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Habitatnews 2003-06: Tuesday, 25th March 2003
The Habitat Group's Nature Information List
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Nature-related news for the busy Singaporean.
Information and archives at: http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg
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Contents
- Public talk: "In Search of Giant Squid”
- Architeuthis dux, the Giant Squid – the stuff of legends!
- Felling of Changi tree: Firm pays total of $84,035
- Sat 5 Apr: 2.30pm: “Silent Symphony beneath the waves”
- Mangroves of East Africa now online
- Asian Geopgraphic No. 18 (Mar-Apr 2003) now out
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---> [1] Public talk: "In Search of Giant Squid”
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/bejc/clyderoper.html-------------------------------------------------------------------
The National University of Singapore’s University Scholar's Programme,
and the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research,
Proudly Present
"In Search of Giant Squid: A Last Great Mystery in the Deep Sea"
A public talk by
Dr Clyde Roper
Zoologist Emeritus, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, United States of
America
Tuesday, 25th March 2003: 7.30pm - 9.30pm
Prince George's Park Residence (PGP) Lecture Theatre
National University of SingaporeALL ARE WELCOME!
Please register (email name and organisation) for catering
with Ms Tan Ai Lian at: usptanal@...
For details, see:
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/bejc/clyderoper.html
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---> [2] Architeuthis dux, the Giant Squid – the stuff of legends!
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“I looked in my turn, and could not repress a gesture of disgust. Before my
eyes was a horrible monster worthy to figure in the legends of the
marvelous. It was an immense cuttlefish, being eight yards long. It swam
crossways in the direction of the Nautilus with great speed, watching us
with its enormous staring green eyes.”
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, 1869
With eyes the size of dinner plates, the Giant Squid has been held in
fascinated awe by man and the myth s created and propagaed by authors and
romancers as far back as Jules Verne in his 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -
Captain Nemo's submarine Nautilus is attacked by a "terrible monster worthy
of all the legends about such creatures." And 130 years later, novelist
Peter Benchley wrote Beast, which featured a vengeful 100-foot-long squid.
"One of the things thats been my goal over the years", says Roper, "is to
eliminate this mythology, with all its tremendous inaccuracy."
Source: “He Seeks the Giant Squid” by Arthur Fisher for Popular Science.An effort in that direction:
In search of Giant Squid Architeuthis dux
Ocean Planet, Smithsonian Natural History Web
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/squid.html
Do they really attack man, or his boats? Tales like these abound in the
internet but do they have any credibility or are old sailor’s tales (remember the mermaid?).
I’ll ask Prof Roper about the credibility of stories like these:
"During World War 2, a giant squid attacked sailors. Their ship sank, and they drifted in the sea in a small lifeboat, hoping for rescue. In the
middle of the night, a huge tentacle came over the side and grabbed a
sailor. His friends pulled it off before it dragged him over the side of the
lifeboat, but the suckers of the gigantic tentacle put circular wounds on
the sailor’s chest. The giant squid stalked them all night long, and sadly,
pulled another sailor overboard and ate him."
http://nm.essortment.com/squidgiantlarg_rehq.htm
They certainly do get entangled with boats – earlier this year,
"Giant squid 'attacks French boat'". Wed 15 Jan, 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2661691.stm
'Olivier de Kersauson said the sighting occurred off the Portuguese island
of Madeira. "I saw a tentacle through a porthole," Olivier de Kersauson said
from his boat. "It was thicker than my leg and it was really pulling the
boat hard." Mr de Kersauson says the squid must have been seven or eight
metres (22 to 26 feet) long. "I've never seen anything like it in 40 years
of sailing," he says.'
See also: “Giant squid slows Geronimo” Wednesday, January 15, 2003 "Geronimo
lost about an hour while the squid clung on." 'BREST, France (CNN) -- A
giant squid entwined itself round the rudder of the trimaran Geronimo,
forcing an unexpected slow-down for the crew.'
What about the ‘war’ with Sperm Whales? “Genevieve Johnson, Voyage of the
Odyssey (Indian Ocean), 5th July, 2002 writes: “We know that Sperm whales
and Architeuthis do meet regularly in battle, although it is probably far
from an even match-the whale almost certainly having the upper hand. Sperm
whales are often found with large sucker marks on their heads, which are
thought to be made by Architeuthis But this has not been adequately
substantiated, and size claims have sometimes been greatly exaggerated.’
http://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20020705_log_transcript.html
Links to check out:
An enjoyable read, with links to the source by an enthusiast:
A Tale of Two Monsters, Part 3: Architeuthis dux Dynamic Earth webpage
http://dynamicearth.com/articles/monsters3.htm
This guy has cornered the market
150 Giant Squid Links:
http://www.mysteries-megasite.com/main/bigsearch/squid.htmlAnd lastly...don't believe everything you see: "Giant Squid attacks
submarine" http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/squid.htm
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---> [3] Felling of Changi tree: Firm pays total of $84,035
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,179218,00.html-------------------------------------------------------------------
[Article from The Straits Times reproduced in full]
"Tree felling: Firm to pay $76,000 to state."
