Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Arielle Koh and Amanda Koh P5
Excellent Slide 2 History of SBWR 1986: Avid birdwatchers from the
then Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch) stumbled upon SB.
They wrote a proposal to the government for its conservation. 1989:
The wetland site was designated as a nature park 1993: The then
Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong officially opened the nature park.
1994: SBWR welcomed its 10,000 visitor Slide 3 Bracket Fungus Slide
4 Scientific name: There are hundreds of scientific names for each
species of bracket fungi, but bracket fungi are from the phylum
basidiomycota in the class basidiomycetes Habitat: Mainly on trees,
logs (living or dead) and coarse woody debris Special qualities:
They are hardy, resilient and can live for a long time Uses: Some
grown for human consumption and some for medicinal use Slide 5
Plants in Sungei Buloh Slide 6 History of SBWR African Tulip Tree
source Slide 7 African Tulip Tree Scientific name: Spathodea
campanulata Habitat: Wastelands Special qualities: The ripe pods
split open into a woody, boat-shaped form. Children use them in
boat races, by placing the opened pods in a fast flowing drain
Uses: The bark, flowers and leaves are used in traditional medicine
in Western Africa Slide 8 History of SBWR Api Api Bulu Slide 9
Scientific name: Avicennia rumphiana Habitat: Grows on upper half
of foreshow preferring sand or firm mud in South East Asia to New
Guinea Special qualities: The fur on the leaves conserve water by
trapping a layer of insulating air and thus reducing water lass
through evaporation Uses: The wood is suitable as firewood for
smoking fish, can be used as a rudder of a boat or ship and as a
rice mortar, the ash can be made into soap and the fruits can be
eaten roasted, boiled or sundried Slide 10 Birds Nest Fern source
Slide 11 Birds Nest Fern Scientific name: Asplenium nidus Habitat:
Grows on trees and rocks, even on the ground after falling from
trees Special qualities: The leaves can grow up to 1.4 metres long
and are shaped to collect rainwater and nutrient-rich debris Uses:
Eaten by tribes in Malaysia and some are used as house plants Slide
12 History of SBWR Blind Your Eye source Slide 13 Blind Your Eyes
Scientific name: Exoecaria agallocha Habitat: Further inland,
usually at the high water mark Special qualities: The sap can cause
temporary blindness (thus the name) if it enters the eyes or skin
irritation and blisters Uses: The sap is used by natives in New
Guinea as arrow poison. It may have anti-HIV, anti-cancer,
anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties Slide 14 History of SBWR
Crinum Lily source Slide 15 Crinum Lily Scientific name: Crinum
asiatium Habitat: Sandy seashores Special qualities: The flower is
nice-smelling but the plant is poisonous Uses: Used to treat aches,
sores and chaps. Crushed leaves are used to treat piles, mixed with
honey and applied to wounds and abscesses. Slide 16 Jamaican Cherry
Tree source Slide 17 Jamaican Cherry Tree Scientific name:
Muntingia calabura Habitat: Anywhere with sun and water but without
salt Special qualities: It has sweet and sticky fruits. Birds, bats
and even children in some areas help to disperse the seeds Uses:
Fruits are made into jam and tarts, flowers are used to treat
spasms, headaches and colds and its timber is used to make small
carpentry Slide 18 History of SBWR Nipah Palm source Slide 19 Nipah
Palm Scientific name: Nypa fruticans Habitat: Brackish mangrove
forest strips situated further inland where there are calm
conditions and high freshwater input Special qualities: It is the
mangrove plant with the oldest known fossil, with pollen dated 70
million years old Uses: Tapped to collect a sweet sap, the young
shoots can be eaten, the petals of the flower can be brewed and
immature fruits are a common ingredient in desserts. Dried fronds
can be used to make mats, baskets and other household items. Slide
20 Sea Hibiscus Slide 21 Scientific name: Hibiscus tiliaceus
Habitat: Along the seashore and back mangroves Special qualities:
The yellow flowers open in the morning and turn darker over the
day. It turns brownish before falling on the same day or the
following day Uses: Leaves are used to cool fevers, sooth coughs
and remove phlegm, fresh bark soaked in water is used to treat
dysentery and many other uses Slide 22 History of SBWR Sea Holly
source Slide 23 Sea Holly Scientific name: Acanthus ebracteatus
Habitat: Grows in the undergrowth of mangroves in South- East Asia
Special qualities: Leaves growing in the deep shade can be totally
