Semakau walk on 3 June

I had a group of bubbly students from Jurong West Sec and we went to Semakau last thursday! Was having a bad throat so i guided with Meiyi! (:

This time, i remembered to take pictures while guiding! Still learning how to take good pictures while guiding though. But i guess the weather was too hot and many animals went to hide in their little homes. Nevertheless, we still saw quite a few animals! (:

Once we got out of the mosquito-filled forest, we stepped onto the mudflat which had life almost everywhere! That's why when visiting the shores, staying in a single file is very important as there are little creatures everywhere, for example the creeper snails. They feed on algae that grows on the shores and this helps to prevent algae bloom, which is not very good for the marine plants like seagrasses as they may block sunlight  from reaching the vegetation that grows underneath the algae. As they move, they will leave a trail behind them. The more trails you see on the shore, the longer the tide has been out!

Some plants with special adaptations are able to live with the high salinity level and on the soft mud flat. One of them is the Bakau Tree which has prop roots to help them balance on the soft ground. They also have aerial roots which helps them to take in air from the surrounding as the mud usually have low level of oxygen in them.

Besides that, the parent plant also prepares its young before they are dispersed into the harsh environment. The seedlings of the mangrove plants are called the propagules, which develop on the parent plant first before they are matured enough to be released into the sea water.

Further out, some of us saw the Sand-sifting Sea Star (Archaster typicus)! These sea stars have many little tube feets on their underside that helps them to move around and also sift the sand for food, thus they're called the Sand-sifting Sea Stars.  

Near the Sea Star, we also saw a Common Whelk (Nassarius livescens)! The whelks have a long siphon that helps to create water current as it moves, and draws in oxygenated water at the same time. The siphon can also be used to drill though shells to feed on the food in it!

Right before we entered the Seagrass lagoon, we walked through an area that had lots of sponges, and here's one of them! Sponges are very simple animals made of connective tissues, and thus they do not have internal organs like heart or lungs. They are pore-bearing animals which enables them to suck in water through the pores and feed on the food particles in the water. 

While crossing the Seagrass lagoon, Meiyi found a beautiful Noble Volute (Cymbiola nobilis)! This snail has a very charming shell and a muscular black body with orange spots! Although it may look elegant, it is actually a very fierce predator! It wraps its muscular foot around its prey, like smaller snails that are buried in the sand before devouring them. 

As we walked, we kept a lookout for this Hairy Crab (Pilumnus vespertilio), and YAY many of us found at least one of them! (: This crab has a lot of hair on its body which breaks the outline of the crab when it is in water. The colour of the crab also helps it to camouflage into its surroundings. If the crab is not moving, it is quite hard to spot them sometimes!

As we moved on to the next flag, we saw the Synaptid Sea Cucumber (Family Synaptidae)! It has a soft body wall which makes it vulnerable so we shouldn't touch them. The tentacles around its head helps it to grab food particles from the surrounding water to feed itself. 

We also saw a Scallop (Comptopallium radula)! When it is submerged in water, it will open up slightly, suck in water and sieve out the food particles. When it is out of water, it will shut itself tightly to prevent itself from drying up, and also prevent itself from being eaten by predators like birds. 

Here's the Swimming Crab (Thalamita danae) with its last pair of legs modified into paddle-like legs to help it swim better. They have long and sharp pincers and can be quite fierce when they are provoked! So becareful not to irritate them when you see one next time (:

Next we saw the Haddon's Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni). We shouldn't touch the anemones as they have tentacles that contain stinging cells, and may sting your fingers if you touch them. This anemone contains symbiotic algae called the zooxanthallae within them. In the presence of sunlight, the algae will photosynthesize and produce food. Then, the food is shared with the anemone, while the anemone provides the algae with shelter and minerals. 

This is the skeleton of a dead Sunflower Mushroom Coral (Heliofungia actiniformis) made of Calcium Carbonate. When it is alive, it has long and thick tentacles that looks like udon! Unlike other hard corals that are colonial animals, this is actually a solitary animal that exist as a polyp on its own.

Next, we saw the Polka-dot Nudibranch (Jorunna funebris). Nudibranch literally means naked gills in Latin. The feathery exposed gills of the sea slug can be easily seen on its back. It also has a pair of rhinophores on its head that helps it to sense its surroundings and find their food in the water.

Lastly, we saw this Stonefish Sea Cucumber (Actinopyga lecanora)! It has a smooth body and is able to harden its body when it's stressed. Like other Sea Cucumbers, it has a water vascular system which acts like the circulatory system in our body. Instead of circulating blood in their body, the Sea Cucumbers circulate the sea water in their body, thus they should not be left out of water for too long. 

Despite the ultra hot weather, I had a great time guiding and hope that my participants had fun that day too! (: