promise it wouldnt be the last, im in love with this place (:

Okay firstly, some bit of background info on Chek Jawa. Chek Jawa is located at the south-eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, it is one of the rare NATURAL Rocky shore (with sandy shores as well) in SG.

Other rocky shores can be found at Labrador Park (which is the ONLY un-reclaimed, untouched and natural stretch of beach in the southern area of SG) and on the other offshore southern islands.


The area hosts several ecosystems:

#1 Mangroves - plants and organisms adapted to the highly salinzed ('salted' due to backwash from the sea) environment


some methods of adaptation is to have Prop roots - to be able to take in more oxygen

and also breathing roots - which are the things you see sticking out of the mud.


next time if you happen to be around mangrove habitats, also notice the waxy leaves surfaces - this prevents water loss.

#2 Seagrass habitats - they are different from seaWEED, seagrass has roots, they dont just drift around.

(Ignore the 2 crazy people in the foreground, and look at the seagrass at the background)


#3 Intertidal habitats - these areas are exposed during low tide and covered with water during high tide, making it a really dynamic area to live in.

imagine this, you live under water for 6 hours and above water for the next 6 hrs and so on.

i think i'll go mad.


John told me that the Norwegians commit suicide because of the different amount of sunlight they receive in the different seasons, which thus alter their environments and sense of time. and many of them cant tahan the changes. but this is probably nothing compared to the rates of changes and extent of changes in the intertidal habitats. okay i think im going off tangent. HAHAHAHA

okay back to the super long intro.

Chek Jawa was slated for reclamation in the late 1990s/early 2000s. However, due to a group of paasionate conservationists petitioned against the reclamation plan, which culminated in the video Remember Chek Jawa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzGE7FSWiqE).

and the government shifted the reclamation project to Pulau Tekong (good for biodiversity, not so good for army boys).

Chek Jawa, then, got a new face! broadwalks were built to allow visitors easier access to the different habitats mentioned above

you can see the habitats right below your feet!

Im not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing tho.

its the same environmental debate that takes place all the time - make the place accessible for education and creation of environmental awareness, yet, when this happens the environment is disturbed and at times destroyed. for example:


our favourite constructor Phua Chu Kang obviously paid Chek Jawa a visit and left something behind.
I HATE RUBBISH (which arent in the bin).

THE SIGHT OF THE PLASTIC BAGS IN THE MANGROVES MAKES ME FEEL LIKE THROWING A SHOE AT SOMEONE.

anyways my point is, why go on an educational trip and litter?
okay maybe the rubbish drifted over from somewhere else. then, my point is, WHY LITTER?!

okay let me go get my marbles back.

IVE GOT MORE STUFF THIS IS ONLY TE INTRODUCTION.

<3 Serene Special Thanks: -Janette Goh for organizing this super trip -Karin, Willis, Ashton and Kynneth for providing great company.