oriental pied-hornbills @ SBWR

It was about 5pm when an oriental pied-hornbill flew to a tree near the SBWR main bridge with something in its mouth. The snack looked like a small tree climbing crab. The bird flew across to a perch on a dead tree at the far side of the main bridge where it seemed to be looking into a hollow in the tree as if it wanted to store the crab in the hollow. The hornbill was soon joined by another smaller hornbill. This one had a reddish spot on both sides of the lower corner of its bill closer to its mouth and the front of its horn was noticeably darker than that of the larger bird. The smaller bird immediately took the crab from the bill of the larger bird and eyed it for a microsecond before giving it back to the larger bird which re-positioned the crab in its bill before passing it back to the smaller bird. However, the smaller bird did not want it and returned it to the larger bird which seemed to finally swallow the crab.

The two birds then hacked way at the wood on the dead tree chipping up bits off and swallowing some of it. The birds flew off after a while but came back to different but adjacent trees. The smaller bird continued to chip way at the dead tree eating bits of the decaying wood. Perhaps the wood helps digestion by absorbing harmful substances in their guts to be passed out later.

Read more about the oriental pied-hornbill here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/birds/albirostris.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pied_Hornbill
http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2009/01/intelligent-nests-for-pied-hornbills-in.html
http://besgroup.talfrynature.com/index.php?s=Anthracoceros+albirostris
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/ecolodge/58/oph/nesting.html
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/05/oriental-pied-hornbills-sbwr-30apr2011_04.html
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/07/oriental-pied-hornbill-chek-jawa.html

Yellow-Lipped Sea Krait @ Semakau 06Nov2009

Yellow-Lipped Sea Krait @ Semakau 06Nov2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This beautiful but highly venomous sea krait (Laticauda colubrina) was out hunting amongst the coral rubble once the night sky was dark enough. It was about 75cm long and was swimming actively in the shallow water.

Notice that the sea krait uses it's tongue underwater just like how land snakes do. Interesting how the tongue taste function is used both on land as well as under the water. Note also the laterally compressed tail which allows for great swimming. Since it does not have gills, nor does it have the ability to absorb oxygen from the water through its skin, the snake has to breathe air from the water surface. The snake was observed lifting its snout above the water surface about every 3 minutes.

More Info about this snake :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/snakes/laticauda.htm
http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/support/Yellow-lipped_Sea_Krait
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laticauda_colubrina
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/08/two-headed-yellow-lipped-sea-krait.html

Other blogs about the trip :-
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/11/snakes-in-fish-feeding-frenzy.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/11/success-at-semakau-giant-clams-and-more.html
http://psychedelic-nature.blogspot.com/2009/11/id026-boring-giant-clam.html
http://sgn090608.blogspot.com/2009/11/091106-semakau.html

Juvenile Batfish@Cyrene14Nov2008

juvenile batfish @ Cyrene 14Nov2008 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This is a large video so do wait for it to stream fully before viewing! or join Vimeo to download the file. Click on the Vimeo link for better quality viewing.

Came across this juvenile batfish hiding amongst the seagrass pretending to be a dead leaf. It just calmly floated along confident with it's camouflage.

more about the trip and other finds here :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2008/11/clear-skies-over-cyrene.html
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2008/11/evening-with-cyrene.html
http://psychedelic-nature.blogspot.com/2008/11/evening-with-baby-nemo-at-cyrene.html
http://budak.blogs.com/the_annotated_budak/2008/11/cyrene-deathstar.html
http://budak.blogs.com/the_annotated_budak/2008/11/the-crabby-side-of-cyrene-reef.html

Read more about Juvenile batfishes here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/ephippidae/ephippidae.htm

WaterSpider@Cyrene14Nov2008 II

Water Spider @ Cyrene 14Nov2008 II from BeachBum on Vimeo.
Another clip on the amazing ability of the water spider to walk on water!!!!

WaterSpider@Cyrene 14Nov2008

WaterSpider@Cyrene14Nov2008 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

It is hard to believe that a spider could survive on a submerged reef. This is a reef which is totally covered by seawater most of the time. The rocks and substrate are only visible at the lowest of tides. And yet organisms like the water spider can survive perfectly well in such a water world!

The clip shows a spider walking (or rather running) on water....something water spiders have probably been doing for thousands...perhaps even millions of years!

Read more about water spiders here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/arachnida/desis.htm

Giant Clam - Tridacna maxima @ Jong 13Nov2008

Tridacna maxima @ Jong 13Nov2008 from BeachBum on Vimeo.
This is a large video so do wait for it to stream fully before viewing! or join Vimeo to download the file. Click on the Vimeo link for better quality viewing.



The ViddYou clip is exactly the same as the Vimeo one above...posted to test out the download speeds and stability of the respective servers....Vimeo seems to provide for much faster streaming.

Was fortunate to visit Pulau Jong, one of Singapore's smallest islands. During the reefwalk, one of the group spotted a giant clam and we were lucky to have a undergrad student, ML, who specialises in giant clams along for the trip. She identified it as a Tridacna maxima instead of a Tridacna squamosa because of the placement of the scutes.

The clip ends just as I get squirted by the giant clam. You can just about see the spout taking aim towards the camera. The clam can aim it's spout due to light sensitive cells in it's mantle (flesh).

more about giant claims :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/tridacnidae.htm

more about the trip :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/bivalvia/tridacnidae/tridacnidae.htm
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2008/11/pulau-jong-with-giant-suprise.html
http://colorclouds.blogspot.com/2008/11/of-dwarfs-and-giant.html
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2008/11/maxima-giant-clam-at-jong.html

VeryLargeMudCrab @Chek Jawa 10Jan2009

Came across this gianormous mud crab whilst the group was walking back after the Team Seagrass session. It went on the defensive and stretched out it's claws ready to lunge and snap.

