A Fascinating Sight....

It is an oriental whip snake. It is called whip snake because it will whip when it gets too stress up.

It was me holding the same snake with my sis beside me. She was so fascinated by the snake and wanting to hold it all the time.

From Forest to Mangroves

The Semkau Landfill is Singapore's only landfill for waste disposal. There are a total of 11 landfill cells on the island and out of the 11, 5 cells were filled. In this trip, besides the beautiful scenery and the wide varieties of marine lives, I learnt about the importance of recycling to cut down waste.

We walked from the forest to the mangroves to our final destination, the intertidal walk. Our Volunteer guide for the day was Uncle Ron. Thank you Uncle Ron for being wonderful guide.

Have you seen a Sea Star with 4 arms ? Here is a unique one. We also saw,one with 5 arms (quite common) and one uncommon sea star with 6 arms.

Yes, this is Sea Cucumber. I saw a number of different species. Once they are out of water, they will squirt out water from their anus. They are soft in water and turns hard when out of water. Sea Cucumbers are delicacies to many, but I doubt I'll want to try them.

This photo was taken by my mother.

We also spotted many types of crabs, the Swimming Crabs, Fiddler Crabs and Hairy Crabs, etc. I was fascinated by the Up-side-down Jelly Fish, first encounter in the wild. There are also different types of corals, very beautiful. An eye-opening experience for me and my family. Spider Conch is another rare encounter for us, because it is very well camouflaged, it is different to spot.

Encounters in the Forest

Black-naped Oriole was standing on a 'botak' tree. It is one of the common birds found in Singapore. I found this bird near my place. It was the 3rd time I saw it on the same tree but not sure if it was the same bird.

This stick insect was the biggest one I ever seen in nature. As big as the one at the Fragile forest in the zoo. I touched it, it's legs 'hooked' onto my skin (quite ticklish).

This spider has a unique name. It is called the St. Andrew Cross Spider. A female mature spider spins a web which contains 4 silken zig-zag bands. It resembles the cross of St. Andrew's and it is to mark its territory.

Our forest is filled with Treasures!

Hi, wait ...don't take first,let me wear my shoes....!

Centipede is venomous. It is hard to differentiate

between the head and tail.
See this Giant forest ant, it is about 1 inch long. It is quite rare to find them on the boardwalk.

This is the first time I see a Common Monitor lizard on a tree. It is suntanning itself on the top branch of the tree. As it is cold blooded, its body changes temperature according to the surrounding temperature.

Special THANKS to Uncle Derek for giving me good tips on how to take good pictures.

Lower Peirce Appreciation Walk on 6th Jan 07

This is a golden web spider.....One of the largest spiders in Singapore !!! There are two smaller spiders in this picture too. The one right next to the Golden Web Spideris a male spider.

This photo is contributed by Uncle Derek.

Bird Park (Jurong)

These are wise owls.
This bird is showing off itself to us.
The king crown pigeon is taking up a piece of leaf.
This bird is bowing to the people around it.
I'm keeping my eggs warm, KEEP OUT, or I'll Kick you!

Singapore Zoo

You must be thinking why I write about animals from a foreign zoo....

Now I posted 2 pictures of animals from the Singapore Zoo.

One of the Best zoo in Asia. And.....with the largest collection of primates

I took a very close shot of this ring-tailed lemur, I even patted it.

This gibbon was playing "catching" with its gibbon friends.

Ueno Zoo, Japan

This is a Japanese black bear.
This is a Hokkaido brown bear trying to find its way out.
Look just like King Kong.

The polars here are very much stress free, lying happliy on the rocks.

....Eagle
The King Vulture standing tall and proud.

Porcupine half way up the tree, it's my first time seeing it on a tree!

The Most Healthy and Expensive Spit

Do you know who has the most healthy and expensive spit?

If your answer is the edible nest and black nest swiftlet, you are correct!

From what I know, these birds can be found in Singapore.

Pit Viper - 'The Slitherer'

I came closed to a poisonous snake.

It has a head shape of a triangle.

Don't judge the book by its cover, it may be very small but it can be very venomous.

This was found by Uncle Derek in Lower Pierce during the last guided walk.

Believe it or not, one of the guides said that if you see a snake don't buy 4D cause you used up your luck.

I'm going to save my luck for better use.....that is to ask for more good lucks!

As green as a leaf (Part 2) - Slightly more difficult

Er........Er......Ok.....Can you see a green colour insect?

Clue: It is under a leaf.

Incy wincy SPIDER......... Can you see it !!! (part 1)

Can u spot a yellowish white spider?

Clue:It is near the flowers.

The 'Swinger' of the rainforest

Long tail macaque: Haha....bet u can't take a

photo of me.....

While swinging from one tree to another.

Leshon: Hum........ playing catching with me? We

shall see.

Camera: Click!

Long tail macaque: ow man......

Leshon: hahahahahhaha

Facts

This long tail macaque is common in Singapore. It makes a 'kraa' alarm sound.

Its scientific name is

Macaca fascicularis.

The Changeables

I think this green cresent lizard looked scared......

Green Crested lizard: Hey......why are this people crowding around me.......

Am I going to be on The Straits Times???

So this little guy changed it color in to brownish green.

Facts

The green crested lizard changes its color in to dark grey or brown when it is scared or uncomfortable. It is sometimes mistaken as a chameleon. It does not drop its tail like any other lizards.

Its scientific name is

Bronchocela cristatella

New KIDS on th Block

I was looking for the frog that I rescued from the basement carpark about a week ago when I saw this little fellow

......................

Cute and skinny,

AND

my dog, Quincy

LOVES IT ALOT

!!!

If it was not for me, this new kid would be a DEAD MEAT by now.

I made him an official resident in my estate.

I've been looking out for the common name of this type of lizard, anyone knows?

Though I can't find MY LONG LOST froggy............

I still miss her .......

in case she comes back.......

I made her an official resident in my estate too!

(I had been showering her with water at the carpark for about a week before I decided to put her back to nature...the grass patch.)

Wow...so daring!

I took this photo at Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, it was a Malayan Monitor Lizard. I have not come so close to one before!!!!

What tree is that in your $5 note???

Tembusu Tree

The Tembusu Tree is also known as the $5 tree. The Tembusu tree in the $5 note was painted by a famous artist, Mr Eng in Botanic Gardens.

The $5 tree has buttress roots. The $5 tree's wood is anti-bacteria so it can be used to make chopping board. I was told that it was very lasting.

Fish Poison Tree

This is the Fish Poison Fruit, my mum took this for me.

This is a Fish Poison Tree. Its fruit is like a Chinese lantern. The flowers are very unique and beautiful. I first saw this at Sungei Buloh but I took this picture at Labrador park.

Singapore Rhododendron

The name Melastoma means "black mouth" in Greek. It refers to the seeds, which can stain the tongue black if eaten!

Stripes in the WILD

Tiger is my sis's favourite.....But I feel like writing about it. This is for Leshane!