Saturday, August 4, 2007

Semakau Tidal Walk - 8 August 07

We have another tidal walk at Semakau this morning. Team SeaGrass is also having a transect over at Semakau. Is a good sign to see so many people showing interests wanted to know more about our nature shore.
As usual, after a short trekking through the forest, we reach the shore of Semakau. Semakau has a natural shore that made up of different ecosystems like mangroves, sandy shore, rocky shores, seagrass lagoon & coral reefs. Each ecosystem supports a different variety of plants and animals. Most of the Singapore shores have been altered by reclaimation. Semakau is one of the last few natural shores left in Singapore.
I'm not sure the id of this crab. However, I like the very unique 'tatoo' on the back.
Look at this oversized claw of the male fiddler crabs (Uca annulipes). Unfortunately, this enlarged claw can’t be used for feeding. Females on the other hands have 2 equal-sized small ones. So, they can feed twice as fast as males! The larger clawof the male crabs is used mainly for courtship, warning and fighting.
We spotted this Swimming crab (Thalamita crenata) hiding under a piece of rock. These crabs are so named because their last pair of legs have been flattened into paddle-like structures
One of our young grup member have a pair of sharp eyes. Did you find anything on the photo above? Is a Hairy crab! Wow! what a great camouflage. These crabs feed on seaweed and also toxic zoanthids (colonial anemones) which make them mildly poisonous.
A sea star with six arm! This common sea star (Archaster typicus) usually have five arms, four and six-armed individuals are frequently encountered too.
Hey, whos there? Why peeping at me? Looks like a alien with just 2 big eyes on the head.
Ooohhh....! Is a very shy Laevistrombus conch or the common name Gong-Gong.
The noble volute is laying eggs! The beautiful Cat Eye is the trap-door or operculum of Turban Snail.
This beautiful Moon Snail prey on other shells and can burrow into the sediment in just few seconds. Not far from the moon snail we saw this shrimp trying to burrow in one of the tidal pool.
Another beautiful shells of Wandering Cowries. These family of reef snails are now getting very rare due to over collection. Well, Semakau is one of the place to see this giant clam without having to know diving.
This fish looks like a Fringe-eyed Flathead (Cymbacephalus nematophthalmus )
Another iconic sea star of Semakau - Knobbly Sea Star. Must thanks R & KS to help searching for this big sea star (today short handed, not enough hunter seeker)
Group photo with Knobbly Sea Star.
We also saw few udibranchs today. A green Ceratosoma sinuate nudibranch
A Phyllid nudibranch
Colourful fan worms
Sea grapes
This is the Mushroom Coral although it looks like a anemones.
The walk ended with the landfill tour and presentation from NEA. Is really a nice tidal walk today without the rain and burning sun. :-)