By Selina Lum,The Straits Times, 25 March 2003
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,179218,00.html
A PROPERTY management company has been ordered to pay $76,035 to the state
as compensation for the loss of the Hopea sangal tree that it chopped down
last year.
DTZ Debenham Tie Leung was also fined $8,000 for illegally felling the tree,
which was more than a century old.
In imposing the fine, District Judge Kow Keng Siong noted the significance
of the tree, which had stood as a ''silent witness'' to the birth of the
nation, and is believed to have been the last of its kind here.
''Unfortunately, having weathered more than a century of the forces of
nature, it was not able to survive the senseless act of man,'' he said.
DTZ pleaded guilty earlier this month to felling the tree, which measured
3.4 m around and stood in a gazetted conservation area in Changi, on Nov 20
last year without permission from the National Parks Board.
It is an offence to fell any tree with a girth more than 1 m without
permission. DTZ did not contest the amount of compensation.
When it came to the fine, Deputy Public Prosecutor Low Cheong Yeow pressed
for the maximum of $10,000, but DTZ's lawyer, Mr Tan Chuan Thye, pushed for
$5,000.
Mr Tan had said on March 3 that the tree was felled because a building
supervisor was worried about the safety of tenants of two houses nearby.
The judge acknowledged that the motive was altruistic, but said DTZ should
have considered how to save the tree instead of just cutting it down.
He also said he was not impressed by Mr Tan's argument that there was no
sign to indicate the tree's status, and doubted that it was practical to put
up such signs. He took into account that DTZ was a first-time offender.
In a statement to the media yesterday, DTZ said it wishes to move forward,
having gained valuable lessons from this inadvertent act.
Mr Simon Longman, NParks' director of parks management (north and east
division), said: ''The sentiments of the public over the felling of the
Hopea sangal, and the court's decision, underscored the importance of tree
conservation.''
Information on tree conservation areas, Heritage Trees and Heritage Roads
can be found online at:
http://www.nparks.gov.sg/nat_conv/nat_con-tre_con.shtml
Thanks to Alvin Wong for the sms alert about this article.
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---> [4] Sat 5 Apr: 2.30pm: “Silent Symphony beneath the waves”
-------------------------------------------------------------------You're cordially invited to the next
Eco@Woodlands
“Silent Symphony Below the Waves”
By Mr Tony Wu, author Silent Symphony
The ocean is a symphony of life - silent to our ears, yet as melodic and
intricate as any musical composition. Join Tony Wu as he presents
a selection of images from his award-winning book Silent Symphony and
reveals the untold stories behind the pictures. Among other tales,
he’ll describe being surrounded by hundreds of (overly-friendly) sharks,
of having an 11-metre long carnivorous whale 'nibble' on his feet, and
of discovering one of the world’s most toxic animals sitting happily
on his unprotected hand (much to the author’s dismay).
For more on the publication, pls see
http://www.silent-symphony.com/
Saturday, 5 April 2003
2.30 - 4.00pm
Amazon Room (behind Magazines Section),
Level 1, Woodlands Regional Library
Admission is Free. All are Welcome.
Source: Sharon Foo, Programme Development, National Library Board
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---> [5] Mangroves of East Africa now online
-------------------------------------------------------------------"Mangroves of East Africa" contains a series of reports focusing on South
Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, the Seychelles, Kenya and
Somalia. It starts with a regional summary of factors and activities that
Are affecting mangroves across East Africa covering the general topics of
mangrove use, species zonation, current status of mangroves, species found
in mangroves and threats to mangroves.
"Mangroves of East Africa" is now available on line :
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publications/UNEP_WCMC_bio_series.htmSource: Michelle Taylor, Marine Research Associate, UNEP-WCMC, through the
Mangrove Research Discussion List
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---> [6] Asian Geographic No. 18 (Mar-Apr 2003) now out
-------------------------------------------------------------------The latest issue contains articles on the state of coral reefs of asia,
tree-kangaroos, a photo essay on red crab migration, vietnam’s history and
culture, and wreck attractions of the Chuuk lagoon. Lovely photos top off
the letter and news sections for an enjoyable read.
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