An unusual thing about this crab was that there were hardly any growths (except for 1 barnacle like protusion on the back of the shell). I had expected that a crab this size would have more growths. (see http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/ciriipedia/thompsonia.htm)

More Facts about Mud Crabs : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/portunidae/scylla.htm

other blogs from the same trip :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/01/chek-jawa-with-teamseagrass.html
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2009/01/first-2009-team-seagrass-trip-at-chek.html
http://teamseagrass.blogspot.com/2009/01/chek-jawa-10-jan-09.html
http://cjproject.blogspot.com/2009/01/2009-good-start-for-chek-jawa.html
http://psychedelic-nature.blogspot.com/2009/01/im-team-seagrass-noobie.html

New Year's Eve Reefwalk Sampler @ Big Sister's 31 Dec2008

A combination of clips shot on 31Dec2008.
Actors :
2 false clown anemone fish (Nemos) : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pomacentridae/ocellaris.htm
1 burrowing snake eel http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/ophichthidae/pisodonophis.htm
1 banded fish,
1 Spotted Glass Perchlet :http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/chandidae/spotted.htm
1 fringe eyed flathead fish : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/platycephalidae/nematophthalmus.htm
1 fish probably a Tropical Silverside : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/atherinidae/duodecimalis.htm
1 green luminous hard coral,
1 coral with long brown polyp tubes : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/poritidae/gonbig.htm
1 flatworm : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/polycladida.htm
1 blue hard coral and fanworm,
1 moon headed side gilled slug :http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/notaspidae/euselenops.htm
2 two spot octopuses : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/twospot.htm
1 green shrimp : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/shrimp/penaeidae.htm

For more on the 31Dec2008 trip , see:
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-new-year-from-sisters-island.html
http://leafmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/01/welcoming-2009-at-sisters-island.html

Burrowing Snake Eel @ Big Sisters 31Dec2008

Snake Eel from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Came across this snake-like fish (eel) at Big Sister's Island.
It did not mind my prescence at all and even wandered up to my boot but swam away.
It looked around for food before finally disappearing down a burrow, head first.

For more on the Burrowing snake-eel, see :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/ophichthidae/pisodonophis.htm

For more on the 31Dec2008 trip , see:
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-new-year-from-sisters-island.html
http://leafmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/01/welcoming-2009-at-sisters-island.html

Moon Headed Side Gill Slug @ Big Sisters 31Dec2008

Moon Headed Side Gilled Slug @ Big Sisters Island from BeachBum on Vimeo.

I had shouted 'Octopus, 2 of them' across the shallow lagoon but R shouted back "oh, forget that, come look at this. Octopus can find all the time. This one cannot."

I ignored R as the two octopus looked as if they were hunting together in tandem. Maybe a mating pair. After spending some time with the octopuses, I headed for the shore where R and the rest of the team had found more Side Gilled slugs.

These are apparently rather rarely seen and are unique amongst slugs. They have gills on the side and can 'swim' by flapping their bodies.

See these links for more info :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/slugs/notaspidae/euselenops.htm
http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall.cfm?base=euseluni
http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=euseluni2

Link summarising R's trip to Big Sister's and a bit more :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-new-year-from-sisters-island.html

Nemo Dat Duo Habit@ Big Sisters 31Dec2008

Nemo @ Big Sister's Island from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Was suprised to come across a carpet anemone with two very active nemos, one about 5cm and the other about 2.5cm. Almost the entire lagoon at Big Sisters was filled with Sargassum seaweed. The anemone proved impossible to find after I moved away from it and the others in the group gave up looking for it after a good look in the Sargassum fields. The Sargassum cover was so thick that it covered huge portions of the area.

Visit these links for more information on :-
Sargassum : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/seaweed/phaeophyta/sargassum.htm
Anemones : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/gigantea.htm
Nemos : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pomacentridae/ocellaris.htm

Anemones & Kite Butterfly Fish @ Chek Jawa

Anemones & Kite Butterfly Fish @ Chek Jawa from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This is a large video so do wait for it to stream fully before viewing! or Join Vimeo in order to download the clip. Click on the Vimeo link for better quality viewing.

This seems to be the 'season' for kite butterfly fish (Parachaetodon ocellatus). A good many juveniles were spotted at Chek Jawa by quite a few people (including some over on the Changi side).

The clip shows kite butterfly fish taking shelter in close proximity to two kinds of anemones. The first shows a green carpet anemone whilst the second shows a peacock anemone (see http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/p510.htm for more on anemones.)
"Many sea anemones have tentacles armed with nematocysts, stingers that can inject toxins. They also have stingers that produce only a long adhesive threads (called spirocysts). These make the tentacles sticky and are used to capture hard-bodied prey such as crabs. Tentacles then move the meal to the central mouth, which can expand wide to swallow it whole."

Noting that contact with the anemones could be potentially fatal to the fish, it is a wonder why the fish would want to be so close to the anemones. The carpet anemone stings only at the top and so the area below it could provide refuge for small marine organisms. The only organisms which seem to have immunity are anemone shrimps and clownfish. It is probable that the KBF take refuge knowing that although the anemone could kill them, it would also keep away other predators like larger fish.

The peacock anemone can be seen to attach some of it's tentacles to the KBF. At one point, the fish seems to be struggling and it manages to pull away from the sticky tentacle. Perhaps the KBF do have a limited immunity to the stinging cells of the anemone?