sgbeachbum

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

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

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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!!!!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

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

Common Sandpiper @ Labrador Park Nature Reserve

Common Sandpiper @ Labrador Park Nature Reserve 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.

01 Feb 2009 : Came across this Common Sandpiper (not-so-common nowadays) whilst at Labrador Park Nature Reserve. This one seems to be a resident bird as it is frequently seen on the promenade seawall looking for food.

Read more about this bird species here :
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Actitis_hypoleaucos.htm

Saturday, January 17, 2009

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