The Amazing Biscuit Sea Star

Many still call them "starfish" as they are found in the sea. However, since they are not actually fish, I prefer to call them sea stars. They may look cute with the shape of the star, but what amaze me is their regenerating abilities!  They can regenerate their arms lost to the predators just like in the movie Deadpool 2.  ☺

 Found this Biscuit sea star (Goniodiscaster scaber) that lost 2 of its arms.

The wound has healed and is very much alive! 

This is how a Biscuit sea star looks like. Amazing right?

Marine Creatures at Singapore Coast

Take a break from the intense sea games and visited the coastal area of Singapore. Well, this is my 1st inter-tidal trip of 2015. That means is also my 1st SG50 inter-tidal trip!

 The very 1st interesting sea cucumber that I saw is this Sea Apple Sea Cucumber.

Saw this very small swimming crabs feeding on seaweed.

As the tide going further, more sea cucumber were spotted. Saw this Ball Sea Cucumber still trying to burrow into the sands.

This Pink sea cucumber have a very striking colour and you won't miss it. It can be seen even from a distance.

There are very very few area left in Singapore mainland that sea star like this Biscuit Star can be found.

Another quite big sea cucumber that I found is this Sandfish Sea Cucumber

I have not seen a Sea Pen for a while although seen it frequently while diving.

Genie in the bottle? This Thunder Crab made full use of this discarded flower pot as his home.

A very shy Hermit crab undecided if it should come out and play?  :)

A very beautiful Babylonia snail with the bright orange rim foot!

Another hermit crab with almost his whole body outside his host shell.

Saw this small fish before it burrow into the sands.

Saw this Salmacis sea urchin just before I end my trip. A short trip to sea marine creatures without diving.

Our Lovely Northern Shore

Is been quite a while since I visited the lively northern shore. PT & me re-visit this lovely shore this morning.

The first star that we found was this cute little Biscuit Star.

A Biscuit Sea Star (Goniodiscaster scaber)

There a lots of tiny one too!

This Sand Star with one arm missing and another is growing...

Sand Star

Animals that stay in the intertidal area must be able to hold themselves during low tide. This pair of seahorse was put to test when the tide goes down.

Pair of Spotted Sea Horse(Hippocampus kuda)

Millet Cowrie (Cyprea millaris)

The Millet Cowrie is a threaten cowrie in Singapore, is really good to be able to see one here!

Fan Shell

 There are lots pf Fan Shell half burrowed in the sand and with nice colours too!

A stranded fish by the outgoing tide

Another stranded animal - Jelly Fish

A Sea Pen

There are lots of sea cucumber of different kinds.

This Thorny Sea Cucumber with feeding tentacles out

 There are also lots of Peacock Anemones in the tidal pool.

with different colours!

Soft corals

Peanut Worm

Sea Urchin

The Geographic Sea Hare (Syphonota geographica)

 The Geographic Sea Hare is in season, there are many of them on the shore!

Octopus!

  Finally found one octopus!

A very striking Striped Hermit Crab

Mantis Shrimp

We have to stop of walk when the window period over, the tide is coming back just when we are about to go for breakfast. 

My Latest Dive Trip

Nevertheless with the unpleasant encounter, the biodiversity there indeed is very rich! Here are some of the photos that I have taken from my last dive trip.Well, I must say it was a good place for those who are into slugs!This is my fisrt time seeing a Sea star that measured 1.5m from one arm to another!

We can easily spot more than 10 eels in any single dive!

Mass Casualty of Sea Stars

It is so important to keep a balance on any eco system. Thousands of seastar were seen washed up on the coast of Kent between Pegwell Bay and Sandwich mysteriously. And one of the possible reason could be due to lack of mussels on the seabed!?

Any creatures that was taken out from any eco system, the entire eco system will be affected. We certainly don't want this to happen in Singapore. Poaching and irresponsible fishing could trigger this kind of disaster.

Link to the seastar incident can be read at Zaoboa, BBC News and Daily Mail.

Changi Beach Afterdark

I head straight to Changi after leaving my office on Friday, not to catch a flight but to visit the shore that I finds it always so attractive. Not because of the F&B outlets (in fact there is none) but the animals that lives there and most of them can't be found at any other part of Singapore anymore.

While waiting for the rest, I take a walk at the newly constructed bicycle/jogging track along the Nicoll Drive. There are lots of milipede crawling on the track . Millipedes will curl up when threatened, and they thrive on vegetation.

We saw lots of sea stars the minutes we stepped onto the shore.

There are lots of sand star of all sizes! Some of them measured only about 2cm wide.

Another 2 cute little star, probably cake or biscuit (just in time for Chinese New Year?? ;-) ) sea star.

And the green sea star too. Among the sea grass, there are also lots of tiny pipe fish and spider crabs.

We also saw this horseshoe crab that measured 45cm from head to tail!!

There are several bristle worms and ball sea cucumber on the sandy area.
Not forgetting this sand bubbler crab too.Another tiny animals in the Mini Series..... a scorpion fish.Where are all the adults??...
Sea urchin
Believe this 2 molluscs have been fighting for some time. The white clam will eventually become the meal of the drills(family Muricidae) which is smaller in size. Drills can bore holes in the shells of their prey and it may take up to half a day just to drill through the shell of 2mm thick.This smooth body worm like animal is in fact a sea cucumber(family Caudinidae)

A hairy seahare (Bursatella leachi)
And the best find so far is this beautiful sea horse! The tide was coming in so we head back to the shore.

The pink sea cucumber is everywhere when we head back to the shore area. Changi is still as charming....