Sungei+Buloh+Team+3

Very informative and nicely done! Could have provided some personal insights from group members though.

Members: Constance (1), Lee Dan (2), Teng-ya (3), Claudia (4), Dara (10) Introduction of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

General Information and History Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was opened on 6 December 1993. It is one of the four nature reserves and the other three are Bukit Timah, Central Catchment and Labrador Nature Reserves. They fall under the natural heritage in Singapore.

Sungei Buloh is made up of tropical mangroves and one of the natural habitats in Singapore. It is also Singapore's largest mainland Mangrove Forest. Some uses of the mangrove forest are: -Provision of food and water - Protection against water disasters -Water Quality -Scientific Discoveries

It consists of animals and plants rarely seen in Singapore. The animals and plants are specially preserved and protected by law and the animals run free in the reserve. This is for the conservation of native and indeginious flora and fauna. They are important in the aspects of conservation, education, research and recreation.

The other nature reserves are as follows: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is the largest surviving primary rain forest while Central Catchment Nature Reserve is a mature secondary rain forest and the only protected freshwater swamp and the Labrador Nature Reserve is a coastal forest with rocky shores.

* A nature reserve is an area protected by law. A primary rain forest is a forest that has never been cleared for human use. A secondary rain forest is a forest that has been cleared for human use and has slowly restored into a true forest. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;">A coastal forest is a forest found on cliffs and/or near beaches/shores

