What you find along the wrackline...

Hello!

WAH!!! After a long period of hibernation, I am back! However, it may not be for long... :( Yea... End of Years is coming and I have lots of work to do. In any case, the holidays follow afterwards so more blogging will follow. :)

SO, for today I will like to share a new shelf on my cabinet dedicated to Shore Weirdos! Yup, they're basically stuff that are not seashells. :)

Yea... Thats a pufferfish that you see. Got that from ShenZhen, China. It was the last one on the rack so I immediately snagged it! The Knobbly Starfish accompanies it as well! :) There are 3 different types of sand dollars too! Theer is a Cake Sand Dollar from Changi Coast Walk. There are tons of them there but DO TAKE ONLY THE DEAD ONES PLEASE! There are also Laganum Sand Dollars too. All of which from Bintan, Mayang Sari. The funny thing is that you can never find any live ones there but there are like hudreds of them littering the coast. The final one is have not identified. Found them on a trip to Cebu 3 years ago on some island, 忘忧岛 in Chinese. I actually got some heart urchins but they were crushed ont eh plane flight back. :(

The Flower crabs there are from Punggol Park. Do you see the Seahorse and Pipefish at the back? :) Also, there are some dried mangrove seeds from all parts of Singapore (Hey, we have half of the world's species of mangroves on this small island! :) ) The funny blue thing at the back is actually a coral piece. My parents found it in Lombok, Indonesia and I have never figured out where it comes from. Any guesses? :) Finally, you have our lovely horseshoe crab! Yup, found it along the Changi Coast. We have 2 species over here although just forther up the peninsular you may find a third species. Sadly, I have not found the moulted shell of the Coastal Horseshoe Crab... Maybe someday. :) You have our cuttlefish bones and a sea bean pod. And finally right in the centre, you have the purest form of seashell, Calcium Carbonate. Isn't it amazing that all 80,000 mollusc species actually derive their shells/bones from this dull, boring looking rock? (By the way, this rock comes from the School Science lab. I could not fit the rock into the flask so the teacher allowed me to take it home on my request. :P )

Punggol Point Trip

Hello again! :)

Went to Punggol Point in Sunday, 19th Feb 2012 somewhere around 6p.m. there were loads of people there but only spotted and spoke to one couple who collects seashells. She explains that there is nothing much to collect there but guess what? 老天不负有心人, did manage to find two more uncommon shells but i had to sacrifice my back...walked along the whole beach to the "ulu-ulu" (less populated) part ofteh beach to find them though.

There was a pond with tilapias and guppies in it. rought a piece of bread to feed them but they did not want to eat it due to the sugar caked in it...

 Punggol park, high tide. one thing that i have learnt is that regardless of teh tides, you will stull be able to collect something at the beach... haha yeah. So many people at the beach, i was worried that it would all have been collected before i arrived! The stone that you see there are normally also seen during the usual high tides. Many coral fragments found there as well... is there a coral reef somewhere near? Opposite you can see johor, it think thats the port...

 Haha, the first shell i spotted. See haam or Blood cockle (Anadara granosa)...really common there either due to the presence of a mud-flat like seabed and weak waves or from the mangroves over at malaysia.

A Perna viridis and possibly a Meretrix over there. Did not pick up the Meretrix because it was cracked.. so sad, it had a nice purple hue :)

 HAHA!!! Found a Sea Urchin stranded along the shore. It was still alive and its spines were moving. One of the only few sealife found at the visit. Took a quick picture and immdiately placed it back into the sea.

 Surprisingly, the waters are relatively clean (for local standards) and due to the weak waves, you could actually see the sand beneath and there were many shells there :)

 Something started to move and lo and behold... a Pugilina cochlidium!!! Live! Usually you can find them along Changi and our Northern coast. Behind is also a blue sponge :)

 Sunset at Punggol... Somewhat reminds me of Bintan and really wished i could spend 3 days collecting shells, relaxing and playing!!!

 This is the eastern wing of the beach... not many seashells were found here but found one uncommon one along the shoreline. Also, this stretch is shorter than the West end and is characterised by more sandy coast so  shells usually do not het stranded here.

 What i collected!!! Not a bad haul with green Mussels, Venus clams, A sea urchin's test, keyhole limpets, barnacles, jingle shells, corals, "tua tow", Limpets, Barbatias and MOST IMPORTANTLY, A SUNDIAL AND THORNY OYSTER!!! haha, Sundial was found along the western end while the latter on the eastern end...

 Also found 3 Flower crab moults and now drying them. :)

 Another pic... :)

The 2 uncommon shells :) YAY