Discovery @ Pasir Panjang Hertiage Trail on 28 July 2007

Eighteenth Discovery Posting:

(Entry @ 2 Aug 2007: Got the ID for third 'discovery', thanks everyone!)

Quick introduction: this event is one of the events of the Singapore Heritage Festival 2007, conducted by the RMBR (read on to find out what RMBR stands for) toddycats.

Nearly missed out this event when i read the calendar of events for the Festival, so would like to thank to someone for letting me know about this (too bad, you couldn't join us that day) =)

Anyway, as this was conducted by the RMBR toddycats, of course, we would be visiting RMBR as the first stop. What's RMBR? Observe the picture below to find out... and click here to read more about them.
And as we waited for the guide in RMBR to begin, i wondered around and took this (picture below) of several butterfly specimens on display.
Another thing which i thought i had to take a photo was this dodo (picture below). Let's make this the first 'discovery' of the trip.
Discovery Note:
1. The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird that lived on the islands of Mauritius. It stood about a metre tall, lived on fruit and nested on the ground.
2. As with many animals evolving in isolation from significant predators, the dodo was entirely fearless of people, and this, in combination with its flightlessness, made it easy prey.
3. The dodo has been extinct since the mid-to-late 17 century. It is commonly used as the archetype of an extinct species because its extinction occurred during recorded human history, and was directly attributable to human activity.
4. By the way, the phrase "as dead as a dodo" means undoubtedly and unquestionably dead.

Side note:
To read more about the impact on the environment due to the extinction of the dodo, click here.

After a guided walk around the RMBR, we were splitted into 2 groups and headed started the actual trail. Here's a group photo of the group (picture below) that my friend and i was in.

By the way, everyone in the group was in the photo, but how did we managed to take this without another person helping us is something i would like to keep you guessing. =p
As we reached the end of the Kent Ridge Road, our guide then shared with us why the road was named Kent Ridge Road, the exact story is a bit long to be written down here, so i hope the photo i've taken (picture below) would give you a summary. Second 'discovery'.
Discovery Note:
1. This momentum was almost forgotten, it's thanks to Siva from RMBR (according to our guide) that this piece of history is not just another piece of rock along the road.

Very soon, we reached the second point of our trail, Kent Ridge park (picture below)
Do you know:
1. Bats can be sighted in this park usually after 7pm.
2. Bats are generally harmless and a certain fruit that most Singaporeans like is available due to them. Can you guess what fruit is it?
3. For more on bats, read a earlier 'discovery' on an event on bats at here.

The fruit is the Durian!

Here's a flower which i found it to have an interesting shape and structure (picture below). Anyone flora experts know what flower is this? Thanks!

I'll currently reserve this as the third 'discovery' so that if anyone could help me ID this, then i could do some research on it .

(Entry @ 2 Aug 2007: ID for this is the Cat's whiskers or Java Tea (Orthosiphon aristatus)Discovery Note:
1. When the flowers open, the stamens and pistil extend out far beyond the petals, creating the "cat's whiskers" effect.
2. Cat's whiskers is sometimes used as a medicinal plant. Its diuretic effect makes it a treatment for kidney and bladder problems. It is also reported to possess antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and possible anticancer effects.

As this was a heritage trail, stories about the different places and native flora were shared along the way. Fourth 'discovery' is a Tembusu tree, which is a native tree (picture below).Discovery Note:
1. Tembusus are very hardy trees which can thrive and bloom even under adverse conditions.
2. A long-lived tree, it can live up to 150 to 200 years. It can reach a height of about 25 metres.
3. Its wood is very hard and resistant to rot and termites. It can be used for making bridges, rafts, chopping boards, furniture, and house building.
4. This tree has been identified as a heritage tree of Singapore and is featured on the Singapore $5 currency note and in postage stamps.

What is this tree with the numerous cone like things on its trunk (picture below)? Oh, this is the kapok tree! Fifth 'discovery' of the trail (picture below).Discovery Note:
1. The Kapok tree is an emergent tree of the tropical rainforests, and is often described as majestic as it can grow to a height of 45 meters or more.
2. It is a native plant from South America.
3. The brown seeds are round like peas and are found in pods.
4. The seed pods are woody, smooth and pendulous, with a light green colour. They will burst open while still on the tree after the leaves have fallen. Inside a whitish cotton like fiber surrounds the brown seeds.
5. These white cotton like fiber can be used in pillows and mattresses.

