The seashore is a place for relaxing in the sun, but when it is low tide, be careful of where you step your foot for the area is teeming with life!
When my class first arrived, we were cautioned by our guide not to step on the mud. I feeling courageous and reckless, decided not to heed the advice of our guide. The minute my foot landed on the mud, I could not move my legs.Three of my friends had to pull me out! While we were walking around, we could easily spot many sea creatures and we even managed to spot a large crab. Though beautiful, there were loads of thrash and that made our CIP work seem endless!
If I have another opportunity, I would want to visit it again in the morning.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Solitary tube worm diopatra
This is the solitary tube worm diopatra.. It looks very strong n cool to me
Onch slug
Onch slug
Where seen? Onch slugs are common on all our shores, on algae-covered rocks or other hard surfaces, or on mud in mangroves or mangrove tree roots. But they are often well hidden especially on a hot day, or well camouflaged even when moving about in the open.What are onch slugs? Onch slugs belong to Phylum Mollusca and are snails of the Class Gastropoda that lack shells.
Features: 1-6cm. Unlike most other snails, they don't have a shell as adults. Instead, they have tough skin to reduce water loss. But like most other snails, they have a broad foot and a pair of eyes on long stalks. Most snails have eyes at the base of tentacles. When disturbed, the eye stalks retract under the tough broad body. Onch slugs often blend perfectly with the rocks in both colour and texture! Bits of sand and sediments that get stuck on their skin adds to the camouflage. So please watch your step when you are walking on a rocky shore.These slugs belong to the same group as land snails. They have modified gills, a section of the mantle cavity modified as a lung to breath air. The opening to this cavity is at their rear ends. At high tide, they burrow into mud or sand, trapping an air bubble to breathe from. What do they eat? Onch slugs graze on algae and lichen on rocks at low tide, they are more commonly seen on cool mornings or evenings.
Onch slug babies: Onch slugs are hermaphrodites, each slug having both male and female reproductive organs.Status and threats: One of our mangrove onch slugs (Peronina alta) is listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. Like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Trampling by careless visitors can also have an impact on local populations.
Where seen? Onch slugs are common on all our shores, on algae-covered rocks or other hard surfaces, or on mud in mangroves or mangrove tree roots. But they are often well hidden especially on a hot day, or well camouflaged even when moving about in the open.What are onch slugs? Onch slugs belong to Phylum Mollusca and are snails of the Class Gastropoda that lack shells.
Features: 1-6cm. Unlike most other snails, they don't have a shell as adults. Instead, they have tough skin to reduce water loss. But like most other snails, they have a broad foot and a pair of eyes on long stalks. Most snails have eyes at the base of tentacles. When disturbed, the eye stalks retract under the tough broad body. Onch slugs often blend perfectly with the rocks in both colour and texture! Bits of sand and sediments that get stuck on their skin adds to the camouflage. So please watch your step when you are walking on a rocky shore.These slugs belong to the same group as land snails. They have modified gills, a section of the mantle cavity modified as a lung to breath air. The opening to this cavity is at their rear ends. At high tide, they burrow into mud or sand, trapping an air bubble to breathe from. What do they eat? Onch slugs graze on algae and lichen on rocks at low tide, they are more commonly seen on cool mornings or evenings.
Onch slug babies: Onch slugs are hermaphrodites, each slug having both male and female reproductive organs.Status and threats: One of our mangrove onch slugs (Peronina alta) is listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. Like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Trampling by careless visitors can also have an impact on local populations.
Solitary tube worm diopatra
Solitary tube worm diopatra
Where seen? Like rubber hoses sticking out of the ground, the sturdy tubes of this worm are commonly seen on all our shores including sandy shores near seagrass areas and soft silty areas near mangroves. The tubes are usually spaced apart from one another.
What are solitary tubeworms? Solitary tubeworms are segmented bristleworms belonging to the Family Onuphidae, Class Polychaeta, Phylum Annelida. The polychaetes include bristleworms, and Phylum Annelida includes the more familiar earthworm. Most members of the Family Onuphidae build tubes. Some of them carry the tubes around, others are stationary but can leave their tubes. Not all tubeworms are polychaetes and not all polychaetes are tubeworms. More about tubeworms in general.
