Find out more about Singapore's flatworms :
Showing posts with label terumbu semakau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terumbu semakau. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
spotted black flatworm @ terumbu semakau - July 2014
Came across this beautiful spotted black flatworm cruising a shallow intertidal pool on the exposed reef. This one was about 8 cm long. For flatworms, this is a rather large specimen as some of them can be really small. Its undulating form carpeted the sandy substrate as it moved with an amazing gracefulness.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
fringe-eyed flathead @ terumbu samakau - July 2014
This fringe-eyed flathead was a lucky spot due to its triangularly-shaped head. It has a wonderful speckled camouflaged pattern. The special feature are the eye-fringes. These appear like branches of a tree covering the eyes. Quite unique. Have you see anything like it?
This one was about 25cm long and was above the sand. Flatheads sometimes cover themselves with sand so that only the eyes are exposed. They then lie in wait for passing prey which may be small fish or prawns.
This one was about 25cm long and was above the sand. Flatheads sometimes cover themselves with sand so that only the eyes are exposed. They then lie in wait for passing prey which may be small fish or prawns.
Read more about it here :
and here is a clip from another nearby reef...
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
stonefish exposed @ terumbu semakau - July 2014
Was about to take a 'next' step at the western corner of the reef when i saw an almost forgotten shape. I had been looking for it all throughout the dark morning trip to the reef. Finally, and in good time before i lifted my foot towards the sandy space just in front of it.
The video starts with a pan from right to left. Can you see it before it gulps a passing fish and reveals its position? The camouflage is so good that one has to take a few glances to make sure.
The cam went under for a closer look at its eyes and hollow cheeks (where you may see a dark hollow below its eyes). Do look out for the lure above its mouth. Stonefish sometimes wriggle their lure which looks like a tasty (to a fish perhaps) worm in order to attract fish closer to its cavernous mouth. When that happens, the fish is gulped down in a split second. Too bad i missed the gulp during the pan.
I managed to get a close up of the dorsal spines but these were very well hidden and the stonefish did not bother to raise its spines as i passed the cam over its head. I did notice some minor movement of its lips. Perhaps it was sizing the cam up. Luckily, it decided not to try to make a meal of the cam (and my fingers).
Find out more about this super cool fish :-
Sunday, July 13, 2014
reef octopus hunting @ terumbu semakau - July 2014
Came across this octopus just before dawn as it used up the last few minutes before dawn to complete its search for food. It kept searching around various rocks and algae clumps with its tentacles causing a good many small crabs, prawns and fish to scramble out of the way. It was interesting to see the instantaneous changes in colour as the octopus went about searching its neighbourhood. I did not see it catch anything during the few minutes of observation.
Find out more about the reef octopus :
and other octopii :
Friday, December 30, 2011
noble volute @ terumbu semakau
Came across this silent predator looking for food with its detecting siphon out and waving about. It moves about very slowly as can be seen from the clip.
Read more about this amazing animal here :
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
driftnet fishing @ terumbu semakau 05June2011
Came across a driftnet (sometimes called a gill net as it usually catches fish by the gills) on Terumbu Semakau. There was an amazing variety of fish caught in the long net which was at least 100m long stretching across from one end of the reef to the other. The video clip shows a selection of fish (and one flower crab) seen over about a 35m stretch of the driftnet.
The fishermen and their boat were closeby and were quick to pick up the catch in a styrofoam box. They must have set up the net quite a few hours earlier before the tide went out. The outgoing tide would have caught fish trying to escape from being stranded on the reef as it got more exposed. The reef had patches of Enhalus seagrass which would have provided a good refuge for smaller fish to hide from larger predatory fish.
Unfortunately, the long net also caught on to coral and sponges as well. The swaying of the net in the water could cause serious damage to corals and sponges. Any hard pull could tear off parts from soft coral and sponges. The area is also well known for its wild dolphins and resident sea turtles. Recently also, there were signs of possible dugong feeding trails at the Semakau seagrass lagoon. These animals face the risk of getting caught in the long driftnets.
After collecting the catch on the terumbu, the fishermen boated over to Semakau itself to continue their collection from another long net placed along the seawall on the foreshore.
Read also the Wildshores blogpost about the net :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2011/06/long-driftnet-traps-many-colourful.html
The fishermen and their boat were closeby and were quick to pick up the catch in a styrofoam box. They must have set up the net quite a few hours earlier before the tide went out. The outgoing tide would have caught fish trying to escape from being stranded on the reef as it got more exposed. The reef had patches of Enhalus seagrass which would have provided a good refuge for smaller fish to hide from larger predatory fish.
Unfortunately, the long net also caught on to coral and sponges as well. The swaying of the net in the water could cause serious damage to corals and sponges. Any hard pull could tear off parts from soft coral and sponges. The area is also well known for its wild dolphins and resident sea turtles. Recently also, there were signs of possible dugong feeding trails at the Semakau seagrass lagoon. These animals face the risk of getting caught in the long driftnets.
After collecting the catch on the terumbu, the fishermen boated over to Semakau itself to continue their collection from another long net placed along the seawall on the foreshore.
Read also the Wildshores blogpost about the net :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2011/06/long-driftnet-traps-many-colourful.html
anemone shrimp @ terumbu semakau 05June2011
Invisibility or transparency is a wondrous thing. Have we not all wished at some point in our chidhood (or adolescence) that we were invisible? And we all thought that was impossible except for creatures of the deep sea. But no, we have everyday invisibility on our shores....yes, on Singapore's shores and reefs. We only need open our eyes and 'see'.
This little shrimp was found on a small specimen of Stichodactyla gigantea on Terumbu Semakau.
Find out more about this shrimp :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/shrimp/brevicarpalis.htm
This little shrimp was found on a small specimen of Stichodactyla gigantea on Terumbu Semakau.
Find out more about this shrimp :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/shrimp/brevicarpalis.htm
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