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">Sights and sounds

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Nipah Palm__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">It's scientific name is Nypa fruticans while the local name is either atap or nipah. It can grow up to 5 meters tall.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:DSC01520.JPG width="361" height="268"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The Nipah Palm's leaves resemble coconut palm. However, Nipah Palms lack trunks which distinguish them from the swaying coconut palms. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The Nipah Palm is commonly found to grow wild along muddy coasts and rivers in tropical countries. In villages, the leaves can be used as roof and used to wrap tobacco. The inflorescence is also being cut to tap sweet sap and to make fermented drink or cook into palm sugar. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The Nipah Palm is now appreciated since the disastrous tsunami. They play the role of protector of lives by softening the impact of tsunami and preventing erosion.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">There are two important parts of nipah palm which can be used as survival food. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">First, the young shoot found in the middle can be eaten. The soft yellowish stem in the middle of the trunk is eatable. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Second, the fruits can be eaten. When ripe, they will float. Like coconut palm, you only eat the sweet seeds. Unripe fruits have soft white translucent seeds while ripen fruit has hard seeds. Immature young fruits contain fresh water needed for survival.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Bird's Nest Fern __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Ferns have always been an important segment of the foliage industry. The Boston fern, //Nephrolepis exaltata//, was one of the first ferns grown commercially for export and there are now many other fern species, including Bird's-nest fern, produced and sold in large quantities. Bird's-nest fern, //Asplenium// //nidus//, is a large epiphytic fern, with erect, simple, wavy, bright green leaves which can reach lengths of 4 feet. //Asplenium nidus// `Crispafolium', the wavy Bird's-nest fern, is similar to Bird's-nest fern but fronds are much wavier.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Asplenium are produced from spores. Sphagnum or peat moss are good substrates for spores, but peat moss as a medium is improved by the addition of 100 grams of dolomite per cubic foot. Spore germination should take place in about 2 weeks if temperatures are 70-80°F. Only fresh spores should be used. High humidity can be maintained by covering flats with glass or plastic, but use of intermittent mist 15 sec/30 min during daylight is preferred. If glass or plastic is used, the cover should be removed 4-6 weeks after sowing, and the young fern misted. Due to the wide, robust fronds and spreading habit from a central axis, one plant is usually placed per container.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Mature fern can tolerate high light levels, but grow best between 2,000 and 4,000 ft-c. A potting medium high in organic content, e.g. peat: bark (2:1 by volume), that has a highwater-holding capacity and good aeration produces attractive fern. The benefits of additional micronutrients are questionable and if added should be supplied at low rates. Bird's-nest fern apparently get sufficient micronutrients from irrigation water and potting medium. Although fern are commonly grown in highly acidic soils, recent research indicates a pH of 5.0 to 5.5 is preferred. Addition of 3.5 pounds of dolomite to a cubic yard of a mix with a large percentage of acid peat will usually result in a mix with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. The suggested fertilizer level is 1200 lb N/A/yr from a 1-1-1 ratio fertilizer (about 2.5 lbs N/1,000 ft2/month). For constant fertilization 100-200 ppm N is sufficient.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The best temperature for Bird's-nest fern growth is 70-90°F. Temperatures slightly outside of this range will not reduce plant quality but will reduce growth rates. High humidity should be maintained.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Hanging Roots __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Hanging roots are also called epiphytic roots or water absorbing roots which are usually found on Orchids that grow 'hanging' from other trees .These roots have a special tissue caled Velamen tissue in the roots .This Velamen tissue has spongy texture and can absorb moisture / water from the air / atmosphere. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Knee Roots__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Knee roots are one of the many types of breathing roots that are special to mangroves. These breathing roots are for the plant to breathe, because mangroves are usually found in very wet areas. Knee roots form hump-like shapes above ground so as to absorb more air for the plant. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Pencil Roots__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Aerial roots can take on different forms. Avicennia develop shallow cable roots which spread out from the trunk. Along these cable roots emerge short pencil-like roots called pneumatophores (meaning "air carrier" in Greek). A 3-metre tall Avicennia can have 10,000 pneumatophores. Sonneratia also produce pneumatophores, but these are cone-shaped instead.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:DSC01497.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:Knee_Roots.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:Pencil_Roots_1.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">__Prop Roots__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Prop root is a special type of roots that also plays a substantial role in endowing certain plants with extra structural support like other roots.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:Prop_Roots.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Prop roots do not grow from the embryo of a plant, but are rather secondary roots that develop from the tissues of other structures. These and other roots that are produced by stems or leaves are termed adventitious. Plants with prop roots often have very tall or branching stems that could be easily blown over by strong winds if not adequately propped up or are native to areas where the ground is particularly soft and unstable. Overall, they are more common in tropical habitats than in temperate zones.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The corn plant, Zea mays, is a cereal grass native to the Americas that has been cultivated for thousands of years. The stem of the plant is very tall and is usually supported by numerous prop roots that can be seen extending out from the stem’s base. Similar to other monocots, the primary root system of the corn plant is poorly developed and is inadequate to serve as a sufficient foundation for its growth. As a result, adventitious roots arise early in the plant’s development and branch into a relatively shallow, fibrous root system in the areas they come into contact with the soil. The extensive secondary system buttresses the plant stem and obtains all of the water and nutrients necessary for plant growth.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Pong Pong Tree __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Cerbera odollam, commonly known as the Suicide tree, Pong-pong, and Othalanga, is a <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">species <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> of <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">tree <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> native to <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">India <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> and other parts of Southern <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">Asia <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">. It grows preferentially in coastal <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">salt swamps <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> and in <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">marshy <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> areas. It grows wild along the coast in many parts of <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">Kerala, India <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> and has been grown as a hedge between home compounds. It yields a potent poison which is often used for suicide or murder.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:Pong-pong_Fruit.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The fruit, when still green, looks like a small <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">mango <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">, with a green fibrous shell enclosing an ovoid kernel measuring approximately 2 cm × 1.5 cm and consisting of two cross-matching white fleshy halves. On exposure to air, the white kernel turns violet, then dark grey, and ultimately brown, or black. The plant as a whole yields a milky white latex. Cerbera odollam bears a close resemblance to the <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">Oleander <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> bush, another highly toxic plant from the same family.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source:[])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Tree-climbing crab __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">During high tide, the tree-climbing crabs climb out of the water to escape predation. They form an important component of the ecosystem by feeding on fallen mangrove leaves that do not decompose easily. This helps in the breakdown of the mangrove leaves into nutrients for the mangrove plants.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:CIMG0659_-_compressed.JPG width="351" height="261"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Striped Nose Half-beak __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Its scientific name is Zenarchopterus buffonis. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">It has a funny mouth -- the lower jaw is much longer than the upper; it is lengthened into a long needle like beak. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">It grows to 23cm in length and swims on the water surface in small groups. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">An interesting fact is that a female fish may produce over 10,000 eggs a year. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: the boards in Sungei Buloh)
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:DSC01536.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Red-eared Slider__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Scientific name: //Trachemys scripta elegans// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The red-eared slider is a semiaquatic turtle which is a subspecies of pond slider. It is the most popular pet turtle in the world. It is native only to the southern United States, but has become established in other places because <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">of pet releases. Many have inadvertently been released throughout Singapore and they have established themselves. Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but leave the water to bask in the sun and lay eggs.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:DSC01473.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Red-eared sliders get their name from the distinctive red mark around their ears. The "slider" part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Differences from other turtles: <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The red stripe on each side of the head distinguishes the red-eared slider from all other North American species. It can also be easily identified by the yellow striped head and red patch behind the eyes.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Shell: <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The carapace which is the top shell, is oval and flattened especially in the male. It usually consists of a dark green background with light and dark highly variable markings. The plastron which is the bottom shell is yellow with dark, paired, irregular markings in the center of most <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">scutes. It is highly variable in pattern. The head, legs, and tail are green with fine, yellow, irregular lines.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Contrast between females and males: <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The female red-eared slider grows to be 25–33 cm in length and males 20–25 cm. Male turtles are usually smaller than females but their tail is much longer and thicker. The males' claws are elongated, which facilitate courtship and mating. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Typically, the cloacal opening of the female is at or under the rear edge of the carapace, the top shell, while the male's opening occurs beyond the edge of the carapace, the top shell. Older males can sometimes have a melanistic coloration, being a dark grayish-olive green, with <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">markings being very subdued. The red stripe on the sides of the head may be difficult to see or be absent.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Skills: <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">They are deceptively fast and are also decent swimmers.They hunt for prey and will attempt to capture it when the opportunity presents itself. They are aware of predators and people and generally shy away from them. They will slide off logs and rocks frantically when approached.

