These gold-spotted mudskippers in the exposed seagrass lagoon were retreating from the returning tide. Returning tides bring bigger predatory fish and so the mudskippers have to get to their burrows or onto higher ground such as rocks or nearby mangrove trees to get out of harm's way. They were originally in the Halophilla uninervis seagrass patch close to the floating pontoon and made their way about 150 metres towards the mangrove trees towards where the boardwalk path joins the walking trail.
There were a fewbirds like herons around on the seagrass lagoon shallows and these birds would have made a quick meal out of a mudskipper. However, the birds generally avoid the boardwalk area especially where there are people about making it relatively safe for the mudskippers which keep close to the boardwalk. The schooling behaviour of the mudskippers was interesting to watch where the other mudskippers, not wanting to be left behind, had to keep following the others in front. Safety in numbers.
Read more about mudskippers here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/gobiidae/mudskipper.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/gobiidae/chrysospilos.htm
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