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It was World Environment Day and the volunteer guides turned out in force to launch the Young Naturalist programme. After a morning of guiding, we decided to go for another trip around the Park, this time on the buggy (what luxury!).  First
stop, we revisited the strange
orange-yellow spider we saw on the morning trip. It was large (about 4cm),
almost
cartoon-like, shiny and plasticy-looking. Indeed, at first I thought it
was a plastic toy, until it moved! When we first spotted it, it was hanging
in mid-air just above our heads from a strand of silk under a tall Sea Hibiscus
bush. The next time we saw it, it had moved under a Sea Hibiscus leaf, where
it had made a web of silk.Later on, it was confirmed as the rare and endangered Eight-spotted Crab Spider (Platythomisus octomaculatus). A member of the Crab Spider family (Thomisidae), it was first recorded in Singapore in 1924 from 2 specimens, and collected again only in 1990. One reason this beautiful spider is so rarely seen is that it prefers to live in the canopy. How lucky we were to have seen it!  Our
final destination was the colony of Baya
Weavers (Ploceus philippinus) near the Freshwater Hide.What a fascinating array of nests! Some in a Great Morinda tree, and others in a Coconut Palm.  Most nests were fully completed. One of the nests hung from an amazingly long strand. The birds were totally unafraid and blithely went about their business while we stood nearby in awe of their architectural wonders! |
 The strange spider hanging from a strand of silk  Later, it was under a leaf which had a web. There was a tangle of silk near its abdomen, perhaps the silk from which it earlier dangled?  Closer look at the strange spider |
 by ria tan, 2001 |
