Changi Beach Walk

It was definitely refreshing to go on another field trip today, amid all the depression I was having, school projects, criticism, bad luck and others. Was on an ultimate low mood these days. As part of my ecology practical, we went inside a small secondary forest just next to Changi ferry terminal to do our sampling and were out in less then half an hour. The rest of the time was spent strolling along the coastline, while listening to my TA Lainie talk about the interesting coastal flora.

But somehow, my mind lingered off to the marine stuff more. After the practical, I stayed behind as it was nearer to take bus home from here. And so, taking this chance, I took a long walk along the beach to see if I can get lucky.

Intricate Button Shells of varying patterns and colors. It is said that none of them is identical!

A small cute sand bubbler crab resting on my hand.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of holes at the sandy shore. Basically, there seems to be 2 distinctly different ones. One bigger with larger balls dug out and another with smaller balls. What live in there?

The occupant of the smaller holes. An even smaller crab, possibly a sand bubbler crab. They feed on debris present on the sand grains. These grains were then rolled up to tiny balls.

Along the walk, I also saw some crab shells. This looks like the exoskeleton of the moon crab.

Fishes, alot of them along the way, but all were dead and most partly decomposed.

Bottom left, what looked like a mudskipper, with its eyes situated on top its head. Bottom right, a pufferfish, with its beak like teeth. Some puffers contained a powerful neurotoxin, called tetrotoxin also found in the blue-ringed octopus, located primarily in their livers and ovaries. The toxin blocks sodium channels in the nervous tissues (impt for generating nervous impulses), ultimately paralyzing the muscle tissue.

And more dead fishes, which I can't ID.

More dead stuff, a lump of jellyfish. It might be dead but its nematocyst can still sting.

Another one, which looks like of a different sp.

The second carcass of horseshoe crab which I found.

As I neared SAF ferry terminal, the intertidal zone opens out more seawards and I was pretty excited about it cos I had been wanting to come here. Is this the place that u and Luan Keng were telling me last time at the prata shop, Ron?

The shore expands out to the sea. I supposed it will go further as low tide is only 0.9m today.

Finally seeing some live stuff, but all were crustaceans. A swimming crab meancing its pincers when I disturbed it from under a brick.

A small crab which tried to buried under the sand when it saw me. But played dead when I scooped it up.

And finally a striped hermit crab inside a spiral melongena shell.

Lastly, I found 2 endoskeletons of the sea urchins, also called tests.

A pretty nice walk, I must say. Although my jeans, shoes and socks were totally soaked. Still don't really enjoy getting wet and do grumble abit even though I had gone for quite a few trips now. =)