<span class="mw-headline" style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Diet: <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Contrary to the popular misconception, red-eared sliders do not have saliva. They, like most aquatic turtles, have fixed tongues, so they must eat their food in water. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Red-eared sliders are omnivores and eat a variety of animal and plant materials in the wild including fish, crayfish, carrion, tadpoles, snails, crickets, wax worms, aquatic insects and numerous aquatic plant species. Larger turtles have been known to prey upon younger turtles.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Skink__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Skinks are the most diverse group of lizards. They make up the family Scincidae. Scincidae is the second largest of the lizard families (after the geckos) with about 1200 species. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Skinks look somewhat like true lizards, but most species have no pronounced neck and have relatively small legs. Several species have no limbs at all; others, reduced limbs. Their way of moving often resembles the moving of snakes more than that of other lizards. The longer the digits, the more likely the species live in the trees. Skinks usually have long, tapering tails that can be shed and regenerated. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Most skinks are medium sized with a length of up to 12 cm, although there are some that grow to larger sizes, such as the Corucia, which can reach 35 cm. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Skinks are generally carnivorous and largely eat insects. They also eat earthworms, millipedes, snails, slugs, other lizards, and small rodents. Some species, particularly those favored as home pets, have a more varied diet and can be maintained on a regimen of roughly 60% vegetables/fruit and 40% meat like insects and rodents. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Skinks are found in a variety of habitats worldwide, ranging from deserts to grasslands. Some species are endangered, such as the Androgynous Skink in New Zealand. Most skinks are diurnal which means they are day-active and typically bask on rocks or logs during the day. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Approximately 45% of skink species are ovoviviparous which means they give birth to their young alive. The approximately 55% of skink species that are oviparous which are egg-laying, give birth in small clutches. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;">Raccoons, foxes, possums, snakes, crows, cats, dogs, herons <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> and hawks all are predators of skinks.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:Skink.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Monitor Lizards __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Monitor lizards belong to the family //Varanidae//.Some monitor lizards are less than a foot in length. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">All monitor lizards are tropical reptiles. They are active lizards and sometimes very hostile, lashing out with their tails upon the slightest provocation. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Even a small monitor lizard can produce a stinging lash with its tail. The claws of monitor lizards are long and sharp. The jaws are very strong. Once they bite something, it is very difficult to get them to let go. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Monitors are carnivores and will devour anything they are capable of eating. Species which live in or near water will readily eat fish. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Monitor lizards do not divest themselves of their tails, like some other lizards. Once lost, the tail of a monitor lizard does not grow back. ====<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The Water monitor, is a large species of monitor lizard capable of growing to 3.21 metres in length, with the average size of most adults at 1.5 metres long. Some Malayan Water Monitors in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve have measured up to 2.5m in length. The maximum weight of this water monitors can be over 25 kilograms, but most are half that size. Their body is muscular with a long, powerful and laterally compressed tail. Very often seen basking along the trails in the Reserve, they flee when approached closely. Through tagging studies, the population in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is believed to be over 200. ====
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:Monitor_Lizard.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||
 * //<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Physical Characteristics: //**