Now is this tree sick? The bark of the tree seems to be peeling off... According to our guide, this is normal for this tree, the Eucalyptus , fifth 'discovery' (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. The tree is indigenous with a few exceptions to Australia and Tasmania.
2. The genus contains about 300 species and is one of the most characteristic genera of the Australian flora.
3. Eucalyptus trees are quick growers and many species reach a great height.
4. The leaves are leathery in texture, hang obliquely or vertically, and are studded with glands containing a fragrant volatile oil.
5. There are a great number of species of Eucalyptus trees yielding essential oils.

Note:
For more information, click here.

Sixth 'discovery' was a lucky find, as we don't usually get to see its flowers. Pigeon orchids (picture below)! A close up shot of the pigeon orchid (picture below)Discovery Note:
1. This is the most common epiphyte in the region frequently seen on roadside trees in Singapore.
2. The orchid resembles white pigeons and are sweetly scented.
3. This plant has narrow oblong leaves. The roots are produced at the base where it clasps the bark of the tree on which the plant grows.
4. The flower is strongly fragrant when it opens in the morning but fades by the afternoon. It is a pity that the flowers remain open for only one day. All the parts of the flower are delicate in texture and white except for the bright yellow spot in the lip. The flower is about 3 cm in length and 3 cm in width.
5. Though this lovely plant is small and delicate and looks fragile, it is quite strong and able to withstand harsh conditions.

By now, you might be confused by the word 'epiphyte', so for my seventh 'discovery' is the meaning of...

Discovery Note:
1. Some sources say an epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant but does not receive its nourishment from that plant.
2. Other sources say that an epiphyte is an air plant, which is described as a plant that does not grow in soil.
3. Both definitions accurately describe an epiphyte.
4. By the way, don't ask me on how to say this word, because till date, i'm still trying to say it correctly.. =p

As we walked on the boardwalk, a explanation on a plant was interrupted by a sighting of a bird which i forgot the ID, (poor memory i have), alas that i couldn't get a shot (photo) of it.

Anyway, eighth 'discovery' is a staghorn fern (picture below) spotted along the boardwalk.Discovery Note:
1. This fern is an epiphyte.
2. The fern has two types of fronds.
3. The sterile fronds, located near the base of the plant, are round and flat. They begin pale green but turn brown and papery with age.
4. The fertile fronds are also pale green. They are the fronds that look like a stag's horns, and they hang down from the plant.

Last stop of the trail was Reflections at Bukit Chandu (Ninth 'discovery'), the picture you see below serves to reenact the scene in World War 2 when the Japanese attacked Bukit Chandu. Discovery Note:
1. Reflections at Bukit Chandu is a World War II interpretative centre housed in a restored colonial bungalow.
2. Set in lush green surroundings amidst the picturesque Pasir Panjang area, it tells the tale of the Battle of Pasir Panjang on 14 February 1942 when 1,400 brave and valiant soldiers from the Malay Regiment chose to fight to their death against 13,000 Japanese soldiers.
3. The centre is a place for visitors to reflect upon Singapore’s heritage of heroism.
4. The presentation through artefacts, exhibits and multi-media invites visitors to contemplate about our nation’s war experience and to discover how far Singaporeans have arrived as a nation.

For more information on this heritage site, click here.

After a short stop over at the site, the trail came to an end.

Would like to thank our guide, Airani, for sharing stories on the different places and flora we saw along the trail, you're great! Thanks to all interested participants for a great time and my friend for accompanying me along. =)

Semakau Inter-Tidal Walk on 15 July 2007

Seventeenth Discovery Posting:

(Entry @ 28 Dec 2007: Sixth 'discovery''s ID may be wrong, it might be a a colony of Euphyllia corals and not Heliofungia (mushroom coral), thanks to Ria for pointing this out)

After last month's very wet visits to Semakau, all of us were hoping for a clear morning for the walk. And the clear night sky (around 5am, the time we were meeting) was a first indication that we were going to have great weather. Now we just need the luck to 'discover' many things.

