plantain squirrel breakfast @ SBWR

Plantain Squirrels can be commonly found all over the SBWR (and indeed in most of Singapore's forested as well as in urban areas with lots of tree cover). They are surprisingly very much at home amongst the mangrove trees. This particular squirrel was foraging for food on the mangrove mud amongst the stilt roots of the mangrove trees. It managed to find what seems to be a morsel of discarded pineapple or some other similar fruit which it then made a quick breakfast of.

Read more about these squirrels here :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/mammals/notatus.htm

http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/mammals/plantain_squirrel.htm

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/verts/squirrel.htm

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/05/plantain-squirrel-sbwr-30apr2011.html

http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/3600/0

croc undercover @ SBWR

How difficult is it to spot a predator which is truly in its element under water?

Would you be able to spot a croc if you were not expecting it to be there?

undercover croc @ SBWR from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

This one had just finished its solar soak and moved to the shade of some overhanging trees to better moderate its temperature. Near Hide 1B at SBWR.

solar croc @ SBWR

This croc was on the sandbank at the SBWR Hide 1B in the late morning soaking up the sun's warmth for more than an hour. It provided the many morning visitors a great spectacle as they gawked at its full body prescence out of water.

Crocodiles are cold-blooded and therefore need to warm up quite a bit before they get active. This croc was moderating the heat by switching positions and panting with its mouth open.

Read more about the salt-water croc here :
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/adelaidean/issues/5501/news5550.html
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/reptilia/porosus.htm
http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/lizards/estuarine_crocodile.htm
http://www.sbwr.org.sg/Wetlands/text/06-133-1.htm
http://www.oneworldmagazine.org/tales/crocs/index.html

many-lined sun skink @ SBWR

Sun skinks are very common in garden and forested areas all around Singapore. This one was at the SBWR garden in the midst of the visitor centre. It was searching amongst the leaf litter probably looking for food such as insects, spiders and worms.

Read more about this lizard here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/reptilia/multifasciatus.htm 
http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/lizards/many-lined_sun_skink.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.per.sg/discovery/factsheet/skinkmanylined.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutropis_multifasciata

flied giant mudskipper @ SBWR

Flies are generally irritating. A single fly is bad enough. We've all been buzzed by that single bee which took a fancy to us despite our best efforts to get away from it. What more a cloud of flies? And flies which bite are much worse. It's not only humans who are disturbed by them but also the other fauna that inhabit whichever particular ecosystems the flies present themselves at. Mangroves are no exception to many types of flies ... especially biting ones.

 The clip shows a giant mudskipper being swamped by what seems to be a horde of tiny mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are frequently seen settling on mudskippers but rarely in such a horde.
 

 The mudskipper tries to get rid of them by swatting at them using its pectoral fins or quickly rolling over in a shallow muddle. Occasionally, it would wallow in the mud coating it's outer skin with mud. The mud coat seems to give it a temporary reprieve from the attacking horde. A combination of all these actions seems to work to some degree ensuring that no mozzie settles for more than a few seconds at a time. However, there are times when the mudskipper rests on the mud for quite some time without bothering much about the mozzies continuing with its daily burrow maintenance by spitting out mouthfuls of mud occasionally blinking away some of the annoying mozzies.

Read more about giant mudskippers here : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/gobiidae/schlosseri.htm 
 More video clips about mozzies and giant mudskippers : http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/gobiidae/schlosseri1v.htm 

 Location Info : viewed from the main hide at SBWR(www.sbwr.org.sg)

a mudskipper's short story

Stars Mr E Skipper and friends.
shot on location at the fabulous Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve -Singapore. (sbwr.org.sg)


Sfx rain provided by the seasonal monsoon.


No dolphins were harmed in the production of this short.
www.saddestdolphins.com