Serpent on Semakau
I was all hunched over, focusing on a tricky butt shot of a sea cucumber. This particular sea cucumber has teeth around its anus ... which is understandable as all kinds of free-loaders from fish to crabs just love to hide up a sea cucumber's behind. I'm sure even sea cucumbers don't enjoy having unwanted guests up their butts.
Butt I digress...
Just as I'm getting that perfect butt shot, I run out of disk space (of course). After a quick swop of flash cards, I stoop back down to get a good closeup of that elusive behind and got a viewfinder full of snake instead! WOW!
She was a beauty. 1.5m, slim and slender, smooth and cool. What's not to like?
Quietly and elegantly, she checked out every nook and cranny among the corals for breakfast. She even sniffed out my bootie!
Alvin thinks it's because their black-and-white pattern has a hypnotic effect as the snake glides around in the water.
These snakes can swim well, using their tails which are flattened into a paddle-like shape. But they have to return to land to lay their eggs. They generally breed on coral atolls and rocky islets where they may gather in large groups during the breeding season. 5-9 eggs are laid by each mother. The babies look just like their parents.
Sea snakes eat fishes and fish eggs. Eels are among their favourite prey (I guess because these just slide right into a snake).
The snake has a highly toxic venom that is fatal to humans. But it is a gentle and docile snake and will not bite if it is left alone.
The weekend trips to Semakau were magical. Lots of new creatures from nudibranchs to frog fishes. And the company of a really great bunch of crazy people.
Will now have to cope with withdrawals from low tide trips until the evening lows start in December...
Butt I digress...
Just as I'm getting that perfect butt shot, I run out of disk space (of course). After a quick swop of flash cards, I stoop back down to get a good closeup of that elusive behind and got a viewfinder full of snake instead! WOW!
She was a beauty. 1.5m, slim and slender, smooth and cool. What's not to like?
Quietly and elegantly, she checked out every nook and cranny among the corals for breakfast. She even sniffed out my bootie!
Alvin thinks it's because their black-and-white pattern has a hypnotic effect as the snake glides around in the water.
These snakes can swim well, using their tails which are flattened into a paddle-like shape. But they have to return to land to lay their eggs. They generally breed on coral atolls and rocky islets where they may gather in large groups during the breeding season. 5-9 eggs are laid by each mother. The babies look just like their parents.
Sea snakes eat fishes and fish eggs. Eels are among their favourite prey (I guess because these just slide right into a snake).
The snake has a highly toxic venom that is fatal to humans. But it is a gentle and docile snake and will not bite if it is left alone.
The weekend trips to Semakau were magical. Lots of new creatures from nudibranchs to frog fishes. And the company of a really great bunch of crazy people.
Will now have to cope with withdrawals from low tide trips until the evening lows start in December...
10 Comments:
You guys got it on video right?
Please tell me you got it on video....
Unfortunately, we were, as usual, too far away from Ria to get it on video. Sigh....last time the electric ray now sea snake. What's next?
Next time some of us must stay about 50m close to Ria just in case she found something we all can run towards her. Haha.
Stay away!! FAR away!! You're mucking up the water! And scaring off the good stuff!!
I did think about bringing back the snake. But she was 1.5m long, I had nothing but my bare hands and you guys seemed 1km away. Not to mention the toxic venom.
I'm sure we'll meet more snakes during the evening tides. They usually are around when there is a bryopsis bloom on Sentosa (the hairy green seaweed). It's a bit hard to see them though, as the ground is covered with seaweed.
So we should watch where we step.
Sorry Cynthia.
We forgot to mention how this MIGHTY storm came in, REALLY scary... everyone rushed back to shore, but we couldn't find Ria for quite some time and everyone just turned kinda PALE. I think it was Luan Keng who even let out this war-cry-like scream like Mel Gibson in Braveheart and she went "REEEEEAAAAAAAAHHH". Very drama indeed.
We should come up with a "Where's Ria?" series of cartoon posters like "Where's Wally?"... Have different versions of Ria hiding in mangroves, coral rubble, seagrass lagoons with all sorts of creatures on different locations in S'pore...
Good idea for merchandise!
Haha. Maybe that's when the walkie talkie should come in.
I like that 'Where's Wally' thing. I can already imagine how funny it's gonna be...hahaha
Yah, it was really embarassing after I scolded everyone to make sure they look after themselves and not get into trouble.
But there I was, stuck knee-deep in mud that seemed to stretch out forever. The only way out was to walk out on my knees.
I'm no spring chicken no more. So it took a while.
Thank God I only took one camera out with me that time.
I did hear someone yell over the howling wind, and I was hoping it wasn't someone in real trouble.
Well, at least we now know there is quick mud near the end of the proposed public route :-)
Phew!...we got footages of another sea snake! Alvin managed to capture one on video while diving at Pulau Salu yesterday.
He DID?!?! Argh. Why does everything nice have to appear when I'm not there? :(
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