Chek Jawa
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A Sea Slug (Family Onchidae)
Their name is derived from the Greek for "little lump". Often affectionately called "onchs", these well camouflaged blobs creep unnoticed over rocks feeding on algae or detritus. -
Sea slugs (Family Onchidae)
Onchs are gastropods but lack shells. Their gills are modified for breathing air. They are hermaphrodites with complicated reproductive organs to ensure cross- but not self-fertilisation. -
A very well camouflaged crab (in the centre, can you spot it?!) with a Sea slater on the left among barnacles
These crabs are active in the dark and will lie very still, relying on their amazing coloration. Often called sea cockroaches, sea slaters are not insects but crustaceans like crabs. -
Pulai (Alstonia angustiloba)
This forest giant towers above the forest canopy.
Its elegant pagoda-like branches can be seen
even from the bumboat as we journey to Pulau Ubin. -
Delek air (Memecylon edule)
A beautiful and rare seashore plant with brilliant blue blossoms.
There are at least two of these wonderous trees bordering Chek Jawa shores. -
A wild Ixora (Ixora congesta) about to blossom -
Golden Orb Web Spider (Nephila maculata)
These giant spiders create fabulous webs that glitter gold in the sunlight -
Young leaves in delicate colours brighten up the gloomy forest. -
Fresh blossoms of a native ginger (Costus speciosus) -
The forest floor is sometimes strewn with delicate flowers. -
A tame wild boar, whom we dubbed "Priscilla the Pig". -
Cekur Manis (Sauropus androgynus)
The Malays make a wonderful dish of the leaves cooked in coconut milk.
The Hokkien name for it is "mani chye". -
Beautiful blossoms of the False coffee plant (Fagraea racemosa) -
Fruits of the Wild Ixora (Ixora congesta) -
A climbing fig (Ficus aurantiacea) with magnificent large fruits -
A threesome of Hill mynas (Gracula religiosa)
Their melodious calls ring throughout the forest in the mornings. -
Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)
There is a family of hornbills on Ubin and sometimes, they visit
Chek Jawa to snack on the fruit trees growing in the abandoned village. -
Ant Plant (Dischidia sp.)
This plant has these specially enlarged leaves which provide ants with a home. -
Interesting pics... hope to go to the Chek Jawa reef walk one day..
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yup...Originally posted by cornyfish2000:Interesting pics... hope to go to the Chek Jawa reef walk one day.. -
Mud lobster (Thalassina sp.)
This common but rarely seen crustacean plays a key role in mangroves. It creates the characteristic volcano-like mounds of mud in the back mangroves as it eats-and-digs in the mud. These mounds provide living spaces for a variety of other mangrove creatures. -
Giant mudskipper (Periophthalmodon schlosseri)
The largest of mudskippers in Chek Jawa, they sneak up on smaller mudskippers upon which they snack! -
A tiny well-camouflaged mudskipper -
Gold-spotted mudskippers (Periophthalmus chrysospilos)
These amusing mudskippers are the most commonly seen on Chek Jawa. They often travel around in nervous 'herds'. -
Mudskippers clinging onto mangrove tree
Often mistaken for frogs or reptiles, mudskippers are actually fish that can climb trees!