Animals in the park

                                Animals

A fish is any gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate (or craniate) animal that lacks limbs with digits. Including the living hagfish, lampreys, cartilaginous, bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups. The traditional term pisces (also ichthyes) is considered a typological, but not a phylogenetic classification.Most fish are "cold-blooded", or ectothermic, allowing their body temperatures to vary as ambient temperatures change. Fish are abundant in most bodies of water. They can be found in nearly all aquatic environments, from high mountain streams to the abyssal and even hadal depths of the deepest oceans. At 32,000 species, fish exhibit greater species diversity than any other class of vertebrates.Fish, especially as food, are an important resource worldwide. Commercial and subsistence fishers hunt fish in wild fisheries or farm them in ponds or in cages in the ocean. They are also caught by recreational fishers, kept as pets, raised by fish keepers, and exhibited in public aquaria. Fish have had a role in culture through the ages, serving as deities, religious symbols, and as the subjects of art, books and movies.

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines characterised by a special bonyor cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. "Turtle" may either refer to the Testudines as a whole, or to particular Testudines which make up a form taxon  that is not monophyleticThe order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species. The earliest known turtles date from 215 millon years ago,making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups and a more ancient group than lizards,snakes and crocodiles. Of the many species alive today, some are highly endangered.Like other reptiles, turtles are ectotherms—their internal temperature varies according to the ambient environment, commonly called cold-blooded. However, leatherback sea turtles have noticeably higher body temperature than surrounding water because of their high metabolic rate.Like other amniotes(reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals), they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. The largest turtles are aquatic.

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), or simply RIFA, is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis. Although the red imported fire ant is native to South America, it has become a pest in the southern United States, Australia, Taiwan, Philippines, and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. There are also reports of ant hills in Macau, the former Portuguese enclave that borders the province of Guangdong. RIFA are known to have a strong, painful, and persistent irritating sting that often leaves a pustule on the skin.

Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. Squirrels live in almost every habitat from tropical rainforest to semiarid desert, avoiding only the high polar regions and the driest of deserts. They are predominantly herbivorous, subsisting on seeds and nuts, but many will eat insects, and even small vertebrates.

As you can see the squirrel is climbing up the tree this is because he can sense that someone has come .

These are the apple snail's eggs found on the rocks by the river. The apple snail family or Ampullariidae are common freshwater snails in many tropical areas around the world and several species have made their way to the aquarium trade to become a popular pet snail. Their attractive appearance and relatively big size (5 to 15 cm / 2 to 6 inch, depending of the species) greatly contribute to their success. Apple snails inhabit a wide range of ecosystems from swamps, ditches and ponds to lakes and rivers. The majority of the species prefer lentic water above streaming water and only a few species have adapted to rivers with strong current.

A “zoom-in version “of the apple snail eggs as you can see the eggs are individual.

Snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropod that have coiled shells in the adult stage. These animals as others have a salivary gland located in the superior part of the mouth, which helps them aid in the digestion process. They move by means of a muscular structure called foot that allows sliding them by diverse surfaces: rough, vertical or smooth.            
Sea snails are marine gastropods that have shells. Those marine gastropods that have no shells, or have only internal shells, are variously known by other common names, including sea slug, sea hare, nudibranch, etc. Many sea snails are edible and are exploited as food sources by humans. Some well-known kinds of edible sea snails are abalone, conch, limpets, whelks and periwinkles including Littorina littorea.   

As you can see, this is a sea snail which means the above snail eggs must be produce by them. So I can conclude that this must be an apple snail. They live in a group so as to prevent predators to eat them easily. We can also conclude that the river is their habitat.

The term worm (vermes) refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus  and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body and no legs. Most animals called "worms" are invertebrates, but the term is also used for the amphibian caecilians and the slow worm Anguis, a legless burrowing lizard. Invertebrate animals commonly called"worms"include annelids (earthworms), nematodes (roundworms), flatworms, marine polychaete worms (bristle worms), marine nemertean worms ("bootlace worms"), marine Chaetognatha (arrow worms) and insect larvae such as caterpillas, grubs, and maggots. Worms vary in size from microscopic to over 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length for marine polychaete worms (bristle worms),6.7 metres (22 ft) for the African giant earthworm, Microchaetus, and 55 metres (180 ft) for the marine nemertean worm (bootlace worm), Lineus longissimus. Various types of worm occupy a small variety of parasitic niches, living inside the bodies of other animals. Free-living worm species may live on land, in marine or freshwater environments, or burrow.

