spotted black flatworm @ terumbu semakau - July 2014

Came across this beautiful spotted black flatworm cruising a shallow intertidal pool on the exposed reef. This one was about 8 cm long. For flatworms, this is a rather large specimen as some of them can be really small. Its undulating form carpeted the sandy substrate as it moved with an amazing gracefulness.

spotted black flatworm @ terumbu semakau - July 2014 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about Singapore's flatworms :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/acanthozoon.htm

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladidafi.htm

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/polycladida.htm

greater racket-tailed drongo @ SBG - July 2014

Came across quite a few greater racket-tailed drongos whilst walking through the Rainforest at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The clip starts with a bird on a high branch preening itself after it had emitted some electronic chirps which was what got my attention and made me look for the source. It soon flew off but i caught sight of another which had an insect in its beak. It moved along a branch and passed the insect to another drongo which received it but soon flew off to another nearby branch, no doubt to finish the gift away from the giver. The giver sat quietly on its branch whilst the other drongo finished its meal. Afterwards, both birds preened themselves in close proximity.

greater racket-tailed drongo @ SBG - July 2014 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about the Singapore Botanic Gardens Rainforest walk :

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/SBG_Rainforest_%20E-guide_FINAL.pdf

http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/sbg.htm

http://www.naturia.per.sg/botanics/

and about the amazing drongo here :

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2012/02/racket-tailed-drongo-bukit-brown.html

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2012/03/electronic-drongo-bukit-brown-march.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Racket-tailed_Drongo

http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/birds/drongos.htm

http://www.besgroup.org/2011/11/25/greater-racket-tailed-drongo-calls/

http://www.besgroup.org/2008/03/19/nests-of-greater-and-lesser-racquet-tailed-drongos/

http://www.besgroup.org/2008/04/25/greater-racket-tailed-drongo-eating-forest-cockroach/

http://www.besgroup.org/2008/09/20/greater-racket-tailed-drongo-catching-pareying-mantis/

http://www.besgroup.org/2008/04/11/greater-racket-tailed-drongo-mobbing-changeable-hawk-eagle/

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/greater-racket-tailed-drongo-dicrurus-paradiseus

http://www.besgroup.org/2010/04/28/woodpecker-like-feeding-behaviour-of-drongos/

http://www.besgroup.org/2007/12/01/greater-racket-tailed-drongo-following-woodpeckers/

http://www.besgroup.org/2010/04/12/greater-racket-tailed-drongo-perching-on-a-tree-trunk/

http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/17pdfs/Styring-Drongo.pdf

fringe-eyed flathead @ terumbu samakau - July 2014

This fringe-eyed flathead was a lucky spot due to its triangularly-shaped head. It has a wonderful speckled camouflaged pattern. The special feature are the eye-fringes. These appear like branches of a tree covering the eyes. Quite unique. Have you see anything like it?

This one was about 25cm long and was above the sand. Flatheads sometimes cover themselves with sand so that only the eyes are exposed. They then lie in wait for passing prey which may be small fish or prawns.  

fringe-eyed flathead @ terumbu semakau - July 2014 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Read more about it here : 

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/platycephalidae/nematophthalmus.htm

and here is a clip from another nearby reef...

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2008/08/flatheadsemakaugone-in-flash.html

stonefish exposed @ terumbu semakau - July 2014

Was about to take a 'next' step at the western corner of the reef when i saw an almost forgotten shape. I had been looking for it all throughout the dark morning trip to the reef. Finally, and in good time before i lifted my foot towards the sandy space just in front of it.

The video starts with a pan from right to left. Can you see it before it gulps a passing fish and reveals its position? The camouflage is so good that one has to take a few glances to make sure. 

The cam went under for a closer look at its eyes and hollow cheeks (where you may see a dark hollow below its eyes).  Do look out for the lure above its mouth. Stonefish sometimes wriggle their lure which looks like a tasty (to a fish perhaps) worm in order to attract fish closer to its cavernous mouth. When that happens, the fish is gulped down in a split second.  Too bad i missed the gulp during the pan.

I managed to get a close up of the dorsal spines but these were very well hidden and the stonefish did not bother to raise its spines as i passed the cam over its head. I did notice some minor movement of its lips. Perhaps it was sizing the cam up. Luckily, it decided not to try to make a meal of the cam (and my fingers).

stonefish exposed @ terumbu semakau - July 2014 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about this super cool fish :-

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/synanceiidae/horrida.htm

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2011/02/mr-horrida-stonefish-tanah-merah.html

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2010/05/stonefish-ed-almost-st-johns-island.html

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2008/05/beautiful-cyrene-6-mr-stonefish-in.html

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2010/02/stonefish-tanah-merah-13feb2010.html

reef octopus hunting @ terumbu semakau - July 2014

Came across this octopus just before dawn as it used up the last few minutes before dawn to complete its search for food. It kept searching around various rocks and algae clumps with its tentacles causing a good many small crabs, prawns and fish to scramble out of the way. It was interesting to see the instantaneous changes in colour as the octopus went about searching its neighbourhood. I did not see it catch anything during the few minutes of observation.

reef octopus hunting @ terumbu semakau - July 2014 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about the reef octopus :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/reefoctopus.htm

and other octopii :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/cephalopoda/octopus.htm

Festival of Biodiversity 2014

Infopanels from the Festival of Biodiversity 2014

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/festivalofbiodiversity/index.php

(for those who missed reading them at the FOB)

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