Features: The solitary tubeworm makes a tube 1cm in diameter. The tube can be quite long, but usually only about 10cm of this is sticking out of the surface. The tube is tough, thick and leathery. Only the portion of the tube that sticks out of the ground is usually reinforced with bits and pieces (sand, shells, bits of wood). The tube is usually curved, with the opening facing down towards the surface. The lower portion of the tube that buried in the ground is thin and papery. This is more obvious if you look at a tube that has been washed ashore. One or two large leaves or large shells are usually added near the tube opening. Some suggestions for the ornamentation of these tubes are that it helps the worm differentiate between harmful predators and food.Sometimes you might see a long red tubeworm with feathery appendages along the body wriggling helplessly on the sand. This is the Solitary tubeworm that lives in these tubes! Here's a page about the worm.
What do they eat? Some sources suggest Onuphid worms are scavengers that will eat dead animals or plants. Others suggest Diopatra are predators that ambush prey from their tubes that seize passing prey with teeth and immobilise them with large tentacle-like appendages on their heads.
Where seen? Like rubber hoses sticking out of the ground, the sturdy tubes of this worm are commonly seen on all our shores including sandy shores near seagrass areas and soft silty areas near mangroves. The tubes are usually spaced apart from one another.
What are solitary tubeworms? Solitary tubeworms are segmented bristleworms belonging to the Family Onuphidae, Class Polychaeta, Phylum Annelida. The polychaetes include bristleworms, and Phylum Annelida includes the more familiar earthworm. Most members of the Family Onuphidae build tubes. Some of them carry the tubes around, others are stationary but can leave their tubes. Not all tubeworms are polychaetes and not all polychaetes are tubeworms. More about tubeworms in general.
Features: The solitary tubeworm makes a tube 1cm in diameter. The tube can be quite long, but usually only about 10cm of this is sticking out of the surface. The tube is tough, thick and leathery. Only the portion of the tube that sticks out of the ground is usually reinforced with bits and pieces (sand, shells, bits of wood). The tube is usually curved, with the opening facing down towards the surface. The lower portion of the tube that buried in the ground is thin and papery. This is more obvious if you look at a tube that has been washed ashore. One or two large leaves or large shells are usually added near the tube opening. Some suggestions for the ornamentation of these tubes are that it helps the worm differentiate between harmful predators and food.Sometimes you might see a long red tubeworm with feathery appendages along the body wriggling helplessly on the sand. This is the Solitary tubeworm that lives in these tubes! Here's a page about the worm.
What do they eat? Some sources suggest Onuphid worms are scavengers that will eat dead animals or plants. Others suggest Diopatra are predators that ambush prey from their tubes that seize passing prey with teeth and immobilise them with large tentacle-like appendages on their heads.
Seashore creatures we saw
Bristle worm
Where seen? Bristleworms are abundant on our shores. Even the most 'beat up' shore will have these worms. But they are rarely seen as they burrow in the ground or remain in other hiding places. In coral rubble, giant reef worms that grow to 1m long hide inside crevices. Others about 10cm long crawl about in sandy and muddy areas. Some beautiful ones swim about in the water. Others live in tubes. Countless microscopic ones too small to see live among the sand grains.
What are bristleworms? Bristleworms are segmented worms belonging to Phylum Annelida like the more familiar earthworm. There are about 8,000 species of polychaete worms, making them the largest class of the segmented worms.Features: These worms have bodies that are divided into segments. Except for the head and last segment, all the segments are generally similar. Each segment has a pair of flattened extensions called parapodia. These appendages are usually branched at the ends and covered with bristles, called setae. 'Polychaeta' means 'many bristles'. And indeed, they have lots of bristles. These bristly appendages are sometimes used to move (much like a centipede does) and to burrow. In tubeworms, the appendages help grip the tube walls and to move up and down the tubes. In some large active bristleworms that need more oxygen, the parapodia function as gills.
