I uploaded the pictures from the bottom-up by mistake, oh wells, let's start off with a scenic, fresh view of the rising sun over Pulau Semakau:
so pretty!! =D
A huge fishing net was found along the intertidal area, and in it were three dead sharks. The damning work of poachers who just don't care. =( The poachers are from other countries and were fishing illegally in the waters surrounding P. Semakau. The aim of Project Semakau is to convert P. Semakau into a Marine Park which will confer it a higher legal protection and hence, send a warning to those greedy poachers: 'Stay away!'
The very huge net and the very small poachers' boat in the distance. Grrrr!
We all want to tell you that P. Semakau is teeming with a rich biological life. Here's what I found during the Hunting-Seeking survey:
Bulb Tentacle Anemone (Entamacea quadricolor), my first sighting!
Blue-bordered Flatworm that was so tiny it's almost fragile.
Spider Conch (Lambis lambis) playing peek-a-boo! with its pair of eyes and its knife-like operculum. A spider conch 'hops' along the surface using its strong muscular foot and the spines on its shell ensures stability.
A small little cute Sea Hare!
A species of soft coral that looks really pretty (well maybe not in this picture, sorry!)
A Flower Crab (Portunus pelagicus) caught feasting; this one was rather large at about 7cm wide!
Dendrodoris tuberculosa, a species of sea slug, I think.
A fish that got caught stranded in a pool in the intertidal area. It escaped out attempts to 'save' it i.e. move it somewhere with more water but oh wells, the tide was soon coming up anyway.
Zoanthid (Palythoa mutuki.)
Peacock Anemone, Order Ceriantharia. Can you spot the almost transparent tentacles?
Another fish, unsure of its species.
A goby, I think.
A pair of anemone shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis). There was another shrimp with a transparent shell nearby, but I can't spot it in this picture =(
Creepy crawly Marine Spider (Desis martensii)
An unidentified anemone
Probably a Red Swimming Crab (Thalamita spinimana)
Hairy Crab (Pilumnus vespertilio)
An Upside-down Jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.). This jellyfish contains single-celled algae called zooxanthallae in its oral arms (which are exposed when the jellyfish is upside-down) which photosynthesizes to provide food for the jellyfish. The algae gets shelter and minerals from the jellyfish in return.
Pictures taken on 28 May::
The office HQ where we gather, eat, sleep, bathe and shit.
Sunset over the sea (part of Singapore Straits)
Star Jump!
Following are the views at the Southern Tip of Pulau Semakau:
Near the HQ, dark clouds were looming.
