purple&pink 'wiggly star' anemone @ terumbu raya 09Feb2009

pink&purple 'wiggly star' anemone @ t. raya 09Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.
Here is a short clip on the pink-purple 'wiggly star' anemone from Terumbu Raya. It was in less than 10cm of water in a shallow pool.

The tentacles were purple with pink tips except for the vertical tentacles which were all brown. The diameter of this specimen was about 4 cm across.

Read more about it here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/actiniaria/star.htm

More about the trip here :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/02/reefs-of-raya.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/02/maiden-trip-to-terumbu-raya.html

noble volute @ semakau 08Feb2009

noble volute @ semakau 08Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This small noble volute (about 8cm long) was cruising in a seagrass patch containing :
Enhalus : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/seagrass/enhalus.htm
Thalassia : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/seagrass/thalassia.htm
Syringodium : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/seagrass/syringodium.htm

Being a predator, it was looking for prey (other snails) using it's siphon or snout to trace chemical trails left behind by other snails.

Status : Vulnerable. So DO NOT remove it from the shore if you come across one!

Find out more about noble volutes here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/volutidae/nobilis.htm

fanworm 4 @ semakau 08Feb2009

fanworm 4 @ semakau 08Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

clip showing yet another fanworm.
This one was in a good location on a mound of sand with its tube sticking out. The current of water flowing by was strong and yet the 'fan' did not retreat into the tube. I tried to cause a retraction by dripping water right above the fan. After a few tries, towards the 1.21 min mark, the fan was retracted in a split microsecond! Amazing reflex action!

Read more about Fanworms at :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polychaeta/sabellidae.htm

strange anemone @ terumbu raya 09Feb2009

strange anemone @ terumbu raya 09Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.
Came across this strange anemone (most of them are new to me anyway!).
Appearing black from far away...it was actually closer to a very dark reddish brown from up close.

my foot, being in the wrong place, was responsible for mucking up the water coming into the pool which contained the anemone...this is evident from all the particles floating into the scene. I decided to abandon the anemone for the time being and looked around for something to mark the spot. The good thing about submerged reefs like Terumbu Raya is that floating rubbish tends to float on with each high tide. There was almost nothing to be seen except for a coke can which had got stuck in the mud. I emptied it and placed in on a nearby rock and moved on.

Later Stephen came by and said he had seen the anemone too but that it had disappreared into a hole. When I went back to the coke can...the anemone was nowhere to be seen....all that remained was a hole in the sand. And it was about time to leave the terumbu.

More about this anemone here :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/02/strange-anemone-from-pulau-semakau.html

Turns out that this is Actinostephanus haeckeli and it is "known from the western rim of the Pacific."

Cool! that Singapore has them too!

More about the trip here :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/02/reefs-of-raya.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/02/maiden-trip-to-terumbu-raya.html

fanworm 3 @ semakau 08Feb2009

fanworm 3 @ semakau 08Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.
This fanworm also does a split second retreat into the tube. Amazing speed!

fanworm 2 @ semakau 08Feb2009

fanworm 2 @ semakau 08Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.
Watch out for the split second moment when the 'feathers' retreat into the tube. Faster than your blink!