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Habitat: **// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">Water monitors are one of the most common monitor lizards found throughout Asia, ranging from Sri Lanka, India, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula and various islands of Indonesia, living in areas close to water. It is called the Malayan Water Monitor in the Malay Peninsula.

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Behaviour: **// ====<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Water monitors can be defensive, using their tail, claws, and jaws when fighting. They are excellent swimmers, using the raised fin located on their tails to steer through water. They can swim and even climb trees. ==== <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Many species hold their heads erect on their long necks, which gives them the appearance of being alert. They intimidate predators by lashing out with their tails, inflating their throats, hissing loudly, turning sideways, and compressing their bodies. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">They are mostly terrestrial, but many are agile climbers and good swimmers. The tail is somewhat compressed in tree dwellers, but very compressed in semiaquatic monitors. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Monitor lizards threaten others by opening the mouth, inflating the neck and hissing. The ribs may spread, flattening the top of the body, or the body may just expand slightly and make the monitor look larger than it actually is. It often raises up on its hind legs just before attacking. The tail delivers a well-aimed blow.

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Diet: **// ====<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Water Monitors are carnivores, and have a wide range of foods. They eat fish, frogs, rodents, birds, crabs, snakes and carrion. They are also known to eat turtles, as well as young crocodiles and crocodile eggs. It can swallow eggs without breaking the shells, digesting them completely in its stomach. ==== <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Monitors tend to swallow their prey whole, like snakes. Monitor lizards are diurnal which means they are daytime lizards and most species actively search for food. Some species eat carrion, giant land snails, grasshoppers, beetles, whip scorpions, crocodiles, birds, eggs, crabs, fish, snakes, nestling birds, shrews, squirrels and other lizards.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Combat between males is frequently observed during the breeding season in some species. Monitor lizards lay 7 to 35 soft-shelled eggs, usually deposited in holes in riverbanks or in trees along water courses. There is little or no sexual dimorphism which is the difference in appearance. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Eggs are 2 inches long with leathery shells. Incubation is 8 to 10 weeks. The young use an egg tooth to emerge.
 * //<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Reproduction and Growth: //**

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [] & Boards in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve) <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Mudskipper __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Mudskippers are any of about six species of small tropical gobies of the family Gobiidae (order Perciformes). Mudskippers are found in the Indo-Pacific, from Africa to Polynesia and Australia. They live in swamps, estuaries and on mud flats and are noted for their ability to climb, walk, and skip about out of water. They are elongated fishes which range up to about <span class="IL_AD" style="background-color: transparent; color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">30 cm <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;"> long. They have two dorsal fins, and their pelvic fins are placed forward under the body, either partly or completely fused. Their blunt heads are topped by large, movable, close-set, and protuberant eyes, and their strong pectoral fins aid them in movements on land. Out of water, they breathe with air trapped in their gill chambers as well as through the <span class="IL_AD" style="background-color: transparent; color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">skin <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">. They prey on crustaceans and other small <span class="IL_AD" style="background-color: transparent; color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">animals <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:DSCF0871.JPG width="356" height="267"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [])
<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [])

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Giant Mudskipper__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Its scientific name is Periophathalmodon schlosseri. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The giant mudskipper can grow to be 27 cm long. They have a parallel stripe running down their back and can be found on mangrove trees.
 * [[image:sungei-buloh-wetland-reserve:Giant_Mudskipper_1.JPG width="363" height="270"]] ||

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Habitat: <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The giant mudskipper is a species of mudskipper found in the seas, estuaries, and lower reaches of rivers of Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillippines, Seychelles, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam. It is most frequently found along muddy shores in estuaries. It lives in a burrow in the mud and emerges from the burrow at low tide on sunny days. It can move quickly across a muddy surface and is capable of breathing both in and out of water.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 21px;">Other sights and sounds <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Note: All animals listed under this sub-head means that there is either the information or the picture. Thank you.