The group i was leading was 'clown fishes' and it was a small group, they were a family and this was the second time that they were going to Semakau (for the family's Dad, it was his first time)

Anyway, let's talk about the first 'discovery' of the morning after we 'hit' the inter-tidal zone after 'bashing' through the forest trail in the dark. Lots of common Sea Stars (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. Although people commonly call them star fish, we prefer to call them sea stars. As they are not fishes.
2. If you look on the underside of the sea star, you will find the tube feet of the sea star.
3. These tube feet are used for walking, handle food as well as breathing, talk about multi purpose!
4. Sea stars get stressed when out of water, so please don’t take them out of the water for too long.
5. Some sea stars possess more than 5 'limbs', as you can see from the picture above.

After we crossed the sea grass lagoon, we saw the second 'discovery' which was a sandfish sea cucumber (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. Being related to the sea stars, sea cucumbers have a soft, wormlike body and range from a few centimeters to 90 centimeters in length.
2. Unlike the sea star, however, they have no arms but use a cluster of tube-like feet around their mouth to gather food.
3. To repel predators or when stressed, a sea cucumber might expel their innards or ‘vomit’. And if too much of their innards are expelled, they might die off as a result.
4. The sandfish sea cucumber is the species of sea cucumber which people consume. But they contain toxins, so it must be properly prepared before consumption.

Just a few foot steps, we spotted the third 'discovery', an unknown anemone (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. Anemones have stinging cells which might harm you if you touch them. So rule of thumb for anemones, don't touch them with your naked hands.

The fourth 'discovery' was spotted by the young 'clown fish' (forgot to get his name, sorry...). A ribbon worm.
Discovery Note:
1. Some can reach a length of 30 meters with a body diameter of only a few millimeters.
2. They seem to have existed on earth for 500 million years.
3. Usually they feed on scavenges and dead animals.
4. A ribbon worm has a proboscis to snap preys. Some are even armed with a piercing stylet that can inject a toxin to their preys.

As the HSBC green volunteers were also conducting a walk for some students on the same morning, we had more available hunter seekers, as a result...

Three knobbly sea stars turned up~ Fifth 'discovery'!

Here's the traditional group photo shot with them (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. Their name comes from the presence of knobs on their topside.
2. Although they are brightly coloured and covered with knobs and spikes, they are not venomous, so you can touch them!
3. But still, please handle them with care as they are a threaten species.

Sixth 'discovery' had left me wondering for a while on what was it. But after a short contact with my trusty tool, i found out that this was a mushroom coral with its tentacles extended out (picture below).

(Entry @ 28 Dec: This might be a colony of Euphyllia corals instead of Heliofungia) Here's a sunflower mushroom coral which we also saw nearby the mushroom coral (picture below).Discovery Note:
1. Most Mushroom corals do not form colonies like most other corals and most mushroom coral is usually a single polyp.
2. Unlike most corals, most mushroom corals are attached to the reef only when they are small.
3. As larger individuals, they will detach themselves from the reef (if they had attached themselves to the reef) and live loose on the seafloor.

Ron who was the chief hunter seeker of the day then soon found a stonefish sea cucumber (picture below). Seventh 'discovery'. Discovery Note:
1. The stonefish sea cucumber is also known to be harvested for food. But not as popular as the sandfish sea cucumber.

As we 'clown fishes' had explored all the things that were pre-spotted by our hunter seekers, i decided to lead my group near Ron and Luan Keng, just in case , they spotted anything. =p

And they did, a giant clam! Eighth 'discovery'! Prof Leo Tan who was there with all of us on Semakau also then proceeded to give a introduction on the giant clam (picture below).Discovery Note (Addition information from encyclopedia.com):
1. They are the largest living bivalve mollusc and also known as the bear's paw clam
2. They can weigh more than 227 kilograms and measure as much as 1.2 metres across, and have an average lifespan in the wild of 100 years or more.
3. An interesting symbiosis occurs between a unicellular green alga ( Zooanthella ) and the clam. The algae live in the tissues of the clam's siphon and mantle; they are able to obtain the sunlight needed for photosynthesis because the clam lies with its valves opening upward and part of the thick, purple mantle extruding over the shell.
4. In addition, there are crystalloid vesicles on the mantle surface that let in sunlight, thus allowing the algae to live deep within the tissues. The clam uses the algae as a supplementary or perhaps even a major source of food.

