Journal of Biology | Abstract | Colugos: obscure mammals glide into the evolutionary limelight
http://jbiol.com/content/7/4/13/abstract --- Substantial molecular evidence indicates that tree-shrews, colugos and primates cluster together on the mammalian phylogenetic tree. Previously, a sister-group relationship between colugos and primates seemed likely. A new study of colugo chromosomes indicates instead an affinity between colugos and tree-shrews. Read more...
Nature's Daily Scoop, May 21, 11:19pm
Mangrove Pitta of Singapore
Mangrove pittas (Pitta megarhyncha) are rare resident of Singapore and are considered as nationally-endengered due to loss of habitat. Read more...
Welcome, May 21, 11:19pm
Nudibranchs (Clade Nudibranchia) of Singapore
Nudibranchs (clade Nudibranchia) are soft-bodied marine slugs which have a shell in their larval stage, but lose it as they mature. Many of the species, especially those from the clade Euctenidiacea have an exposed flower-like gills on their back, and hence the name “nudibranchia”, which means “naked gills”. They possess club-shaped rhinophores for detecting odours, and most have oral tentacles to touch and taste. Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 21, 11:20am
Semakau Exploration with Bedok View Sec
I was at Semakau again 3 days after the last trip. I was the guide for students from Bedok View Sec, a group of young, enthusiastic and fun people. We are glad the weather was good and the hunter seeker did a very good job. We saw a lot of very interesting animals that can only be seen by divers! However, due to the spring low tide, we manage to see them during the short period of time when the tide are low.Group photo on the shore of Semakau! Read more...
Welcome, May 20, 11:19pm
Mammals at Kaeng Krachan Thailand
I was at Kaeng Krachan, Thailand last week supposedly a birding trip but was attracted to many of their non-bird vertebrates. Thanks to Marcus Chua for the id!! Read more...
Welcome, May 20, 11:19pm
Birding at Bung Boraphet, Thailand
Bung Boraphet is a man made reservoir originating from a natural basin situated close to the city of Nakhon Sawan, where the two rivers, Mae Nam Nan and Mae Nam Ping meet. During wet season, the size can reach to 600 sq km which is very close to the size of Singapore! It is also one of the biggest wetland in Thailand. Read more...
Welcome, May 19, 11:20pm
NTUC FairPrice accelerates payment to suppliers
By Channel NewsAsia 04 March 2009 Read more...
Environmental News Archive, May 18, 11:20am
Sargassum Nudibranch @ St John's Island!.....
Was out checking the shore on St John's lsland yesterday evening. The Sargassum seaweeds are back in season! Most part of the shore were covered with the seaweed and it makes walking among the seaweed pretty difficult. We have to be very careful not to step onto the seaweed as we do not know what lies underneath it! Maybe there's a Stingray or a Stonefish?!?! Scary...... Read more...
COLOURFUL CLOUDS, May 18, 11:20am
Dead Blue Whale
Tony Wu's Underwater Photography Blog Read more...
Tony Wu's Underwater Photography Blog, May 18, 7:10am
Tiny To Big Big Nudibranch @ Pulau Hantu.....
Yesterday, I was out diving with The Hantu Bloggers again! We did two dives at the South Jetty. The visibility was about 2-3m. Haha.....as usual, my search subject would be the Nudibranch! And we saw quite a few! Ranging from tiny tiny one (about 3mm) to big big one(about 150mm)! Read more...
COLOURFUL CLOUDS, May 17, 11:19pm
Butt Watcher's Workshop - A New Perspective
Join the Leafmonkey Workshop in gaining new perspectives to watching butts... butterflies that is... with Khew of Butterfly Circle. We are most grateful to have Khew to share with us on the local butterflies in Singapore despite his very busy schedule! Read more...
Midnight Monkey Monitor, May 17, 11:19pm
Sea Hares (Phylum Mollusca, Clade Aplysiomorpha) of Singapore
Sea hares (clade Aplysiomorpha) are marine slugs with a rounded body and two long rhinophores projecting backwards on their heads (resembling rabbit’s ears). They somewhat resemble rabbits or hares, and hence their common name. Sea hares have a soft body with an internal shell under a fleshy mantle. In Singapore, they sometimes gather in large numbers, possibly for reproduction purposes. Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 17, 11:19pm
Organic growers call for more fertilizer oversight
By JACOB ADELMAN Read more...