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Great Egret __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Egrets at the reserve are white and more slender than herons in appearance. They are frequent visitors during the migratory season. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">This long-legged, S-necked white bird is found throughout the Americas and around much of the world. It is typically the largest white egret occurring anywhere in its range (only the white-colored form of the great blue heron is larger).

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Great egrets are found near salt and fresh water <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"> and feed in wetlands, streams, ponds, tidal flats, and other areas. They snare prey by walking slowly or standing still for long periods, waiting for an animal to come within range of their long necks and blade-like bills. The deathblow is delivered with a quick thrust of the sharp bill, and the prey is swallowed whole. Fish are a dietary staple, but great egrets use similar techniques to eat amphibians, reptiles, mice, and other small animals.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">These birds nest in trees, near water and gather in groups called colonies, which may include heron or other egret species. They are monogamous, and both parents incubate their three to four eggs. Young egrets are aggressive towards one another in the nest, and stronger siblings often kill weaker siblings so that not all survive to fledge in two to three weeks.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The great egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society and represents a conservation success story. The snowy white bird's beautiful plumage made it far too popular in 19th-century North America. Great egrets were decimated by plume hunters who supplied purveyors of the latest ladies' fashions. Their populations plunged by some 95 percent. Today, the outlook is much brighter. The birds have enjoyed legal protection over the last century, and their numbers have increased substantially.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [])

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Little Egret__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The little egret is the smallest and most common egret in Singapore. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">Egrets at the reserve are white and more slender than herons in appearance. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The Little Egret is often seen dashing about, chasing after its prey in the shallows. They eat a wide variety of prey from fish, mollusc <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">s and worms to insects and even small mammals and birds.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Little Egrets are the liveliest hunters among herons and egrets, with a wide variety of techniques. They may patiently stalk prey in shallow waters or stand on one leg and stir the mud with the other to scare up prey. Or better yet, stand on one leg and wave the other bright yellow foot over the water surface to lure aquatic prey into range.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">In peninsular Malaysia, some have been observed hunting near floating vegetation like palm fronds, possibly looking for prey attracted to the shade. They may crouch with their wings slightly outstretched, either to reduce the sun's glare or to create shade to attract underwater prey. They may also enthusiastically rush around in shallow waters to flush out prey. Little Egrets usually hunt alone. When they hunt in a group, they are well spaced out, each individual aggressively defending a feeding spot. However, they roost communally, often with other herons and egrets, usually in mangroves. They also roost in reedbeds or snags over open water.

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Breeding: **// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Little Egrets breed in tropical areas like Java, Bali and Kalimantan. However, they are not known to breed in Singapore. They build rough nests out of sticks. A wide variety of nesting sites are used, from trees and bushes to rocks, walls and even on the ground. Up to 5 greenish-blue eggs are laid each time.

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Migration: **// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Little Egrets spend winter in Southeast Asia, migrating in large dispersal flocks, arriving mainly in September-October. Their preferred wintering grounds are mangroves where there are mudflats suited to their hunting style and providing preferred roosting sites. In Singapore, they are mostly found in estuaries, mudflats, ponds, mangroves and even canals. Some may stay in their wintering grounds over the summer. They are frequent visitors during the migratory season.

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Status and threats: **// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Like other egrets with beautiful breeding plumes, Little Egrets were threatened by hunting for their feathers. Now, they are more threatened by habitat destruction and pollution. The overuse of pesticides have made them scarce in rice fields.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [] ) <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [])

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Oriole __ //**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Taxonomy: **// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The family Oriolidae comprises the figbirds in the genus Sphecotheres, and the Old World orioles in the genus Oriolus. Several other genera have been proposed to split up the genus Oriolus. For example, the African black-headed species are sometimes placed in the genus Baruffius. The family is not related to the New World orioles, which are icterids, family Icteridae.

