Sundial Snail @ Pulau Hantu 12April2009

sundial snail @ Pulau Hantu 12Apr2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

It's very rare to see this beautiful snail alive. Often, only the empty shells are seen.
The video clip has been speeded up by a factor of 2x. Imagine how slow this snail moves!
Interestingly, the sundial snail has an operculum which it uses to 'shut itself into it's shell.
Notice also has striped antennae.

condo sponge w brittlestars @ P Hantu 12April2009

condo sponge w brittlestars 12Apr2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Various types of sponge are commonly found on Singapore's intertidal reefs. This videoed sponge is ball shaped and contains numerous holes out of which can be seen the many arms of tiny brittlestars. The ball sponge was sized similar to a tennis ball....so you can imagine how small the brittlestars were!...supersmall!!!

The ball sponges can be likened to a condominium which has different apartments each with it's own resident tenant. However, you can find not only brittlestars but also other animals like barnacles. Towards the 50 second mark, you can see, at the lower left part of the frame, a fan like structure sticking out from one of the 'apartments'. This are the feeding tentacles of a barnacle!

Want to know more about sponges, brittlestars and barnacles? Have a look here! :-
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/porifera/suberites.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/ophiuroidea/tinysponge.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/ciriipedia/cirripedia.htm

Yellow Lipped Sea Krait @ Pulau Hantu 12Apr2009

Yellow Lipped Sea Krait @ Pulau Hantu 12Apr2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Came across this yellow-lipped sea krait on Hantu's wonderful reef. It was busy looking for food in nooks and crannies and did not at all mind the human watching it. It came up for air after diving for about 2 minutes.

This snake has got a highly toxic venom but it is also non-aggressive by nature.
Note that it has a flat tail. This helps propel the snake through water much like a boat paddle.
The specimen in the video was between 40 to 50 cm long and was about 1 cm thick. Adult specimens would be about double the size.