Just after Prof Leo finished his introduction on the giant clam, JH brought over a unknown fish which Robert found to check if Prof Leo could help us to ID it.

According to Prof Leo, this is a 'baby' scorpion fish (picture below). Ninth 'discovery' of the day. Discovery Note:
1. Scorpion fishes have large, heavily ridged and spined heads. Venomous spines on their back and fins with a groove and venom sack. Well camouflaged with tassels, warts and coloured specks.
2. Some scorpion fishes can change their colour to better match their surroundings.
3. Scorpion fishes are not aggressive, but if threatened they will erect their dorsal spines (which is venomous). If danger continues they flee, usually very fast but only for a short distance and then quickly settle back and freeze.

Straying off for a moment, i took a photo of the stag horn coral (picture below). A favourite.
Tenth and eleventh 'discovery' were nudibranches spotted by Ron. A phyllid nudibranch (picture below) . A marginated glossodoris nudibranch (picture below). Discovery Note:
1. They are sea slugs without a outer shell.
2. They did had a shell when they were young but it slowly disappears as they mature.

And here's a photo of a sponge from a few cm above the sand level (picture below). Twelfth 'discovery'.
Discovery Note:
1. Sponges are simple animals, because they do not have a mouth, gut or other organs nor a brain.
2. But they have a simple body structure which can perform all the functions of an animal.
3. Sponges are sometimes mistaken for corals. For a simple check, take note that sponges have many little holes and few big ones.
4. Sponges have tiny hard, sharp spikes throughout their bodies.
5. These spikes not only provide support but also make them an unpleasant mouthful.

As we slowly walked back towards the shoreline. We suddenly heard a shout from Ron. "Heart Cockle (picture below)". I looked at my group and checked with them if they were interested to check that out.

"Why not".

So here's the thirteenth 'discovery'. =) Discovery Note:
1. The cockle lives in sand and mud in shallow water.
2. All cockles are hermaphroditic, which means they possess both the male and female sex organs.

Walking near back to the sea grass lagoon, a warty sea cucumber (picture below) laid there waiting for us. Fourteenth 'discovery'. There seem to be a number of sightings of sea cucumbers on this walk.

Discovery Note:
1. Also called the peanutfish, dragonfish or golden sea cucumber in the sea cucumber trade.
2. They supposedly have an unusual defense mechanism where they can become completely limp and eventually disintegrating all together if taken out of the water for too long.
3. However, if they are not done it too much, they have the ability to reverse this process and recover.

As we crossed the seagrass lagoon, another sea cucumber was soon spotted. A synaptid sea cucumber! This was my first time seeing this . Wow~ fifteenth 'discovery'. Discovery Note:
1. It has no tube feet except for highly modified ones that form the oral tentacles.
2. It has a very thin, delicate body wall that feels sticky to touch. The stickiness is not due to mucus or other adhesive, but to other hundreds of tiny, anchor-shaped ossicles located in the skin.

After ending the inter-tidal walk, all visitors were then ushered to the Southern most part of Singapore, which is also the Southern most part of Singapore which the public can have access to (picture below). Finally, after the land-fill tour and a video presentation by NEA, the trip ended and all of us headed back to main land Singapore for a well-deserved lunch.

And Thanks to all the 'clown fishes' for being such a great group and everyone else on this trip.

Discovery @ Changi Beach on 14 July 2007

Sixteenth Discovery Posting:

(Entry @ 16 July 2007: New information about the moulting of crabs and Update of facts thirteenth 'discovery', thanks to Ron for the info)

What were you doing on Saturday early morning at 3am?

Catching a late night movie? Partying at a night spot? Sleeping?

But some Semakau guides and i were at Changi Beach doing exploration along the shoreline during the low tide.

And the first thing that caught our eyes when we stepped on the shoreline was this green 'thing' covered with sand, what was it?

