Creatures found in the mangroves

The mangroves do not only consists of trees, it is home to many different animals which include the monitor lizard, mud skipper and many others.
Before we stepped into the mangroves, we heard a rather chirping sound that seemed to come from everywhere. Curious, I asked our guide where was the noise coming from and was told that the noise was made from the cicadas. It seems that cicadas make the chirping noise by contracting and relaxing the internal timbal muscles and only produced the chirps when it is sunny.
As our tour guide led us further into the mangrove, we came across a mound with many holes. Before we could shoot any questions, our guide explained that the mounds were made by the mud lobsters but are inhabited by the tree climbing crabs. By the way do you know that the tree climbing crabs are also known as vinegar crabs because the crabs are served with vinegar in Taiwanese dishes?
Further down, we saw a mud skipper hiding in one of the holes. It was brilliantly camouflaged and if not for one of our classmates we might have missed it. Mud skippers are amphibians and spend most of their life out of water.By using their highly modified pectoral (swimming) fins much like legs and by flipping their bodies, they can "skip" across the mud (and water), which is a great way to avoid predators.Mud skippers need to be able to poke their heads above the water's surface and gulp air. So if you hold their head in the water for to long they will drown.
Like I said earlier, the mangrove is teeming with life and is a must see.

Creatures found in the mangroves

Mangroves(pics)

Most plants in Mangroves takes out the salt that is in their body to the leaves.

A red mangrove,
Rhizophora mangle Pretty???

Here are some pictures on Mangroves,Please enjoy!!!

Mangroves

Mangroves (generally) are trees and shrubs that grow in saline (brackish) coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics. The word is used in at least three senses: (1)most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant assemblage or mangal, for which the terms mangrove swamp and mangrove forest are also used, (2)to refer to all trees and large shrubs in the mangal, and (3) narrowly to refer to the mangrove family of plants, the Rhizophoraceae, or even more specifically just to mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora. Mangals are found in depositional coastal environments where fine sediments, often with high organic content, collect in areas protected from high energy wave action.
Mangroves protect the coast from erosion, storm surges (especially during hurricanes), and tsunamis. Their massive root system is efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they slow down tidal water enough that its sediment is deposited as the tide comes in and is not re-suspended when the tide leaves, except for fine particles. As a result, mangroves build their own environment. Because of the uniqueness of the mangrove ecosystems and their protection against erosion, they are often the object of conservation programs including national Biodiversity Action Plans.
Despite their benefits, the protective value of mangroves is sometimes overstated. Wave energy is typically low in areas where mangroves grow, so their effect on erosion can only be measured in the long-term. Their capacity to limit high-energy wave erosion is limited to events like storm surges and tsunamis. Erosion often still occurs on the outer sides of bends in river channels that wind through mangroves, just as new stands of mangroves are appearing on the inner sides where sediment is accreting.

Introduction

Hi, we are william, marcus, lee hui, ya ling and huixing. Welcome to our blog, where we will post on creatues and plants found in pasir ris park. These creatues and plants are unqiue and beautiful in their own ways. Please enjoy our blog and appreciate the beauty of the nature:)