Environmental News Archive, May 17, 11:20am
Sap-sucking Slugs (Phylum Mollusca, Clade Sacoglossa) of Singapore
Sap-sucking Slugs (order Sacoglossa) are marine slugs that feed on algae. As such, they are usually found with the algae they feed on, and their populations usually boom with algal blooms, and decline when the algae recedes. To feed, sap-sucking slugs use a special feeding structures to pierce algal cells and suck out the content. Many species are able to retain the algae's chloroplast in their body, using them for photosynthesis! It is hence no surprise that some naturalists call them "solar-powered slugs", since they can make food from the sun like plants and algae! Here are some of the Sap-sucking Slugs that I have seen in local waters. Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 17, 11:19am
Semakau Inter-tidal Walk 26 Oct 11
Is have been almost a year since I last exploring Semakau during the evening low tide. When we arrived at Semakau, the storm is brewing & looks like a heavy downpour coming very soon. Luckily, the wind is strong and blow all the rain clouds away. We have a real good weather exploring the Semakau rich inter-tidal area!One of the many beautiful creatures that we saw include this beautiful nudibranch! Read more...
Welcome, May 16, 11:19pm
Gedabu (Sonneratia ovata)
The Gedabu (Sonneratia ovata) is a nationally critically endangered mangrove tree from the family Lythraceae. As with the other Sonneratia species it is also commonly called "Mangrove Apple". Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 16, 11:18pm
Butterfly Galore at Pasir Ris Park
Further to my earlier post on the mass feeding/pollination by butterflies & other insects, here are more butterflies taken on last Sunday. I'm not too familiar with butterfly, do let me know if I got the id wrong.This butterfly looks like a Autumn Leaf (Doleschallia bisaltide australis) Read more...
Welcome, May 16, 11:19am
Chek out the featherstars
Was at CJ early last Thursday morning helping Kok Sheng with his project on the CJ mass death incident. I'm supposed to do a survey on the sand dollars together with Robert and gosh was it a lot of work! Read more...
The Blue Heaven, May 16, 11:19am
The Saint of the South
It was a very sleepy morning as Gaytri, Muratti, Andy and me arrived at Marina South Pier for the trip to St. John's Island. We were just about to depart when Ria saw James coming in and shouted for him to hurry up and he ran down and boarded the boat just in time. Read more...
The Blue Heaven, May 16, 11:19am
Coralline algae lines Sentosa
It was a very sleepy morning as I just alighted my plane from Shanghai and rushed to Sentosa for the TeamSeagrass transect. I was the first to reach the Ben and Jerry's and it was kind of weird to see Sentosa so quiet (it was just me and the guard there). Read more...
The Blue Heaven, May 16, 11:19am
Have a say in shaping our home
I always lament to my parents that when I was young I was never given an opportunity to have a say in shaping my home. As I got older, I fought for every chance to have a say in what goes in (and out) my living environment. If that sounds familiar to you, you'll probably be happy to hear that we now get a chance to have a say in shaping our island home! Read more...
Midnight Monkey Monitor, May 16, 11:19am
Natural resources knowledge shrinks as economies grow:ES&T Online News:
Natural resources knowledge shrinks as economies grow Read more...
Nature's Daily Scoop, May 15, 11:19pm
Clammies @ Terumbu Bemban.....
Last week on Good Friday (which also happened to be Earth Day), we checked out Terumbu Bemban, a submerged reef off Pulau Semakau. Read more...
COLOURFUL CLOUDS, May 15, 11:18pm
Sidegill Slugs (Phylum Mollusca, Family Pleurobranchidae) of Singapore
Side-gilled Slugs orPleurobranchs(family Pleurobranchidae) are marine slugs with a feather-like gill on the right side of the slug's body between the prominent mantle and foot, and hence the common name. They have a pair of rolled rhinophores on the head, acting as scent receptors to seek out their prey. Some species feed on sessile organisms like sponges and tunicates, while others feed on motile ones like other slugs. Most species have a small and greatly reduced internal shell, though some may lack one as they mature. While they have a soft body, many species can secrete chemicals to protect themselves from predators. Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 15, 11:18pm
Ssshhhhhh.....@Pulau Hantu.....
Yes, it was somehow a bit quiet underwater at Pulau Hantu on Sunday compared to my previous dive there. Nonetheless, it was still a good dive with The Hantu Bloggers! Read more...
COLOURFUL CLOUDS, May 15, 11:18pm
Blog Action Day: Acting for Climate Change
A lil late for Blog Action Day but nonetheless! This year's theme is on climate change and for this whole week, the topic has been high on my attention. Mostly because I was attending a launch of the video "High Stakes" at British High Commission on Tuesday and attending a talk by lecture by James Leape, Director General of WWF on COP15 on Wednesday. Read more...