A flip and the answer was revealed. A turtle~

To be more specific, a teenage mutant ninja turtle (picture below)! Hahaha. What was this doing there? Looking for the other three ninja turtles? =p
Anyway, the first 'discovery' of the 'morning' was a stripped hermit crab (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. I haven't seen this kind of hermit crabs on our southern shores before. I wonder is it 'native' to our northern shores.
2. Empty Sea shells are potential homes for hermit crabs, so please don't pick any shells from the seashore.
3. To quote from a famous tongue twister, "Sally sells seashells on the seashore.", we say, "Don't buy the seashells Sally sells on the seashore" =)

Within a few steps away in the sand was the second 'discovery', a ball sea cucumber (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. They are seldom seen as they are buried beneath the sand.
2.They are sometimes washed ashore among piles of seaweeds, so try not to step on seaweeds during inter-tidal walks or keep your eyes wide open.
3. And remember to put them gently into a pool of water if you see an exposed ball sea cucumber.

As we squatted down to take better photo shots of the sea cucumber, we looked around the sea grass around our feet and found that there were a number of 'baby' brittle stars measuring about 2 cm in diameter (picture below). Third 'discovery'!
Discovery Note:
1. Related to and like the sea stars, they have five arms and a central disc.
2. As the name suggests, the arms of the brittle stars are rather liable to break. This is actually an escape mechanism. They can regenerate their arms, but slowly.
3. Brittle stars use their arms for locomotion. They do not, like sea stars, depend on tube feet.
4. Brittle stars move fairly rapidly by wriggling their arms which are highly flexible and enable the animals to make either snake-like or rowing movements.
5. Brittle stars can reproduce asexually by self-division.
6. Just brought a book on sea stars, so if i'm not wrong, this should be the Ophiothrix fumaria.

Walking on, someone soon spotted a sand star (picture below). This is the fourth 'discovery'.
Discovery Note:
1. The tube feet of sand stars end in points instead of suckers.
2. These pointed tube feet push down powerfully allowing Sand star to ‘race’ rapidly over the sand and burrow quite quickly.

Ron soon then spotted a pair of moon crabs, doing their bit for nature... mating (picture below). =P Fifth 'discovery'! But as soon we got close, the male moved away from the female. Did we disturb them? Oh, i hope not...
Discovery Note:
1. Instead of the usual walking legs we see on crabs, all four pairs of legs of the moon crab are paddle like.
2. This helps the crab to swim and used as spades to quickly bury themselves into the sand.

I do wonder if the moon crabs swim faster than swimming crabs since they have 8 'paddles' instead of 2 that swimming crabs have. Can anyone enlighten me?

After reading TC's blog, he mentioned that on a new moon, loads of crabs would moult. It was quite true as the night had a new moon and there were loads of crab moult along the inter-tidal zone. And we were lucky enough to see a newly moulted crab (picture below). Sixth 'discovery'~

(Entry @ 16 July 2007: More crabs are known to moult during full moon nights.) Discovery Note:
1. Did you know that soft shell crabs that some of us eat are actually crabs which just moulted?

A pipe fish (picture below) was the seventh 'discovery'.
Discovery Note:
1. Pipe fishes belong to the same family as the seahorses and have similar practices and diet.
2. Like the seahorse, the male pipe fish carries the eggs.
3. Pipe fishes lack a pouch, so the eggs are glued to the underside of a male's tail or abdomen.

As I slowly walked with my feet in the water and trying my best to spot things and not to step on anything alive, Luan Keng called out to me and told me they spotted a flat fish! I haven't seen it with my own eyes before. So here is it (picture below). Eighth 'discovery'! Discovery Note:
1. The larval flatfish has its eyes and mouth located in places just like other fishes. But as it develops, one eye and the mouth move to the upper side of the fish.
2. Being flat, they can lie just beneath the sand with only their eyes sticking out, while they ambush to wait for their prey (bottom-dwelling worms, clams, crabs and shrimps) to appear.

After photographing the flat fish, i continued my exploration and soon spotted a sea pen (picture below). My first sighting for this, okay, this is the ninth 'discovery'. Discovery Note:
1. They got their common name due to their resemblance to feather quill pens.
2. A single sea pen is actually made up of many polyps, just like corals.
3. By the way, they are cnidarins like corals and jellyfish.

Further exploration then yield sightings of a number of sea urchins, here are 2 different ones (pictures below) and tenth 'discovery'. Discovery Note:
1. Sea urchins have sharp spines that deter most predators and us from touching them.
2. The urchins we saw were using its spines to attach sea weeds around its body to camouflage itselves.
3. The spines are actually moveable and may be used for walking.

