Seagrasses of Singapore (Part 1)

Lush seagrass meadows of Cyrene Reef;

In my earlier post on World Oceans Day, I mentioned seagrass meadows as one of several marine habitats that can still be found in coastal areas of Singapore. But what are seagrasses? Why are they important? And what can we do to protect them?

DENSO Youth for Earth Action

For the last 3 days, I have been involved with DENSO Youth for Earth Action (DYEA), an international programme to support youths in Japan and ASEAN who are passionate about doing something for the environment in their home countries.

The King and I: King Cobras in Singapore

(Photo by gerry morgan)

Singapore is home to many species of snake, from tiny burrowing blind snakes less than 20 centimetres long, feeding on soft-bodied invertebrates in the soil, to gigantic pythons more than 5 metres in length, lurking in our drains and sewers in pursuit of rats and even stray cats. While most of our snakes are quite harmless, our forests have their fair share of kraits, coral snakes and pit vipers, with venomous bites that are a genuine cause for concern. The equatorial spitting cobra (Naja sumatrana) is perhaps the most dangerous of our venomous snakes, since it is commonly encountered living near people. Yet these serpents, for all their deadly beauty, pale in comparison to a snake so feared and so iconic that it has become a symbol of the Asian rainforests, a true superstar among the snakes - the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).

Cars totally wrecked by fallen tree at Sungei Kadut

STOMPer Kevin sent in these photos of two cars badly damaged by a fallen tree at Sungei Kadut.

Said the STOMPer:

"A tree hit by lightning fell onto these two cars.

"Both cars were totally smashed up.

"It happened on April 24."

Exposing children to beauty of beaches, can help them appreciate nature

STOMPer Seafarer spotted a bunch of kids collecting mussels and clams at the beach at Kranji Reservoir and feels that exposing them to nature, will help them learn to appreciate it.

Says this STOMPer:

"These pictures were taken at the Kranji Reservoir Park at Kranji Way.

"This family was camping at the park during the weekend. The children enjoyed collecting black mussels and clams at the beach at low tide.

"If children are exposed to the sea at a young age, they would learn to love the sea and outdoor life.

"The view of Johor Bahru with its tall towers from the park.

"Some the bivalves like clams (Marcia marmorata) are washed ashore at low tide."

Indeed, it is vital that children receive early exposure to the outdoors. It is tragic that so many people in Singapore remain disengaged and out of touch with nature, unaware and oblivious to the fact that we sit right smack in a hotspot for biodiversity.

Writer Richard Louv has coined the term Nature deficit disorder to describe this growing phenomenon, where youths prefer to spend time indoors, instead of running around outside and getting acquainted with the little slice of nature that can be found in most neighbourhoods.

Technology is partly responsible; with the Internet, video games, television, and so many other distractions, children are far more likely to spend their free time watching a screen. An increasingly demanding school curriculum and overprotective parents also play an important role in limiting access to the outdoors. Many of us in the older generations bemoan the decline of many childhood activities, from climbing trees, to skulking around in the bushes looking for fighting spiders (Thiania bhamoensis), to catching tadpoles and small fish in streams and drains. With this lack of exposure to running around barefoot on the grass, discovering the multitude of other lifeforms that share our world, what hope is there for our wild places? Are we raising a generation overly dependent on air-conditioning, that demands more and more space be reserved for theme parks and shopping centres?

Children detach from natural world as they explore the virtual one
Do today's kids have "nature-deficit disorder"?
Parents worry about 'nature-deficit disorder' in kids

Instilling an appreciation and love for nature does not require excessive amounts of time and money. Many of our nature areas are easily accessible, and entrance to our parks and gardens is free. One does not need to organise a day-long excursion to Bukit Timah or Sungei Buloh; an afternoon spent in the neighbourhood park is often enough to gain some awareness of the diversity of life that lives around us. There's always a wide variety of upcoming activities up on the Wild Happenings in Singapore blog, catering to people of all ages.

On a personal note, I find that I have this need for what I like to call nature therapy, dedicating a few hours to walking around outdoors with my camera along the beach or in a park, keeping an eye out for interesting sights, and ruminating on various nature and wildlife-related topics. It's very therapeutic and calming, especially when done alone. But it's even more fulfilling to be sharing thoughts and experiences with like-minded people, or to be out guiding, helping others gain some insight into the need for some places to remain just that bit wild and untamed.

