spitting mudskipper @ chek jawa

spitting mudskipper from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Chek Jawa 10 Jan 2010 : The 1.0m tide was great for viewing the intertidal zone near the boardwalk from the boardwalk. There were quite a few other interested visitors observing the mudskippers (and fiddler crabs). The mudskippers were out showing off building homes and looking for mates.

There were some mudskippers renovating their burrows by removing mud. The clip shows of mudskipper which had been busy renovating his burrow but which had moved away from it until he saw another mudskipper (presumably a rival male or ... a female not up to his satisfaction) too close to his burrow for comfort. He made a hasty retreat to his burrow whilst flashing his brightly coloured dorsal fin along the way. Instead of getting into a tussle with the offending mudskipper, this little guy decided to shoot mouthfulls of mud at the visiting mudskipper. And his first shot was accurate! Right on the other mudskipper chasing it away!

Is this an example of a fish using a tool? i.e the mudskipper using mud as a projectile weapon. Archer fish, also found in Singapore's mangroves, use water as a projectile weapon to shoot insect prey into the water.

Check out JK's mud spitting photos on his blog :-
Singapore Nature : http://sgn090608.blogspot.com/2010/01/100110-ubin.html

And also's RT's WildSingapore pages for more action and information
Wildsingapore.com :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/01/mud-slinging-mudskippers-at-chek-jawa.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2009/12/mudskippers-leaping-at-chek-jawa.html
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/fishfi15.htm

paradise tree snake @ Ubin 10Jan2010

paradise tree snake from BeachBum on Vimeo.

JK spotted this snake just before we were about to board our van. It was about 60 cm long. The video clip is extremely short because the snake slithered into the foliage in a few blinks of an eye.

Read more about these amazing snakes here :
http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/snakes/paradise_tree-snake.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopelea
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/verts/flying_tree_snake.htm
http://www.flyingsnake.org/
http://www.naturemalaysia.com/paradise-tree-snake.htm

fish fry explosion @ little sister's island 03Jan2010

fishfry from BeachBum on Vimeo.

The far lagoon's intertidal pockets were filled with tiny fish fry. This was quite a contrast with the near lagoon which did not seem to have any fish fry at all.

There seemed to be a variation in the age of the pockets of fish fry. Some were bigger whilst some seemed like they had hatched not too long ago.

All were however translucent. Perhaps this helps the fry blend into the surrounding vegetation.

What kinds of fish (non bottom dwelling) do we see most often in the intertidal ?
See http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/fishfi.htm
The most likely suspects are :
The checquered cardinalfish : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/apogonidae/margaritophorus.htm
The tropical silverside : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/atherinidae/duodecimalis.htm
The lined cardinalfish : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/apogonidae/cheilodipterus.htm
Of course, the fry could belong to some other species. It would be difficult to tell unless one 'grew' the fry for some time until the distinguishing features can be discerned.

frogfish @ Little Sisters' Island 03Jan2010

frogfish from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This frogfish was a surprise towards the end of our reefwalkwell after te tide had started it's return.

JK was wandering around making a few last searches with hit torch in the dark of the eveningbefore leaving the lagoon when he came across a small greenish sponge in the sand near a rock in very little water.

"ay, what a weird sponge...... no, wait! it moved...it has a tail...AY, what fish is this? This is so weird!!!".

CH came by and promptly identified it as a frogfish. Frogfish are very rarely spotted on our reefwalks as they are masters of camouflage (much like the dangerous stonefish). This particular specimen was on a higher part of the intertidal zone in hte lagoon and it must have been out of water for some time when the tide ran out.

Read about JK's blogpost here :
http://sgn090608.blogpost.com/2010/01/100103-little-sisters.html

Read more about frogfishes here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/antennariidae/trisignatus.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/antennariidae/black.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frogfish
http://www.frogfish.ch/frogfish-behavior.html

black sea cucumbers @ 02 & 03 Jan 2010

blackseasucumbers from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Here are some black sea cucumbers (Holothuria leucospilota) observed during trips to Pulau Terkukor and Little Sisters island in early Jan 2010.

Read more about these amazing animals here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/holothuroidea/leucospilota.htm
http://people.hws.edu/fieldguide/show.asp?ID=121
http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=83487
http://singaporefauna.blogspot.com/2007/02/holothuria-leucospilota.html

If you would like the cure for insomnia related to a study of this cucumber, here it is : http://www.springerlink.com/content/k736j21447058834/fulltext.pdf?page=1

Other blogposts about the trip :

• Clam hunt at Terkukor from WildSingapore
• Land of the Clam Graveyard from Psychedelic Nature.
• Pulau Tekukor from Singapore Nature.

Octopus Hunt @ 03Jan2010

octopus hunt from BeachBum on Vimeo

Octopuses hunt mainly at night. They hide during the day time and come out at about dusk from rock crevices or holes.

They move about silently spreading their tentacles around and into rocks and coral boulders looking for crabs and fish.

The octopus featured in the videoclip was about palm sized and was itself heavily camouflaged with a dark mottled skin pattern. Further, it's skin was contorted into a warty fashion. It got lucky feeling under the rock and seems to have caught a fish which must have been hiding under the rock. The fish did put up a good fight trying to escape but the octopus held firm despite the fish's kicks and jolts.