Midnight Monkey Monitor, May 15, 11:18pm
Headshield Slugs (Phylum Mollusca, Clade Cephalaspidea) of Singapore
Headshield slugs (clade Cephalaspidea) are marine slugs with a well-developed headshield, which is a broadening at the head. This headshield prevents sand from entering the slug's mantle cavity as it burrows. Most headshield slugs have a greatly reduced and thin shell or an internal shell, though some species may lack a shell altogether. Many headshield slugs are often also called bubble snails, as their thin shell and round shells appear like bubbles. Many are predatory and feed on other small animals, such as snails and polychaetes, while the others feed on algae. In Singapore, several species of headshield slugs can be found, but personally I have only seen 3 species. Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 15, 11:18pm
Upcoming seminars by ISEAS
There are two upcoming seminars at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies that may be of interest to some of you. The first is for those of you interested in the impact of climate change on food production. The second is more immediate to home - a tour and seminar on the marina barrage. Read more...
Midnight Monkey Monitor, May 15, 11:18pm
Team Seagrass Special Edition Part 2
Hey so you've seen what a typical work day for the seagrassers are like so now's for the fun part: after the transect! Read more...
The Blue Heaven, May 15, 11:18pm
Doing something "special" for Earth Day
This morning, a certain duck asked me, "what are you doing for Earth Day?" Read more...
Midnight Monkey Monitor, May 15, 11:18pm
Another Visit to Pasir Ris Park
Situated just next to Pasir Ris Interchange/MRT and is soaccessible,Pasir Ris Park remained one of the park that I visited the most to-date. With the board walk that bring visitor deep into themangrovearea, one can visit mangrove without their leg getting muddy. Read more...
Welcome, May 14, 11:20am
Gallery: Shortlisted pictures of unsustainable living - earth - 21 October 2008 - New Scientist Environment
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn15002-gallery-shortlisted-pictures-of-unsustainable-living-.html?feedId=online-news_rss20 --- international photography award for images that focus on sustainability. It launched this year and is presided over by Kofi Annan, Nobel laureate and former secretary general of the United Nations. Shortlisted images will begin a global tour in November 2008. Read more...
Nature's Daily Scoop, May 13, 11:20pm
Bagged and boxed: it's a frog's life : Nature News
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080326/full/452394a.html --- With bright orange freckles and tiny proportions, the Carrikeri harlequin frog population spotted earlier this month delighted its discoverers with more than its good looks. The creatures (Atelopus carrikeri ), found in the remote mountainous Paramo region of Colombia, had not been seen in 14 years and were feared extinct. Read more...
Nature's Daily Scoop, May 13, 11:20pm
A few additions to KL's post on things to know about Singapore: Read more...
Soujourn to Singapore and MORE, May 13, 11:21am
Sea Urchins (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Echinoidea) of Singapore
Sea urchins (class Echinoidea) are animals with a round, rigid skeleton (test) made of interlocking calcite plates. The test is hollow inside, containing its various organs, and covered with lots of spines on the outside. They belong to a bigger group of animals called the spiny-skinned animals (phylum Echinodermata - "echino" roughly means "spiny"; "derma" roughly means "skin"). Examples of other echinoderms include sea stars, sea cucumbers, and feather stars. Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 13, 11:20am
Another Good Vis Day @ Pulau Hantu.....
Same as last month dive, I enjoyed another good visibility dive at Pulau Hantu with The Hantu Bloggers on Sunday! It was about 5m and we did two dives at the South Jetty! Read more...
COLOURFUL CLOUDS, May 13, 11:20am
Feather Stars (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea) of Singapore
Feathers stars or crinoids (class Crinoidea) are marine animals with five or more feather-like arms. Each arm carries comb-like structures called pinnules, comprising rows of tube feet used for capturing plankton. On the underside, most feather stars have claw-like arms called cirri to hold on to the substrate. Their skeleton is made of numerous calcareous plates. Read more...
tHE tiDE cHAsER, May 13, 11:20am
Organic farming 'no better for the environment'
By Cahal Milmo (The Independent) Read more...
Environmental News Archive, May 12, 11:19pm
Raptormania at SBG
I was at Singapore Botanic Garden (SBG) this morning for my usual birding trip. Since is now the peak of the raptors migratory season, I saw 3 raptors within 5 minutes!! Read more...
Welcome, May 12, 11:19pm
False scales
There is a tendency for certain taxa to ditch a freewheeling existence for fixed habits. Barnacles, sea squirts, worm snails and tube worms have secondarily abandoned legwork to pursue a life of attachment, though their ontogeny betrays their affinities with motile kin. On land, there are fewer opportunities to stay put, for want of convenient nutrient streams, but one group of true bugs, the coccoids or scale insects, exhibit varying degrees of sessility in adulthood, having made the most of the specialised feeding apparatus of their order, which permit the stationary imbibing of plant sap from subcuticular... Read more...
The annotated budak, May 12, 11:19pm