Monday Morgue: 26th October 2009

American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Kranji, 20th December 2008

This is the very same bullfrog from this post, after it had been run over by a couple more vehicles.

Ecology Asia
Wildlife Singapore
Global Invasive Species Database
AmphibiaWeb
Animal Diversity Web
National Geographic

The glory and the sad end of a giant tree

STOMPer Arborist is upset that this magnificent tree at Kranji Reservoir Park beach has been uprooted.

In his email to STOMP today (June 20), the STOMPer wrote:
"These pictures were taken at the Kranji Reservoir Park beach which faces the Strait of Johor.

"You can see a tall, healthy, giant tree with its stilt roots magnificently displayed. However, its days are numbered.

"The pounding of the waves against the base of the tree has taken its toll and most of the roots are now exposed. It lies precariously on the edge of the water.

"The strength and holding power of the roots are no match for the pounding of the waves which continue relentlessly day and night.

"Now the giant has fallen and we see the end of its glory and majesty.

"Only the skeleton of the giant remains to this day.

"On its roots and trunk are thousands of tiny barnacles which have chosen to make this corpse of the dead hero their permanent homes."

Related posts: Serious soil erosion at Pasir Ris Park (14th June 2009)
More trees will be destroyed by waves hitting shoreline (5th June 2009)
Waves seriously eroding our northern shoreline at Kranji Reservoir (31st May 2009)

A little melodramatic, isn't it?

The nearby Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve has been experiencing quite a bit of erosion, which is some cause for concern. There is also an excellent paper in the journal Applied Geography, which provides some historical background on how the coast in this part of Singapore has been affected by erosion.

Dead fish at Kranji beach: Poisoned by polluted waters?

STOMPer Angler saw all these dead fish washed ashore the beach at Kranji Reservoir Park, and wonders if they were poisoned by the polluted waters. He says:

"These pictures were taken during low tide at the beach at Kranji Reservoir Park at Kranji Way.

"I was surprised to see so many dead fish washed ashore on the beach.

"Were these fish poisoned or did they die because of the polluted waters?

"A crab and a mussel have died but they leave behind the carapace and the shells.

"The Johor coast can be seen from here as the Johor strait is very narrow."

Related posts: Marine life destroyed by massive pollution at Kranji Reservoir (30th May 2009)

If the pollution was really so bad, I'm sure a lot more marine life would be dying and washing up on the beach.

It's very hard to draw conclusions based on these few pictures, but I think it's far more likely that these fishes were discarded by anglers. The colour of the bits of crab shell suggests that they have gone through some cooking, while I think the solitary mussel shell isn't notable enough to be evidence for or against pollution. If the entire shore is carpeted with dead fishes and crabs and mussel shells, than maybe we can consider pollution to be a likely cause.

6 dead fish, a crab, and a mussel certainly do not make a mass death.

Monday Morgue: 1st June 2009

American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Kranji, 20th December 2008

When I first encountered this bullfrog, it was still very much alive, and sitting by the road just outside Khai Seng Trading & Fish Farm. No prizes for guessing where it escaped from.

After some time, the bullfrog attempted to cross the road, and several near misses later, it was finally struck by a passing car. A horrible end, even for an undesirable invasive species.

Ecology Asia
Wildlife Singapore
Global Invasive Species Database
AmphibiaWeb
Animal Diversity Web
National Geographic

Waves seriously eroding our northern shoreline at Kranji Reservoir

If nothing is done to break the waves hitting the beach at Kranji Reservoir, Singapore's northern coastline will recede even further, says STOMPer Beach Lover.

In his email:

"These pictures were taken at the beach at Kranji Reservoir.

"This beautiful beach which abounds with mangrove trees faces the Straits of Johor.

"As the waves keep pounding on the shore the soil has been eroded and now some of the tree roots are exposed (photo 1).

"If PUB does nothing about the situation the erosion of the coast will continue unabated.

"In the second picture you can see a tree being toppled as its roots have nothing to anchor on.

"I hope something is done fast before our Northern coast recedes away from the straits."

Marine life destroyed by massive pollution at Kranji Reservoir

The fishes and crustacean that used to thrive at the Kranji Reservoir Park are now struggling to survive under extremely polluted conditions, says STOMPer Beachcomber.

