fanworm 1 @ semakau 07Feb2009

fanworm 1 @ semakau 07Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.
Fanworms are one of the more pretty animals on the reef.
They are sensitive to sudden disturbances and will retract into their tubes as the slightest hint of trouble.
Read more about them at :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polychaeta/sabellidae.htm

Close Encounters with a Large Fish @ Semakau 07Feb2009

Close Encounters with a Large Fish @ Semakau 07Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Was alerted to this large fish (measured at 90cm by the Site 1 Seagrassers) caught in the shallows by the Team Seagrassers at Site 1 on Semakau. It must have been caught in the shallows because of a 200m long net stretching across most of the seagrass lagoon. It was gasping for air when I got to it. Careful about the sharp protusions just beyond the tail section, I used a plastic bag floating nearby to grab hold of the tail and lifted the fish cautiously. It was too weak to splash about and I lifted it clear of the water looking for a deeper pool. The low tide had drained the whole seagrass area of most of the water and I had to carry the fish towards the Sargassum boundary close to the edge of the reef. Once in the water again, it took about a minute to swim upright before heading in the right direction...out to sea.

What kind of fish was it? The info learnt from the Leaf Monkey Fishy Workshop pointed to the direction that this was a fast swimming fish due to it's V tail and narrow horizontal profile. Probably one of the 'Jacks'.

Short Clip on the long long net which prevented the fish from heading out to sea.

200m+ long net from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Short Clip on tiny juvenile fish which got stuck on the long net.

(if the small fish get caught too...then where are the bigger fish going to come from in future?)

tiny juvenile fish stuck in long net @ semakau 07Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Cutttlefish@CyreneReef 14Nov2008

Cuttlefish@Cyrene 14Nov2008 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This was an interesting find. A small cuttlefish hiding out in the seagrass lagoon on Cyrene Reef which is located in the middle of a busy industrial port surrounded by a super busy container port and a equally busy petrochemical hub!

Got spooked when the cuttlefish inked before torpedoing away.

For more info on Cuttlefish, see : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/squid.htm

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

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