Lee+Dan

Lee Dan, this page is yours so do whatever you like to it. Do post all your pictures in pictures and research in research. In research, you put one point of one thing and draw a line. Of course you will find a lot of points, so you separate them with lines. Whereas in this page, you can put the whole introduction of a thing and if it is the best introduction for that thing as in animal or plant, we will use it. Thank you!

Pong Pong Tree

Cerbera odollam, commonly known as the Suicide tree, Pong-pong, and Othalanga, is a species of treenative to India and other parts of Southern Asia. It grows preferentially in coastal salt swamps and in marshy areas. It grows wild along the coast in many parts of Kerala, India and has been grown as a hedge between home compounds. It yields a potent poison, often used for suicide or murder.

The fruit, when still green, looks like a small mango, with a green fibrous shell enclosing an ovoid kernel measuring approximately 2 cm × 1.5 cm and consisting of two cross-matching white fleshy halves. On exposure to air, the white kernel turns violet, then dark grey, and ultimately brown, or black. The plant as a whole yields a milky, white latex. Cerbera odollam bears a close resemblance to the Oleander bush, another highly toxic plant from the same family. source:[](edited slightly) =Hanging roots are also called epiphytic roots or water absorbing roots which are usually found on Orchids that grow 'hanging' from other trees .These roots have a special tissue caled Velamen tissue in the roots .This Velamen tissue has spongy texture and can absorb moisture / water from the air / atmosphere .= Sorry but hanging roots are hard to find. Tree climbing crab pisesarma sp. Family Sesarmidae These crabs with flat, squarish bodies and flat pointed legs are common in many of our mangroves. Our mangrove trees are often full of crabs. Body width 4-5cm. Body flat and squarish, legs flat with pointed tips. Pincers may be colourful. They have a net-like pattern on the sides of the body next to the mouth parts which help recirculate and oxygenate water in the gill chambers so that they can breathe air and stay out of the water for some time. Many are burrowers, digging holes at the base of mangrove trees and in mud lobster mounds. At high tide during the day, tree-climbing varieties are often seen clinging to tree trunks just above the water line. Here they remain motionless. They probably do this to avoid both aquatic predators in the water, as well as airborne predators such as birds. It eats mainly leaves, gathering these at night from the ground or by climbing up trees. These crabs have been observed as high as 6m up in trees. It may also scavenge any dead animals that it comes across. The Teochew pickle these crabs in black sauce with vinegar and eat them with porridge. The Thais eat them salted with the roe or fried whole. They are considered pests in mangrove plantations because they attack mangrove seedlings.

source:[]

** Tree-climbing/ **

** Vinegar crabs **

**// Episesarma // spp. **

** Family Grapsidae ** ** Size: ** 4-5 cm Members of this wide ranging genus are usually burrowing crabs, digging holes at the base of trees and mud lobster mounds. They are primarily leaf-eaters and are known as pests of mangrove plantations for their habit of attacking propagules. They will also scavenge meat like many other crabs. The Teochew are known to pickle this crab in black sauce with vinegar, and take it with porridge. The Thais like it salted, with the roe or simply fried whole. They emerge at dusk to being feeding on the forest floor and have been observed climbing up trees to heights of more than six metres. Tree-climbing crabs can be seen more easily in the day from the boardwalk at Sungei Buloh Nature Park during high tide. At this time, however, they climb only high enough to clear the water level and remain motionless on tree-trunks, leaves or boardwalk legs.

This is probably a predator-avoidance behaviour, especially with the many predatory species of fish and crabs that hunt with the incoming tide. Out of the water, they remain motionless to avoid other predators like kingfishers, monitor lizards and otters. Of the three species found in Singapore, the Violet vinegar crab (//E. versicolor//) is one of the most common species, with a distinctive violet palm and the fingers white-tipped. It prefers the seaward part of the mangroves. The Pink-fingered vinegar crab (//E. chentongense//), which has a violet palm with pink and white finger tips, is more common in the seaward areas. Like the other two species, the Singapore vinegar crab (//E. singaporense//) was originally described from Singapore and has entirely red claws. It is common in or near mud lobster mounds. source:[]