And on a sandy part of the zone, Ron spotted a geographic sea hare (picture below). Eleventh 'discovery'.Discovery Note:
1. They are often overlooked as their appearance enables them to blend in with the seaweeds or they may lie buried in the sand.
2. They can swim by flapping the sides of its body.

Twelfth 'discovery' was a moon snail with its body expanded outside its shell (picture below). Discovery Note:
1. Moon snails are able to inflate its body with seawater as it emerges from the shell and the fully expanded body can be much bigger than its own shell.
2. The Moon snail is able to warp its huge body around its prey to suffocate it.
3. It can also secrete an acid to soften its victim’s shell. A hole is then eventually created in the shell with its radula.
4. The Moon snail generally feeds on snails and clams.

A little while after i wondered away from the moon snail, TC called out to me and asked to check out something. Oh, from the looks of it, a new moon night isn't only great for moulting but also mating (picture below). haha. Thirteenth 'discovery'.

(Entry @ 16 July 2007: The two flower crabs are not actually mating, the male crab was probably guarding the female, waiting for her to molt before they can mate. Thanks to Ron for info again) Discovery Note:
1. The male should be the smaller crab.
2. In nature, at times, the males are smaller than the females and maybe more 'attractive' in appearance than females.

Fourteenth 'discovery' was something that i didn't had a great photo the last time i visited Changi beach, so here is it, discoverers, the sand dollar (picture below).Discovery Note:
1. Sand dollars are echinoderms, in short, they are related to the sea stars.
2. Living sand dollars are coated in fine, harmless spines that made them very velvety.
3. The spines are movable and are used to dig into the sand or move around.
4. The dense layer of spines also helps to keep off sand and silt so there is a flow of oxygenated water across the body.

As i shone the torch Luan Keng lend me into the water, i saw pairs of small red spot reflections. A closer look reveal these to be shrimps. Fifteenth 'discovery' is a photo shot of one (picture below).
Discovery Note:
1. As i switched off the light to rest my eyes, i saw short bursts of green flashes coming from these shrimps. Wow, natural flash lights.

An anemone that swims. Would you believe that? Yap, i did saw one. A swimming anemone (picture below), let's count... sixteenth 'discovery'. Discovery Note:
1. This anemone often looks like a ball of tentacles and it doesn't have a long body column that is buried in the ground like the carpet anemones or peacock anemones.
2. Instead, it may be perched on seagrasess. This anemone can swim by undulating its tentacles!

There seem to be a number of anemones we saw. Here's one which most of us think that it's an anemone but not sure what is the ID (picture below). Seventeenth 'discovery'. As we started to head back towards our starting point as the tide was coming back in, someone spotted this sand star in the process of feeding (picture below). Eighteenth 'discovery'~Discovery Note:
1. As you notice, this sand star has only four legs, but it is able to regenerate its 'missing' leg although it takes a while.
2. The part where you see some shells is where the sand star's mouth is located at.

Nineteenth 'discovery' was something out of the norm. A lady beetle on a sea grass? (picture below). Why was it doing here?Discovery Note:
1. Commonly called as lady birds or lady bugs, but scientists prefer to call them lady beetle. As they are bettles.
2. They are generally considered useful insects as many species of lady beetles feed on pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places.
3. A few species of lady beetles are pests though, but they are known to be found in the region of North America and Europe.
4. Some people consider seeing them or having them land on one’s body to be a sign of good luck to come, and killing them presages bad luck.

The last thing we saw was spotted by Robert. Twenty 'discoveries', wow! A ghost crab (picture below). And it was so nice to let us take a number of photos before racing off and borrowing into the sand.Discovery Note:
1. These crabs are called ghosts because of their ability to disappear from sight almost instantly, scuttling at speeds up to 16 km per hour, while making sharp directional changes.
2. Ghost Crabs live in deep burrows above the waterline.
3. They come out of their burrows to feed at night.
4. They are known to eat small particles of dead plants, animals, algae and micro-organisms.

It was really an eventful 'morning' for the amount of things we saw. Thanks everyone again~

So you can 'discover' that our Changi shores are much, indeed, really 'alive' but ... the sad note is that this is also a favourite site for poachers to gather marine life...