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Distribution and Habitat: **// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The family is distributed across Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The few temperate nesting species are migratory, and some tropical species also show seasonal movements. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Orioles are arboreal and tend to feed in the canopy. Many species are able to survive in open forests and woodlands, although a few are restricted to closed forest. They are opportunistic omnivores, with the main components of their diet being fruit, berries, and arthropods.

//**<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Description and Behaviour: **// <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The orioles are medium sized passerines, around 20–30 cm in length, with the females slightly smaller than the males. Their beaks are slightly curved and hooked and as long as the head. The plumage of most species is bright and showy, although the females often have duller plumage than the males do. The plumage of many Australasian orioles mimics that of friarbirds <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(a genus of large honeyeaters), probably to reduce aggression against the smaller orioles. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Orioles are monogamous, breeding in territorial pairs. Nesting sites may be chosen near aggressive species such as drongos, shrikes or friarbirds, which confer a degree of protection. The nest is a deep woven cup suspended like a hammock from a branch. They usually lay two or three eggs, but as many as six have been recorded.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [])

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Golden Oriole__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The Golden Oriole or European Golden Oriole is the only member of the oriole family of passerine birds breeding in northern hemisphere temperate regions. It is a summer migrant in Europe and western Asia and spends the winter season in the tropics. Golden orioles have an extremely large range with large populations that are apparently stable. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">The male is striking in the typical oriole black and yellow plumage, but the female is a drabber green bird. Orioles are shy, and even the male is remarkably difficult to see in the dappled yellow and green leaves of the canopy. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">In flight they look somewhat like a thrush, strong and direct with some shallow dips over longer distances. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Golden orioles are native to Europe, Asia and Africa. They inhabit tall deciduous trees in woodland, orchards or parks and spend much of their time in tree canopies. They feed on insects and fruit. They build neat nests in tree forks and lay 3-6 eggs each time. <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Their call is a screech like a jay, but the song is a beautiful //weela-wee-ooo// or //or-iii-ole//, unmistakable once heard.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(source: [])

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">__Bird__ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">This is a picture of a bird we saw but unfortunately do not know its name except that it is a bird.

__<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Weaver ants __ <span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Weaver ants are insects of the family Formicidae. Weaver ants are arboreal and are known for their unique nest building behaviour where workers construct nests by weaving together leaves using larval silk. Colonies can be extremely large consisting of more than a hundred nests spanning numerous trees and contain more than half a million workers. Like many other ant species, weaver ants prey on small insects and supplement their diet with carbohydrate-rich honeydew excreted by small insects. The major workers are approximately eight to ten millimetres in length and the minor workers approximately half the length of the majors. There is a division of labour associated with the size difference between workers. Major workers forage, defend, maintain and expand the colony whereas minor workers tend to stay within the nests where they care for the eggs and 'milk' scale insects (parasites of plants) in or close to the nests. Oecophylla weaver ants vary in colour from reddish to yellowish brown dependent on the species. Oecophylla found in Australia are highly territorial and workers aggressively defend their territories against intruders. Because of their aggressive behaviour, weaver ants are sometime used by indigenous farmers, particularly in Southeast Asia, as natural bio control agents against agricultural pests. Although Oecophylla weaver ants lack a functional sting they can inflict painful bites and often spray acid directly at the bite wound resulting in intense discomfort.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">(Source: [])

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">Ecological Facts

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">During high tide, the tree-climbing crabs climb out of the water to escape predation. They form an important component of the ecosystem by feeding on fallen mangrove leaves that do not decompose easily. This helps in the breakdown of the mangrove leaves into nutrients for the mangrove plants.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">The Mud Lobster makes a mini volcano-like mound of mud. They are very important members of the mangrove ecosystem. It excavates below the surface of the mud, pushing mud to the surface and making its home higher as it digs. This way, it helps to bring nutrients from deep underground to the surface, helping in the recycling of nutrients in the ecosystem.

<span style="color: #ad00ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">(Source: [])