Where seen? Bristleworms are abundant on our shores. Even the most 'beat up' shore will have these worms. But they are rarely seen as they burrow in the ground or remain in other hiding places. In coral rubble, giant reef worms that grow to 1m long hide inside crevices. Others about 10cm long crawl about in sandy and muddy areas. Some beautiful ones swim about in the water. Others live in tubes. Countless microscopic ones too small to see live among the sand grains.
What are bristleworms? Bristleworms are segmented worms belonging to Phylum Annelida like the more familiar earthworm. There are about 8,000 species of polychaete worms, making them the largest class of the segmented worms.Features: These worms have bodies that are divided into segments. Except for the head and last segment, all the segments are generally similar. Each segment has a pair of flattened extensions called parapodia. These appendages are usually branched at the ends and covered with bristles, called setae. 'Polychaeta' means 'many bristles'. And indeed, they have lots of bristles. These bristly appendages are sometimes used to move (much like a centipede does) and to burrow. In tubeworms, the appendages help grip the tube walls and to move up and down the tubes. In some large active bristleworms that need more oxygen, the parapodia function as gills.
Some of the mangrove creatures
Cassidula snail:It has shell thick and oval, plain dark with a white rim and a white mouth at the shell opening. It breathes air (instead of through gills like most other marine snails).
It grazes on algae growing on mangrove trees and on the ground.
This snail is sometimes seen in our back mangroves, on mangrove trees. 'Auris' means 'ear' while 'felis' means 'cat'.
Mangrove mud creeper:One of the several animals that are still sold live in our wet markets.They are unique in having a third eye known as the pallial (mantle) eye (complete with lends and cornea) on the underside of the inhalant siphon.Its multispiral operculum with a central nucleus is one of the characteristics of this family.
Tree climbing/Vinegar crab:Members of this wide ranging genus are usually burrowing crabs, digging holes at the base of trees and mud lobster mounds.They are primarily leaf-eaters and are known as pests of mangrove plantations for their habit of attacking propagules. They will also scavenge meat like many other crabs. The Teochew are known to pickle this crab in black sauce with vinegar, and take it with porridge. The Thais like it salted, with the roe or simply fried whole.
They emerge at dusk to being feeding on the forest floor and have been observed climbing up trees to heights of more than six metres.
Tree-climbing crabs can be seen more easily in the day from the boardwalk at Sungei Buloh Nature Park during high tide.At this time, however, they climb only high enough to clear the water level and remain motionless on tree-trunks, leaves or boardwalk legs.The tree-climbing crab have predators like kingfishers, moniter lizards and otters.
It grazes on algae growing on mangrove trees and on the ground.
This snail is sometimes seen in our back mangroves, on mangrove trees. 'Auris' means 'ear' while 'felis' means 'cat'.
Mangrove mud creeper:One of the several animals that are still sold live in our wet markets.They are unique in having a third eye known as the pallial (mantle) eye (complete with lends and cornea) on the underside of the inhalant siphon.Its multispiral operculum with a central nucleus is one of the characteristics of this family.
Tree climbing/Vinegar crab:Members of this wide ranging genus are usually burrowing crabs, digging holes at the base of trees and mud lobster mounds.They are primarily leaf-eaters and are known as pests of mangrove plantations for their habit of attacking propagules. They will also scavenge meat like many other crabs. The Teochew are known to pickle this crab in black sauce with vinegar, and take it with porridge. The Thais like it salted, with the roe or simply fried whole.
They emerge at dusk to being feeding on the forest floor and have been observed climbing up trees to heights of more than six metres.
Tree-climbing crabs can be seen more easily in the day from the boardwalk at Sungei Buloh Nature Park during high tide.At this time, however, they climb only high enough to clear the water level and remain motionless on tree-trunks, leaves or boardwalk legs.The tree-climbing crab have predators like kingfishers, moniter lizards and otters.
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