Chek Jawa with special guests

The Naked Hermit Crabs spent an enjoyable Friday morning with some special guests on the Chek Jawa Boardwalk.

World Oceans Day: Protect the Ocean (Part 2)

In the previous World Oceans Day post, I talked about some of the threats that the ocean faces, why the sea is important to us here in Singapore, and how our marine environment has changed in recent times. Despite the development and destruction of many of the habitats that once existed here, marine life has managed to survive, and in some places, even thrive.

World Oceans Day: Protect the Ocean (Part 1)

Today is World Oceans Day, a day where people around the planet celebrate and honour the body of water which links us all, for what it provides humans and what it represents.

The Naked Hermit Crabs' National Day celebrations on Chek Jawa

Today, the Naked Hermit Crabs celebrated National Day with a guided tour on the Chek Jawa boardwalk.

Sharing Singapore with visiting scientists

Several marine scientists from all over the Asia-Pacific are in town for a workshop on marine biodiversity in the South China Sea. I was able to spend a day helping out with the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) as a guide, sharing about Singapore's natural heritage to specialists from the region. (Edit: Mei Lin was a participant as well, and shares more about the workshop in this post)

The Serangoon stork

Mouth of Sungei Serangoon, which has since been dammed up to create the Serangoon Reservoir;
(Photo by Food Trails)

Hello from SG (@HellofrmSG), Singapore's very own rotation curation project on Twitter, has just been launched, and our very first curator is journalist and history buff Eisen Teo (@eisen).

As part of his self-introduction, Eisen shared the etymology of the name of his neighbourhood, Serangoon:





(Note: an alternative explanation is provided in the 27th March 1950 edition of The Straits Times)

Hot Mangrove Action at Pasir Ris

On a hot and sunny afternoon, I decided to drop by the Pasir Ris mangroves, as a show of support for the Mangrove Action Squad, who have been conducting guided tours on the boardwalk for the June holidays.

Chek Jawa in June with the Naked Hermit Crabs

(Photo by Kok Sheng)

With it being the June holidays, the Naked Hermit Crabs received an overwhelming response for our monthly guided tour on the Chek Jawa boardwalk. And so 5 guides showed up on Saturday morning, ready to take on the crowds and share the sights and sounds of this very special place.

Ribbons: Terrestrial Nemerteans of Singapore

People with a fascination for marine life would probably have heard of nemerteans, commonly known as ribbon worms.


Black and white ribbon worm (Baseodiscus delineatus), Terumbu Pempang Darat;


Red ribbon worm, Kusu Island;
(Photos by Ria)

Most ribbon worms live in marine environments, with a small proportion adapted to freshwater habitats. Just earlier today, I learnt that a small handful of nemertean species have actually managed to colonise the land, and that they can be found in Singapore!

Baby crocodile spotted in Pasir Ris canal

Monday Morgue: 21st March 2011

Mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda)
Mandai, 29th January 2011

Wild Fact Sheets
A Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
SeaLifeBase

Monday Morgue: 14th March 2011

Rodong (Telescopium telescopium)
Mandai, 29th January 2011

Wild Fact Sheets
Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Guide to Seashore Life in Singapore
SeaLifeBase

Monday Morgue: 22nd November 2010

Tree-climbing crab (Episesarma sp.)
Pasir Ris, 21st November 2010

Wild Fact Sheets
A Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
A Guide to Seashore Life in Singapore
WETlands: Tree-climbing crabs in Singapore Mangroves

'Gangs' responsible for graffiti at Pasir Ris mangrove site

Stones dislodged from damaged breakwaters are a danger to swimmers

A STOMPer hopes that the damaged breakwaters in Sembawang's beach will be repaired soon as swimmers have a high risk of getting injured by the dislodged stones.

He also hopes that after repairing them, coastal erosion will be reduced too. Save our coastline before it's too late, says the STOMPer.

Marine engineer told STOMP via email today (Jul 15):

"These pictures were taken at the beach at the end of Sembawang Road near the former Wak Hassan kampung.

"The breakwater was built some years back to protect the shoreline but now holes have appeared owing to the daily pounding of the waves from the Johor Straits.

"Parts of the breakwater had been damaged and the stones were dislodged and strewn all over the beach.

"Some are now covered with barnacles and these are hazardous to swimmers.

"The ground above the tide level has green grass but because of soil erosion the grass and soil have disappeared. The sandy beach is now nearer to the shore line.

"Some mangrove trees have exposed roots and in time to come they will fall and perish in a watery grave.

"I hope the breakwater can be repaired and something can be done to save our mangrove trees and the soil before the waves make more inroads into our coastline.

"Since NParks has been maintaining the Sembawang Park nearby, why not build some boardwalks here so that the public can have a place to relax during the weekends."

Related posts: The glory and the sad end of a giant tree (20th June 2009)
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)

Wood-degrading fungus thrives at Admiralty Park

The fungi seen in these pictures are known as polypores, says STOMPer Mangrove Man, who wishes to highlight the wood-degrading species to all nature enthusiasts.