While at the reservoir recently, Beachcomber saw the beach littered with all sorts of rubbish from polystyrene boxes to marine debris.

In an email, STOMPer Beachcomber says:

"These pictures were taken at the beach at Kranji Reservoir Park which is under the jurisdiction of the PUB.

"When the tide had receded, the beach was strewn with polystyrene boxes, canvas cloth, plastic bags and marine debris.

"Plastic bags and old clothes were left hanging on the mangrove trees when the tide went down.

"The serious pollution of the beach is getting from bad to worse.

"The sea here abounds with crabs, horseshoe crabs, prawns, fish but now the marine population has been decimated by the pollution."

Related posts: Pollution makes Sembawang beach unsuitable for swimming (26th April 2009)
Look at this filthy Admiralty Road beach! (4th March 2009)

Okay, I won't go so far as to say that the marine life is being destroyed and decimated by all the marine trash. All that pollution definitely isn't good for marine organisms, but I'm sure that life still manages to survive even in such challenging conditions. All the more reason for us to be even more active in cleaning up the shores.

One comment that is often posted in response to posts like these is that the trash drifts over from Malaysia, and hence there is nothing we can do about it. I vehemently disagree with such a statement.

While it is true that some proportion of the litter washed up on our shores originates elsewhere, it is all too apparent that we ourselves are also responsible for creating this mess. A lot of irresponsible littering and dumping goes on in our coastal areas, and it doesn't take a lot of searching to find instances of people leaving their trash on the ground, often a few metres away from a dustbin.

For example, I seriously doubt that the trash in the following pictures had drifted over from Malaysia.







Personally, where it comes to marine litter, I'm much more concerned about nets and fishing lines, which often entangle and kill marine life. I've already shared several photos of various marine creatures tangled up in a previous post, but I'd like to also highlight a recent incident involving Siva and 300 mangrove horseshoe crabs (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) rescued from an abandoned driftnet in the Mandai mangroves.

So many things to see at Kranji Reservoir Park!

STOMPer Marco Polo wants to share these pictures he took at Kranji Reservoir Park with fellow STOMPers.

In an email to STOMP today (May 28), the STOMPer says:

"These pictures were taken at Kranji Reservoir Park.

"When the tide receded, many marine creatures were left on the beach, including this horseshoe crab. This can be seen in the main picture.

"This crab is a scavenger and fees mainly on bivalves. The tail is used to right itself up when overturned. Although it is harmless, it can move fast when pursued by other predators.

"The crab also feeds on worms and dead animals. Sea water is full of bacteria and the horseshoe crab is threatened with infection. It has no antibodies to fight infection. However, the horseshoe crab does contain a number of compounds that will bind to and inactivate bacteria, fungi and viruses. The horseshoe crab uses endotoxin as a signal for wound occurrence and as an effective defence against infection.

"Some clams were left on the beach when the tide receded. You can see a swarm of blow flies feeding on the fleshy clams.

"The green coloured fruits of the mangrove tree were left near the base of the trunk when the tide went down. The fruit is crowned by the persistent sepals. The tree is about 20m tall and the flowers have white petals.

"In another picture, you can also see a man using a cage to catch crabs at the beach which faces the Johor Straits.

"Some avid anglers cycle here on the weekends to enjoy a day of fishing and picnicking. They bring large nets to catch the bigger fish."

Monday Morgue: 6th April 2009

American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Jurong Frog Farm, 30th December 2008

Ecology Asia
Wildlife Singapore
AmphibiaWeb
Checklist of Amphibian Species and Identification Guide
CaliforniaHerps.com
Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe
Animal Diversity Web
National Geographic Animals

No jaywalking. Monkeys more law-abiding than humans

This troupe of monkeys living in the forested areas opposite Beauty World Shopping Centre uses an overhead bridge to cross the busy road. STOMPer Chip says they are attracted by the smells of food from the nearby food centre.

Here's what the bemused STOMPer had to say:

"I spotted this group of monkeys near Jalan Anak Bukit, opposite Beauty World Shopping Centre.

"There can be as many as 20-30 of the animals around the bus stop area, and 5-10 on the actual overhead bridge.

"I believe the monkeys are drawn by the smell of food from the nearby food centre.