spineless Uses: There are many, but these are two: Mangrove
dwellers believe that chewing the leaves can cure snake bites and
is also used to treat kidney stones Slide 24 History of SBWR Water
Lily Slide 25 Scientific name: Nymphaea sp. Habitat: Surface of
water Special qualities: Although the flowers are beautiful and
fragrant, they only last a few days Uses: The American Indians made
flour out of dried roots by pounding them, which was then baked
into pancakes. The young leaves and flower buds were eaten as
vegtables, and seeds were eaten fried Slide 26 Animals in Sungei
Buloh Slide 27 Archer Fish source Slide 28 Archer Fish Scientific
name: Toxotes jaculatrix Habitat: Commonly seen in mangrove swamps
Diet: Feed mainly on crustaceans, insects, red-clawed clab (sesarma
bidens) and ants from the formicidae family Special qualities: They
are known for their ability to shoot down insects and small
creatures resting on foliage or mangrove roots (see picture!) Slide
29 Atlas Moth source Slide 30 Atlas Moth Scientific name: Attucas
atlas Habitat: Primarily found in tropical forests and surrounding
lowlands in the vicinity of their host plants Diet: Adults do not
feed Special qualities: They do not have functioning mouth parts as
an adult so they do not feed. Instead, they live off fat reserves
built up when it was a caterpillar, when it ate a variety of
foodplants. Slide 31 History of SBWR Black-Crowned Night Heron
source Slide 32 Black-Crowned Night Heron Scientific name:
Nycticorax nycticorax Habitat: They nest in mangroves Diet: Fish,
aquatic and land invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, small
mammals, plants, carrion and food from garbage dumps Special
qualities: They steal eggs and young from other herons, which
attack them on sight because of this Slide 33 History of SBWR Giant
Mudskipper source Slide 34 Giant Mudskipper Scientific name:
Periophthalmodon schlosseri Habitat: Along the intertidal zone at
the margin between land and sea Diet: Carnivorous; aggressively
hunting arthropods (like insects), crustaceans, and even smaller
mudskippers Special qualities: They rotate their eyes to swill the
water in the gill chambers around and keep the gills fluffed up and
oxygenated Slide 35 History of SBWR Golden Orb Web Spider source
Slide 36 Golden Orb Web Spider Scientific name: Nephila maculata
Habitat: Usually above ground, they spin their webs between plants
and other objects Diet: Large flying insects Special qualities: Its
silk is used by tribes to catch fish, which will get entangled in
the ball of silk wound around a stick. It makes the largest and
strongest web even though it is not the largest spider Slide 37
History of SBWR Malayan Water Monitor source Slide 38 Malayan Water
Monitor Scientific name: Varanus salvator Habitat: Burrows built in
river banks, both fresh and salt water Diet: They are carnivorous
and eat a wide range of animals, such as fish, frogs, rodents,
birds, crabs, snakes, turtles, young crocodiles and crocodile eggs,
and carrion. Special qualities: Highly mobile, they can swim far
out to sea, remain underwater for up to half an hour and run faster
than most humans (because of their leg muscles) Slide 39 History of
SBWR Mud Lobster source Slide 40 Mud Lobster Scientific name:
Thalassina anomala Habitat: Never most out of its burrow (volcano
shaped mounds found in the back mangroves) Diet: Believed to eat
tiny organic titbits in mud Special qualities: Their burrows are
U-shaped and can be as deep as 2 metres below the waterline Slide
41 History of SBWR Plantain Squirrel source Slide 42 Plantain
Squirrel Scientific name: Callosciurus notatus (In fact,
callosciurus means beautiful squirrels) Habitat: Rest in hollow
trees; gardens, forest habitats and mangroves; rarely comes to the
ground Diet: Fruit pulp and seeds, flowers or leafy shoots,
arthropods (invertebrate animals) Special qualities: They are agile
animals and can jump a few metres between trees. Slide 43 History
of SBWR Smooth Otter source Slide 44 Smooth Otter Scientific name:
Lutrogale perspicillata Habitat: Occur throughout much of southern
Asia; found where water is plentiful Diet: Eat whatever is
plentiful and easy to catch, prey includes crustaceans, frogs,
water rats, large birds, turtles, and fish. Special qualities:
Largest otters in Southeast Asia, and they have shorter and
smoother coats Slide 45 History of SBWR Weaver Ants source Slide 46
Weaver Ants Scientific name: Oecophylla smaragdina Habitat: Leaves
of plants Diet: Nectar Special qualities: They have complex ants
nests; they use living leaves to build nests Slide 47 The End
