Knobblies Galore at Cyrene Reef!

18 November 2009 - My first visit to Cyrene Reef! Was really looking forward to this trip as I know that I will finally get to see my very first knobbly sea star and lots of other interesting marine life! =)

It was drizzling when we set off. Everyone was a little concerned as no one wanted to miss visiting the shore due to bad weather!

Towing a little dinghy behind us... As there is no jetty on Cyrene, we had to transfer to the dinghy for landing. For a first timer like me, it's a pretty exciting experience!

Land ahoy! Cyrene Reef is located south of mainland Singapore, in the middle of a busy shipping lane. Although it is ringed by petrochemical plants on Jurong Island and Pulau Bukom, this beautiful reef is home to many interesting marine life!

The shore is populated with many Fan Clams. Watch out! Their razor-sharp edges that can give a pretty nasty cut.

And here's another one... Fan clams are easily overlooked as they are usually buried in the sand among seagrass with just 2 - 3cm of their shells sticking out.

Ornate Leaf Slugs seemed to be in season now... these beautiful slugs were spotted no less than 10 times today!

This Mosaic Dragonet came to "抢镜头" (steal the limelight) when I was trying to photograph the ornate leaf slug above...

This plastic-looking thing is a Sand Collar - the egg mass of a moon snail. The hole in the centre of the collar indicates the size of the snail!

Zoanthids. Do not touch them as some zoanthids contain powerful toxins to protect themselves against predators!

This rope-like creature is a Synaptid Sea Cucumber. A first sighting for me. Was kinda entertained by this fella as it kept "stretching" and "shrinking" itself... Reminds me of an accordion. =)

and here's another type of sea cucumber - the Garlic Bread Sea Cucumber.

This is a White Sea Urchin - another first for me. Saw quite a few of them today.

This beautiful urchin is the Long-spined Black Sea Urchin. This is definitely the prettiest specimen I've seen so far. I love it's white and purple hues. =)

Common Peacock Anemone. They can be found in a variety of colours.

Lots of Common Sea Stars were also spotted on the sandy shore...

And finally, my very first Knobbly Sea Star! This photogenic sea star can be found in a variety of colours and knob patterns.

Knobbly sea stars are often harvested for the live aquarium trade. As a result, they are now listed as 'Endangered' on the Red List of threatened animals of Singapore. Cyrene Reef is among the few places left in Singapore where they can be seen regularly.

And now, for the stellar find of the day...

a Pentaceraster Sea Star! This special sea star is a new record for Singapore and was first spotted in Cyrene Reef. Pentaceraster sea stars were previously known to exist only in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

My first visit to Cyrene Reef has been really eye-opening with many firsts. Even though it rained throughout the trip and made photography difficult, I'm really thankful for the good weather (read: no lightning) and the opportunity to visit this wonderful shore. Hope there'll be another chance for me to visit again! =)

Semakau Again

17 November 2009 - We're back on Pulau Semakau! But this time, we're exploring the "old shore" - which is new to me, since this is the first time I'm visiting it. Ha! Perhaps I may finally get to see my very first knobby sea star! =P

We were blessed with beautiful weather, which was really unexpected as it had been raining every afternoon for the last few days.

Professor Benito Tan kindly shared with us his knowledge of the plants on the shore. This is the fruit of a pandan plant.

He also shared a most interesting legend about the sea lettuce and its distinctive "half-flower" shaped flowers.

While exploring the high shore, we saw two pairs of kites gliding gracefully in the clear blue sky...

The death zone - a designated path used by shore explorers to minimise trampling when crossing the seagrass lagoon.

Spotted this beautiful shore bird in the distance...

If the Semakau "new" shore is huge, then this "old" shore is vast! This is only a teeny weeny portion of the whole shore!

Common Sea Star... Saw a small colony of them on the sandy shore.

Ribbed Venus Clam. I like its pure white shell. =)

and this is another type of bivalve - a Large Cockle. First time seeing one with such stunning colours.

The Pearl Conch is a popular shellfish served in many seafood restaurants in Singapore. This snail is also known locally as the Gong-gong.

This beautiful snail is a Noble Volute. This juvenile is the best specimen I've seen on my intertidal trips thus far.

and here's another noble volute, laying eggs.

