Secretive squirrel, orchids rediscovered, corals studied and more

We learn more about the elusive shrew-faced squirrel that lives in our forest.

Plus lots more discoveries and studies of Singapore's amazing plants and animals, on land and sea. All in the latest slew of papers on Nature in Singapore of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research.

New records of civet, crabs and other critters on Nature in Singapore

Exciting biodiversity discoveries! Such as the first confirmed sighting of the Malay civet!

Also new records of crabs, a cicada and observations of animals mimicking ants, about our urban grasshoppers and crickets and more! Some from very accessible areas like Changi and Pasir Ris.

Your otter sightings wanted!

Yes! We have wild otters! A brand new facebook page, OtterWatch has been set up to gather your otter sightings! This is part of Meryl Theng's project to study Singapore's otters.

Where have otters been sighted in Singapore?

Singapore's cool colugos: why they glide

Studying Singapore's colugos, researchers including our very own Norman Lim have discovered why these animals glide.

Although called flying lemurs, these creatures are not lemurs and they don't fly!

Celebrating Dugongs in 2011!

2011 is Pacific Year of the Dugong!


What are dugongs? Does Singapore have any dugongs? What can I do for dugongs in Singapore?

Singapore has wild dolphins, porpoises and dugongs!

YES! And your help is needed to look out for and report sightings of them. How to identify them? Check out these awesome ID charts by the Singapore Wild Marine Mammal Survey (SWiMMS) project!

Singapore wild marine mammal survey(marine mammal identification chart)

With their kind permission, these resources are now on slideshare for your download.

You can also learn more about marine mammals at N. Sivasothi's talk on 27 Jan (Thu) with Green Drinks. More information on this earlier post.

BeMUSE features Pulau Ubin and Singapore's biodiversity

The latest issue of BeMUSE Jan-Mar 11 features lots of stories about Singapore's biodiversity!

Marcus Chua shares wonderful insights in his feature on the natural history of our last best unspoilt island, Pulau Ubin!

Keeping our monkeys wild: upcoming talk and walk

Monkeys are among the highlights of a trip to our forests and wild places!

Unfortunately, there are many challenges facing these Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Much of these issues are due to people feeding them.

This coming week, there is a talk about our monkeys and Crystal's Monkey Walk at Bukit Timah is launched! Find out more about why we should not feed our monkeys and how we can play our part to keep them wild!

What does civet cat poop look like?

And why should we care?

Apparently, civet cat poop doesn't always look like 'blueberry jam' (oops, sorry to those eating while reading this). Poop is important because it tells us more about what civet cats eat.

20 and 27 Nov (Sat): A Walk with Your Neighbours: The Macaques of Bukit Timah

Learn more about the misunderstood macaques in our forests.

Just like us, they have family networks, power struggles, friends and enemies. This walk is led by by resident primatologist Dr Michael Gumert, who also teaches at Nanyang Technological University.

BeMUSE features Singapore's biodiversity!

The latest issue of BeMUSE Jul-Sep 10 has lots of articles about Singapore's biodiversity!
From the Banded leaf monkey, to Singapore's awesome mangroves, and more about the early history of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) with an interview with the current RMBR director Prof Peter Ng.

Bats in Singapore: one new record and two rediscovered

Unseen and unappreciated, we know very little about these secretive and fascinating mammals.

But thanks to a two-year survey by NParks and volunteers, led by the intrepid Dr Leong Tzi Ming, we now know more about our bats!

Civets of Siglap: Singapore' last wild urban carnivores

The Common palm civet aka musang or civet cat, is believed to be the last small wild carnivore in Singapore.
A study at Siglap showed that there are 20-30 civets there! And that they are breeding!

16 Apr (Fri): A series of talks "Zoological Explorations in Singapore"

An evening dedicated to conserving Singapore's biodiversity! In celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity 2010, presented by the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore.
Here's a summary of the talks from the Department of Biological Sciences website.

11 Apr (Sun): MAD lessons on Pangolins with Cicada Tree Eco-Place

A great opportunity for kids between the ages of 5 and 10 to learn about our very own pangolins!
If you’d like to learn more about our precious pangolins and how you can make a difference in their lives, join Cicada Tree Eco-Place for a Mad Lesson on Pangolins.

Save our Pangolins!

The pangolin is a little-understood creature that can still be found in Singapore.

Pangolin photographed in Singapore by Norman Lim. From Wildlife Singapore.

Sadly, this harmless beast may soon be poached out of existence.

Jumping spiders' jig, counting colugos and more in the latest Raffles Bulletin of Zoology

Our jumping spiders in love: what do they do to attract a mate? The latest edition of the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology has a fascinating paper on this.

Sambar deer in our forest

We have Sambar deer in our forest! It is unfortunate that this came to light only because a deer was recently run down on our highway.

Photo from the Straits Times 4 Mar 10

What is the Sambar deer?