"They leave people alone, and don't appear dangerous.

"It's really funny that the monkeys don't jaywalk, but use the overhead bridge to cross the busy road.

"Even they know that traffic rules have to be followed."

Looks like these long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) have figured out a safer way to cross the road. All over the world, motor vehicles take their toll on wildlife, and monkeys are no exception. Here's an example from Kenya, where a group is trying to minimise the number of Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis) getting killed by traffic.

Here in Singapore, the danger comes from macaques deliberately approaching vehicles. Accustomed to being fed by irresponsible people who toss food from their cars, the monkeys dash towards moving vehicles, with some inevitable casualties.


Idiot feeding monkeys;
(Photo taken by Ria)


Macaque roadkill, Upper Seletar Reservoir;
(Photo by Marcus)

Some macaques might have learnt how to use overhead crossings, but traffic does seriously impact quite a number of other native mammals. One of the most obvious examples would be the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica); a relatively slow-moving creature, it curls up into a ball when threatened, a strategy that offers little protection from cars. Two reports from last year of pangolins being found as roadkill can be found here and here.


Two recent reports of pangolin roadkill.
Left: Jalan Bahar, 9th August 2008;
Right: Yew Tee Flyover, 7th September 2008;

Another species is quite famous for its occasional run-ins with cars; the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is an extremely rare species, and for some time, it was thought to be possibly extinct on mainland Singapore. However, a roadkill specimen found along Mandai Road in 2001 proved that this species still exists in the forests of the Central Nature Reserves, while a second roadkill along Jalan Bahar in 2007 suggests that this species also lives in the Western Catchment Area. While the deaths of these animals were unnecessary and tragic, there is some comfort in the scientific value that comes with retrieving the specimen for closer study, or using the roadkill as concrete evidence for the species' continued existence as a part of our native fauna.


The Mandai Road leopard cat.
(Photo from Wildlife Singapore)

Snakes are another group that are very vulnerable to passing traffic; Chee Kong has recorded a number of species which have been found as roadkill, from striped kukri snake (Oligodon octolineatus) and common Malayan racer (Coelognathus flavolineatus), to banded Malayan coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis) and king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). Interestingly enough, it was the discovery of a roadkill specimen that helped confirm the presence of the rainbow mud snake (Enhydris enhydris) in Singapore.


Rainbow mud snake roadkill, Neo Tiew Road;
(Photo by Vilma D'Rozario)

Even birds are not immune; young birds that have not yet mastered the skill of flight might not be able to move out of the way in time, as shown by this mountain bulbul (Hypsipetes mcclellandii) in Malaysia, documented over at the Bird Ecology Study Group. My father once told me about the pair of squabbling Javan myna (Acridotheres javanicus) that decided to fight on the road, with predictable results. Ground-nesting birds and species that tend to fly close to the ground are especially vulnerable, with this post documenting an unfortunate incident where a lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) encountered a taxi. Scavengers such as crows, eagles and vultures that alight to feed on roadkill also risk becoming roadkill themselves.


Unidentified bird roadkill, Czech Republic;
(Photo by EarthFreak)

Here in Singapore, collisions with wildlife do not pose a great risk to human safety; if vehicular repairs are required at all, they are usually quite minor. However, in many other parts of the world, drivers have to contend with animals as large as moose (Alces alces). For large, long-legged animals like white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose, collisions often send the animal's body launching right through the windshield upon impact, dealing substantial damage to the car and its occupants; it is said that accidents with moose are often fatal for the driver.

These next few photos document one such moose-car encounter. While the moose obviously did not survive, the driver was supposedly fortunate enough to escape with only a few broken ribs.




Many amphibians are terrestrial, but travel relatively great distances overland in order to reach suitable breeding ponds. In areas where good salamander or toad habitat is now crisscrossed by a network of busy roads, this brings them into direct conflict with vehicles. In the United Kingdom, much attention has been paid to the impact of roads on the annual migration of the common toad (Bufo bufo). Personally, I have witnessed what happened to an escaped American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) that tried to cross Neo Tiew Road. And earlier this year, I realised that the oddly-patterned smear on the road at my workplace was actually the remains of a banded bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra), after it had been run over repeatedly by passing vehicles.


