The Amazing Singapore Crab

You really don’t know what you will find in the inter-tidal area when they are exposed during spring low tide. Animals & creatures that living in this area have to face the tide changes, they can be swept away by current during high tide & they will face the extreme heat from sunlight during low tide. As such, the animals living here all have some kind of adaptations either they burrow, having hard shell, possess some kind of toxin  or they are very good in camouflaging. 

Such as this very creative spider crab below. When attaching herself to the seaweed, is almost impossible to spot it. Who will expect to see a crab below the seaweed?

Is almost like seaweed growing from the carapace of the crab!

 The crab attach the seaweed so well that even the underside is like part of the carapace.

 Close up look of the crab from the left side.

 Close up look from the right side of the crab.

Isn't it amazing? For those who like to wear hat, may be you will find some inspiration from this tiny crab.

Lively Tuas Shore

A rather remote shore situated at the West most of Singapore not too far from the 2nd Link. Perhaps due to the remote location and happens to be a 'restricted' area, the shore is off limit to most people.

Thanks to Schering Plough and RMBR kind arrangement, I get to visit this shore with a group of Nature Guides. The weather is good and the tide is just enough to expose part of the shore where it usually covered with sea water

There are lots of nerites such as this one with beautiful zebra stripes on the upper shore grazing algae.
This octopus was hiding in the hole waiting for the tide to return.Once the shrimp sense of danger, it quickly burrow into the sands to avoid predator.This decorator crab is so well camouflage, if she decided to stay still unlikely we would be able to spot her.There are also lots of zoanthids on the shore as well. Zoanthids are actually colonial anemones.
The fish that fish is no other than this smart frog fish. With the bait-lure on top of the mouth, when fish are attracted by the lure-bait, this well camouflage fish will open its big mouth!In a split second, the greedy fish will became its dinner!This ugly looking lump is a slug!This is the bottom of the slug and I have no idea of the ids yet.This beautiful anemones is a solitary anemone , probably a Aliciidae.This beautiful moon snail in fact a fierce predator. They can move very fast compare to bivalves. Once it caught a prey, it will drill a hole through the shell of its prey!

Cowries are now very rare on our shore due to habitat lost and over collection.A snapping shrimp peep through its burrow.A blue-spotted nudibranch Dendrodoris denisoniThis small crab is decorating herself with sponges...Is this small shrimp trying to push the file fish away??Have not seen this red anemones shrimp for a while. Wow!This sand dollar is different from the others that we saw...it has a very beautiful star on its back!Sea pen is actually a colony of many animals. The central stalk is a single polyp. The feathers like parts branching off from the central stalk is other animals called secondary polyps.Another rare find, a Melibe sp. This sponge crab hide under the nice coat crafted by herself using sponges.

Tuas is really amazing...we found an eight arms Luidia maculata!A close-up shot of this rare star.Just compare with this bento box and you should be able to guess the size of this sea star.
Just before we end our walk, we saw this hairy seahare, Bursatella leachiiBy the time we finish, is already dark! Although this shore is so close to such a heavy industrial area, it is doing very well. Bravo!