The polyporus fungus grows on tree trunks and is commonly spotted on fallen tree trunks.

In an email, STOMPer Mangrove Man says:

"These pictures were taken at Admiralty Park.

"This fungus called the polyporus fungus is leathery, hard and woody. It has no stripes and grows bracket-like on tree trunks.

"The orange polypores are common on fallen tree trunks because of their ability to degrade wood.

"This mangrove tree (Bruguiera cylindrica) can reach a height of 20 m and has buttress roots. The hypocotyl is about 15 cm long, like a green cigarette and slightly curved.

"The trunk of the tree is used for firewood and timber."

Based on my copy of A Guide to Tropical Fungi, it appears that the fungus in these photos belong to the genus Polyporella, although a bit of Googling suggests that the more accurate name for these bracket fungi may be Pycnoporus instead.


Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, Florida;
(Photo by pellaea)

There's an error in the description above; it's supposed to be "It has no stipes", which is a different matter from "It has no stripes". The stipe is the stem or stalk-like structure supporting the cap of a mushroom.

Bracket fungi are often found growing on decaying logs, and play an important role in helping to break down rotting wood, and facilitating the recycling of nutrients. However, some species are capable of becoming parasites, infecting living trees and causing the death of their host.

The famous lingzhi (Ganoderma lucidum) used in traditional Chinese medicine is a type of bracket fungus.

It would have been better if the person who submitted this to STOMP had provided a picture of a mangrove hypocotyl and explained what it was as well. I'm sure most of the people who read this post have no idea what a hypocotyl is.

Here's a photo of a bakau putih (Bruguiera cylindrica) propagule. The hypocotyl is the long green part that has already sprouted from the seed.


Bakau putih propagule, Pulau Ubin;
(Photo by Chay Hoon)

It's monkey land at Admiralty Park

STOMPer Engineer was at Admiralty Park and noticed that monkeys were moving freely in the area.

In an email to STOMP today (June 29), the STOMPer wrote:

"These long-tailed macaques were frolicking on a mangrove tree.

"The mother monkey was swinging the branch to gain momentum and after a short while, it jumped onto the pillar supporting the bridge.

"It then climbed up to reach the railing of the bridge. The baby monkey followed suit and soon the whole troupe was on the bridge.

"The monkeys climbed up the railings and jumped over each other. However, it was risky for if it missed a step it could end up in the river below which meant a fall of 5m.

"The monkeys were observing a cyclist, who was cycling past the bridge.

"These macaques live in primary and secondary forest, mangroves and the outskirts of towns and villages.

"They travel in troupes of up to 30. In Singapore it is the most common primate.

"They feed on buds, fruits, insects, crustaceans, spiders and cereals. Their most feared predator is the deadly python."

Ria has visited Admiralty Park on a number of occasions, and on her last trip there, encountered a group of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis).

Api Api River is now too polluted for fishing

STOMPer Ong is sad that the Api Api River, which used to be clean and clear and good for fishing, is now polluted with dirty water.

He hopes that something can be done to stop this.

Says this STOMPer:

"Last time this Api Api River near the HDB, was clean and clear and the residents could still fish.

"Now, we can't fish anymore, look at the water, it's so dirty."

People aren't supposed to be fishing there in the first place...

I'm not sure how he defines the water as 'dirty'; to be honest, Sungei Api Api looks very normal to me here. These photos certainly aren't very strong evidence for pollution. This person's case would probably be much stronger if he had taken pictures of litter and other man-made debris clogging up the river, or if he had been more descriptive of how the water conditions have supposedly changed over the years.

Pollution at Sungei Pandan wreck lovely scenery

STOMPer Boatman was upset when he spotted, what he called 'serious pollution', at Sungei Pandan at Jalan Buroh.

Says this STOMPer:

"These pictures were taken beneath the bridge that crosses the Sungei Pandan at Jalan Buroh.

"You can easily estimate the extent of environmental pollution of our precious waterways.
"There were lots of drink cans, plastic bags, polystyrene boxes and the area was infested with mosquitoes.

"A wooden rickety pier that was probably put up by the fishermen who came to unload their daily catch. You can see a boat moored by the side.

"The image of the setting sun was reflected in the water of the river. The day was coming to an end and the birds were returning to their homes. It was very peaceful at the bank of the river and the crickets in the bushes began their nocturnal chorus to usher in another night."

A cleanup session was held in these mangroves at Sungei Pandan as part of International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS) in September last year. In fact, it was the first cleanup held at this site. Part of the 1.37 tonnes of rubbish cleared from just a small area of the mangroves included 39 tyres.

3 sets of photos from the session can be viewed at Flickr (1, 2, 3).

You can also view the overall survey results of that cleanup session over at this link, as well as analysis of the amount of trash collected by the 3 participating groups, Oil Spill Response and East Asia Response Limited, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, and the NUS Raffles Museum Toddycats.

These mangroves are also the focus of blog posts by Siva (who also has a gallery of his trip at this link), Kok Sheng, and most recently, by Ria.

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.