The term worm (vermes) refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus  and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body and no legs. Most animals called "worms" are invertebrates, but the term is also used for the amphibian caecilians and the slow worm Anguis, a legless burrowing lizard. Invertebrate animals commonly called"worms"include annelids (earthworms), nematodes (roundworms), flatworms, marine polychaete worms (bristle worms), marine nemertean worms ("bootlace worms"), marine Chaetognatha (arrow worms) and insect larvae such as caterpillas, grubs, and maggots. Worms vary in size from microscopic to over 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length for marine polychaete worms (bristle worms),6.7 metres (22 ft) for the African giant earthworm, Microchaetus, and 55 metres (180 ft) for the marine nemertean worm (bootlace worm), Lineus longissimus. Various types of worm occupy a small variety of parasitic niches, living inside the bodies of other animals. Free-living worm species may live on land, in marine or freshwater environments, or burrow.

A “ zoom-in version” of the worm. As you can see, the worm is hanging around the tree using its web or silk. AMAZING!!! Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semi aquatic monitors are also known. Almost all monitor lizards are carnivorous, although Varanus bitatawa, Varanus mabitang and Varanus olivaceus are also known to eat fruit. They are oviparous, laying from seven to 37 eggs, which they often cover with soil or protect in a hollow tree stump. Monitor lizards differ greatly from other lizards in several ways, possessing a relatively high metabolic rate for reptiles, and several sensory adaptations that benefit the hunting of live prey. Recent research indicates the varanid lizards may have some venom.

A “ zoom-in version” of the worm. As you can see, the worm is hanging around the tree using its web or silk. AMAZING!!!

Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semi aquatic monitors are also known. Almost all monitor lizards are carnivorous, although Varanus bitatawa, Varanus mabitang and Varanus olivaceus are also known to eat fruit. They are oviparous, laying from seven to 37 eggs, which they often cover with soil or protect in a hollow tree stump. Monitor lizards differ greatly from other lizards in several ways, possessing a relatively high metabolic rate for reptiles, and several sensory adaptations that benefit the hunting of live prey. Recent research indicates the varanid lizards may have some venom.

This is a monitor lizard’s egg. This egg was found near the corner of the rocks on the river, this is to prevent predators from eating it.

Crows are large passerine birds that form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-sized jackdaws(Eurasian and Daurian) to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region Thick-billed Raven and of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents(except South America) and several offshore and oceanic islands (including Hawaii).

Jurong Lake Park's Introduction

Jurong Lake is a 70ha freshwater lake and reservoir located in the western region of Singapore formed with the damming of Sungei Jurong further downstream. The lake serves as a reservoir contributing to the water supply of the country. It lies next to the Lakeside MRT Station, which derived its name from this geographical feature. The lake is surrounded by parkland, which serves as a recreational ground for nearby residents in Jurong East and Jurong West New Towns.The water there is noted to be green in colour during dry weather and a murky brown after a downpour, the likely result of runoff from its urban catchment area.

Several tourist attractions located near or even within the Lake, includes 

      Chinese Garden 

      Japanese Garden, which are located on their respective islands within the lake

      The nearby Tang Dynasty Village, which has since closed down.

 

Amenities like the Jurong East Swimming complex and Jurong Point Shopping Mall are also relatively nearby Jurong Country Club  lies further south along Yuan Ching Road.

My group and I went to Jurong Lake Park two times. The first trip there was quite fruitful with my science teacher. Although we didn't have enough time to explore everything but I think our teacher has already given us the basic information. He told us what organisms were found there and why is it found there. He also identified us what organisms it was when the creature looks weird. During the trip with my teacher, we didn’t actually really find much animals or surprising discoveries but we found a lot of animals that we didn’t actually notice during the second trip to there as time is allowing us. We went to different parts of the park and found interesting things. To our surprise, we managed to catch some people fishing. We also found birds that are not commonly found in public places like a yellow bird and a wood pecker.

My group and I felt that interacting with the environment is also quite interesting. Though we didn't manage to find all the organisms in the park but we think that protecting the environment is important as many activities has taken place there.