American bullfrog roadkill, just outside Khai Seng Trading & Fish Farm, Kranji;

For some reason, I am reminded of an old game known as Frogger.

Turtles are another group that are extremely vulnerable to traffic; like pangolins, their defense mechanism, which has served them so well for millions of years, is useless against the impact of several tons of metal travelling at high speed. This post on STOMP shows one person's attempt to prevent an unidentified turtle from becoming roadkill. However, this site documents a tragic example of the heavy toll that busy highways can exact on wildlife, especially turtles in particular.



The casualties of US Highway 27 at Lake Jackson, Florida.
Top: The remains of 90 road-killed turtles found along a stretch of highway in one day;
Lower left: Yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta);
Lower right: Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina);
(Photos by Lake Jackson Ecopassage Alliance)

There are many ways to reduce collisions between cars and wildlife; signs warning drivers to look out for animals crossing the road do help, but of course, animals don't read warning signs. And judging from the behaviour of some people, neither do drivers. Some drivers will even deliberately swerve to run over small creatures they see crossing the road; snakes and turtles are frequent victims of such despicable behaviour.






The risk of accidents with wildlife can play an important role in the planning and construction of roads. Fences and other barriers can prevent animals from accessing the road, although many animals can climb or leap over, or burrow under them. Constant maintenance is also necessary to preserve their effectiveness.


Turtles being guided along a roadside fence towards a culvert beneath the highway, Florida;
(Photo by Lake Jackson Ecopassage Alliance)

Barriers also help to guide animals along the roadside towards wildlife crossings, creating a win-win situation; vehicles can still travel unimpeded, while animals are able to cross the road safely without getting flattened.


Bear underpass, Florida;
(Photo by United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration)


Alberta Highway 1 with wildlife overpass, Canada;
(Photo by Qyd)


Toad tunnel, Germany;
(Photo by Christian Fischer)

For arboreal species, simple rope bridges linking trees on both sides of the road can greatly reduce the death toll.


Rope bridge, Australia;
(Photo from Baraza)

For more than two decades, the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) has effectively severed the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve from the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It has formed an impassable barrier for all sorts of wildlife; not many animals dare to risk crossing the road, and even fewer make it across. Not only is wildlife prevented from moving between the two nature reserves, pollination and seed dispersal is also hampered.


Here's a satellite image of the affected area, as seen on Google Earth. The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is surrounded on three sides by development, while the BKE separates it from the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Cut off from the much larger Central Catchment Nature Reserve by this expressway, and surrounded on all other sides by development, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is essentially an island, greatly increasing the risk of extinction for many species. It is thus extremely heartening to read about the possibility of building an eco-passage to enable wildlife to move freely between the two areas once more.


Here's a closer look at one stretch of the BKE that runs between the two nature reserves.

Other measures involve rescuing and treating animals involved in collisions with traffic. Darren Naish shared the recent example of 'Robo-Croc', the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) that got struck by a car and now has metal plates bolted to its head while it slowly recovers.


'Robo-Croc'
(Photo taken from Mail Online)

Another extremely interesting way of dealing with roadkill is seen over at Empire of the Turtle. Turtles wander onto roads for various reasons; for some terrestrial species, males may be wandering around in search of females, while for semi-aquatic or aquatic species, the casualties are often females looking for suitable locations in which to lay their eggs.


Female Florida redbelly turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni), seriously injured after being run over by a vehicle.
(Photo by Eric B. Holt)

For many turtles found on the road, it is too late to do anything to save them. However, if people act quickly enough, the eggs can be saved. By removing any viable eggs from the fresh carcasses, incubating them, and then releasing the resulting hatchlings, people can help give a new lease of life to eggs that would have otherwise decayed together with their mother's remains.


The injured turtle pictured above died, but her eggs were salvaged, and the hatchlings were subsequently released.
(Photo by Eric B. Holt)

Wildlife and roads usually don't go well together, and the consequences of accidents between wildlife and traffic are often serious. There's actually quite a lot of information on roadkill in other countries that is available via Wikipedia.

Singapore, with its extensive network of roads large and small, certainly presents a great challenge for many species. However, it is encouraging to see at least one species adapting to utilise a far safer method of crossing the road. It would definitely be desirable to find ways to help other species cross roads without running the risk of becoming roadkill.