flatworm - crawling & swimming @ Big Sister's Island 15Feb2010

flatworm crawling from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Interesting flatworm with bumpy skin and very pronounced folds. This one was about 8cm long and there were a few specimens over various spots in the lagoon.

Here is a video clip of it swimming :-

flatworm swimming @ big sister's island from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Read more about flatworms here :-
WildSingapore.com's Wildfacts on Flatworms

Sea Hare - Aplysia parvula @Big Sister's Island 15Feb2010

Aplysia parvula sea hare from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Ria found this 'new' sea hare on some bryopsis seaweed.
From the reference page on the SeaSlug forum, this species comes in an amazing variety of colours and patterns.
The particular specimen in the video was about 5cm long.

Read more about it here :
The Sea Slug Forum on Aplysia parvula

Blogs from friends on the same trip :
RT's WildShores
JK's Singapore Nature
CH's Colourful Clouds

great billed herons @ big sister's island 15Feb2010

Great Billed Heron from BeachBum on Vimeo.

There were some great billed herons fishing in the lagoon area whilst the Duke Uni students were on their intertidal walk. One of the herons caught and quickly swallowed a fish. It seemed to momentarily lose its balance presumably after stepping on a loose rock. Another GBH came by and there was a little exchange of croaks probably over territorial issues between the two as two birds too close by in the same area would scare the fish away thereby limiting fishing prospects for both.


Blogs from friends on the same trip :
RT's WildShores
JK's Singapore Nature
CH's Colourful Clouds

swimming anemone @ big sister's island 15Feb2010

swiming anemone from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Accompanied the visiting Duke Uni undergrad students to Big Sister's Island for an intertidal walk and came across this swimming anemone which was about 1.5 inches across. It swims by pulsating its body much like a jellyfish does. Swimming anemones have symbiotic algae in their tissue which photosynthesize and which share the food produced with the anemone. It moved around a bit before finally settling down on some algae.

Read more about this unique anemone here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/boloceroididae.htm

Blogs from friends on the same trip :
RT's WildShores
JK's Singapore Nature
CH's Colourful Clouds

SeaMoth and Baby @ Chek Jawa 15Feb2010

SeaMoth and Baby from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Was at Chek Jawa with a visiting group of undergrad students from Duke University when some of the group spotted the Sea Moths seen in the video.
The large one was about 5cm long whilst the tiny baby was only about 6mm!
The tiny one also looks a little different from the larger one in that it's snout and tail was much shorter compared to rest of its body.

Interestingly enough, sea moths uses their pelvic fins to walk on the bottom.

Read more about Sea Moths here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/pegasidae/volitans.htm

Read more about the trip here :
WildSingapore.com's Wildshores blog

Stonefish @ Tanah Merah 13Feb2010

Stonefish @ Tanah Merah 13Feb2010 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Read more about stonefishes here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/synanceiidae/horrida.htm

Dangerous animals 1 - Cone snail

Think twice about collecting sea shells...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK3NiK9Pu5Q


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjcIVv4dzzs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOSvz5mThM


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBKH7s4SVQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdmDuk3fnqc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsfPHGWvzvo




More about safety on the reef :
http://sgn090608.blogspot.com/2010/01/personal-safety-when-going-on-nature.html

http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/shoretips.htm

http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-visit-shores-of-singapore.html