#01, Chek Jawa Intertidal Walk

Alright, this would be my first official post on this blog! Well, firstly, I set it up to put up what I've found and seen in my trips to nature places. It was actually encouraged by Ms Wang, who said that it would be a good for me to start a blog on my findings. I thought this was a good idea, and whala, you have this blog! I hope you find this blog insightful :) Of course, I think I would not be posting as often as I would on a normal blog... Heh but I would try!

Yeps, so just recently, I went on a trip to Pulau Ubin. It was most exciting as the group of us were going to the Intertidal area, during low tide at Chek Jawa. It was really brimming with life.

If you like, you can visit the Chek Jawa guide website, it's at http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/sitemap.htm.

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A sea cucumber, picked up from the water. To my amazement, the texture of the sea cucumber was rather rough, like touching a cow's hide on the upper side, though it was soft on the under side. From the CJ guide, I found out that these sea cucumbers breathe through their backsides! How interesting. I also learnt that these sea critters vomit to protect themselves, for more information you can read http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/p630.htm.

A Common Sandstar! I don't really have much to say about this :) But enjoy!

This is a tube anemone! Pretty, isn't it? This is quite nicely opened up in the water...

They are tube-like things sticking out of the sand. There is an occasional squirt out of these holes, I'm not sure why/what though!

The horse-shoe crab. It's quiet a pretty sight because it looks rather unusual. Doesn't really resemble the normal crab eh? Anyway these creature breathe through gills and can burrow into the sandddd!

Another photograph of the horse-shoe crab!

Right, so we have a sea cucumber and a tube worm in a container together. It was hilarious as the worm kept tugging at the sea cucumber, as if it was fighting it, while the sea cucumber stayed perfectly still... Haha. This is not an example of symbiosis :P

This is a nudibranch (amina babai). Nudibranches are like snails anyway, just without the shells and can be poisonous. I've seen more colourful nudibranches on TV. Lol but anyway this one's cute!

Mussels anyone?

This is the underside of the cake seastar. According to Ron, the adult seastar looks somewhat like a cake.

A flower crab. It was getting aggressive, as it had its pincers up in the air.

Male flower crabs have long pincers, twice to three times longer than their
bodies are wide. Males are also more decorative, with blue markings and
attractive patterns on their bodies. Females are better camouflaged in dull
green and brown. The male's abdomen is more narrow while the female's is broader
as she uses the abdomen to carry her eggs.

From http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/g321.htm

So I should think this is a male.

We set off, oh the beautiful clouds...

Hermit crab. It constantly has to move house because it grows larger and larger, while it needs protection for its soft body (abdomen). It's an interesting fact eh? These hermit crabs are scavangers and feed on the 'left-overs'.


This plant's really unique because the seedlings of the tree (as seen in the pictures, those long things hanging downwards) actually germinate way before dropping into the seawater, which later would disperse the seeds away from the parent tree - in this way, overcrowding is prevented. Plus, the seedling floats horizontally (on the sea water) till it absorbs enough water, before they become vertically positioned, ready to be rooted/ become a young tree. Such an adaptation is very important in the harsh environment of the mangrove.

These are mangrove plants: *Sonneratia. They are actually young plants called propagules. The seeds of the mangrove plants germinate before they drop down.

Scenery pictures.

Those were the grounds we were trodding on. The mud got quite deep so booties were almost essential!

You put these dried leaves in your pillow. Haha!

On our way to Chek Jawa...

Mangrove roots. There are two types... but again, I can't remember. I'll update when I find information about these.

These are ant plants, Dischidia - the puffy leaves, where ants make homes out of these plants. Inside these leaves, there are roots which absorb the nourishment the ants bring for them. It's symbiotic relationship - both benefit in fact, so it's goood :)

Note: There are ferns creeping on the plant as well- Dragon's scales. The brown stuff are the spores which are on the fertile fronds.*

Last but not least, I leave you with a message, "Take only photographs, leave only footprints and nothing more!" :)

I'd like to go back to Chek Jawa if I can!.. See you all around!

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(edit) *Thanks to Ms Wang for helping me make corrections! (/edit)