Orange-clawed Snapping Shrimp...

This cute purplish crab is a Fiddler Crab. You can tell that this crab is a female as both its pincers are small. Male fiddler crabs have one enlarged pincer, often in a bright colour that contrasts with its shell. The enlarged pincer is not used to hunt food or to fend off predators. Instead, it is used to attract females and to intimidate rival males.

Red Swimming Crab... I accidentally interrupted its mealtime, and this fella waved its pincers at me menacingly...

The "teddy bear" of our shores... a Hairy Crab.

Lacy Red Seaweed. First time seeing one. I initially thought this was some kind of coral... =S

a bright orange Sponge... very conspicuous in the seagrass lagoon. Quite interesting to see the huge "cavities" in this sponge.

This is a Banded Frilly Anemone.

Coral? Nope, this is the Pizza Anemone... Another first sighting for me. =)

There are many different types of corals on the shore...

Octopus! I'm always amazed at how fast they can change colours and patterns to blend in with their surroundings.

and here's another one...

This is our most interesting and exciting, but also the most dangerous find for the day... a Hollow-cheeked Stonefish! This well-camouflaged fella is about 25cm long! *shudders*

It is really difficult to spot stonefishes as they really do resemble stones. The only thing that gives it away is probably its up-turned mouth.

and this is the Garlic Bread Sea Cucumber. Don't you think it really looks like a loaf of garlic bread?

Black Long Sea Cucumber. Pretty weird to find this in the seagrass lagoon. This poor fella probably got washed up by the tide.

The sky darkened ominously as we were making our way back towards dry land. Luckily for us, we managed to get onto our transport and back to the visitor's centre just before the thunderstorm caught us!

The power of nature is indeed awe-inspiring. Lightning and thunder clashed overhead as the rain came down in sheets, accompanied by gale-force wind. A pretty scary experience with the fury of Mother Nature.

Back to Pulau Semakau

6 November 2009 - We're back again on Semakau! This is yet another good trip with many interesting sightings. But of course, since we're there to help Mei Lin with her project, the main subject for the day would still be....

Giant Clams! This is the same clam that Kok Sheng found on our previous trip. It quickly clammed up when it sensed our presence!

Here's another one, partially submerged in water and more relaxed, exposing its fleshy body...

Wandering Cowrie... Cowries are threatened by over-collection due to their highly prized shells.

This is a Reef Bristleworm.

And a really tiny shrimp on a Haddon's Carpet Anemone...

This Hairy Crab looked kinda "muddy"... need a hairdryer perhaps?

Ha! I finally managed to get a picture of a Mosaic Reef Crab! This is the most poisonous crab in Singapore. There are several documented deaths caused by eating this crab as cooking doesn't destroy its toxins.

Is this a Chequered Cardinalfish? I like its colour... don't you think the fish is pretty photogenic?

And this is a Toadfish. This fish can really "croak" like a toad!

Copperband Butterflyfish! Isn't it pretty? The false eye on its dorsal fin serves to distract potential predators.

Peek-a-boo! No idea what this fish is though...

Giant Carpet Anemone... with a very shy False Clown Anemonefish hiding among its tentacles... Can you spot the fish?

Frilly Anemone... Saw quite a number of them today.

This is a White-rumped Sea Cucumber. As its name suggests, the distinguishing feature of this sea cucumber is the white or greyish zone around the rear-end.

And this is the Durian Sea Cucumber. The surface of this cucumber does indeed look a bit like durian skin!

hmm... is this a Smooth Sea Cucumber?

a Lined Chromodoris Nudibranch! This pretty nudibranch is quite commonly found on our southern shores.

And two cute Polka-dot Nudibranch engaging in procreation. =)

Somehow, I can't help thinking that this nudibranch looks a lot like...
a cow! ~moo~

Brown Striped Flatworm. This is a first sighting for me...

and another first - a Dog-faced Watersnake! Ria found it snacking on a fish.

A Yellow-lipped Sea Krait! This beautiful snake is highly venomous but is quite docile and will not bite unless provoked. But still, it is best to leave it alone.

Had a short but really interesting and fulfilling field trip today. This new shore is definitely worth many more visits!