Singapore, 25 March 2013 – From 3 April, visitors can look forward to discovering the exotic wildlife found in eight iconic river habitats with the soft opening of River Safari.

The 12-ha River Safari is the newest addition to Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s portfolio of award-winning parks and will showcase animals from freshwater habitats inspired by eight of the world’s iconic rivers including the Mississippi, Nile, Mekong, Yangtze and Amazon rivers. The park will be home to over 150 plant species and 5,000 animal specimens representing 300 animal species, including one of the world’s largest collections of freshwater animals.

Among the unique aquatic and terrestrial animals featured in the park are endangered river giants such as the Giant Salamander, Giant Freshwater Stingray and Mekong Giant Catfish. River Safari is the only park in Asia to feature the Giant River Otter, the world’s largest otter that can grow up to 1.8 metres.

The highlight of the Mekong River zone is a 3m-tall aquarium with a large underwater view of megafishes such as the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish and giant freshwater stingray.

Ms Claire Chiang, Chairman, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said, “We look forward to welcoming visitors to River Safari and bringing them up-close to the fascinating wildlife that live in river habitats, which are disappearing faster than forest and marine environments. As the first and only river-themed wildlife park in Asia, River Safari aims to highlight the importance of freshwater ecosystems and inspire positive actions for conserving them. In addition, we also seek to play a part in global captive breeding programmes for endangered freshwater species.”

During the soft opening phase, visitors can walk through River Safari’s freshwater galleries and immersive exhibits, including the world’s largest freshwater aquarium at the Amazon Flooded Forest and the Giant Panda Forest. The park’s boat rides will not be available until later this year as they are undergoing technical adjustments.

The world’s largest freshwater aquarium at the Amazon Flooded Forest showcases a surreal world of manatees, fishes and other creatures swimming amongst giant trees, created every year during the rainy season when the river rises 30 to 40 feet.

River Safari opens daily from 9am to 6pm and tickets will be priced at S$35 (Adult), S$23 (Child between 3-12 years), and $17.50 (Senior citizen above 60 years). As the boat rides and some exhibits will not be ready until a later date, daily admission (refer to Appendix attached) during the soft opening phase will be priced at a discounted rate of S$25 (Adult), S$16 (Child between 3-12 years) and $12.50 (Senior citizen above 60 years). Visitors can purchase tickets at Singapore Zoo and River Safari’s ticket booth. River Safari extends free admission to beneficiaries of selected programmes by Voluntary Welfare Organisations (details on http://www.riversafari.com.sg).

From 3 April, visitors planning to see the giant pandas can do so only via River Safari. The current giant panda preview, which visitors pay a top-up fee in addition to Singapore Zoo admission ticket, will end on 31 March. Both pandas are housed at the Yangtze River zone that features the Yangtze alligator and the world’s largest amphibian – the Chinese giant salamander.

The highlight of the Yangtze River zone is the Giant Panda Forest – the largest panda exhibit in South East Asia – home to giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

River Safari is designed and developed with the utmost concern for the environment, especially the Mandai Nature Reserve area where the park is situated. The park brings together the best in zoological architecture and design, with state-of-the-art exhibit artistry and technology to provide visitors with an immersive experience into the world of rivers and the landscapes they support. River Safari is the first attraction in Singapore to be conferred with the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Platinum Award in the park category.

More information can be found on www.riversafari.com.sg.

MAG is a regular customer, and drops off some of his bonsai creations too. Full of java moss, these trees and creatures are available in the shrimp tank, where yellows and cherry reds forage among the branches and mouths of…whatever exactly that sea monster is. Giant salamander?

giant salamander? bonsai sea creature for freshwater tanks, made by My Aquarium Geek

Brittany is not only a hardworking staff member who tirelessly takes care of the tanks, but is an invaluable resource of information. She helps customers choose the right tanks, the right fish, and for the right reasons, which is great for any novice.  She is always there to advise on proper pH levels, fish health, and when a fresh load of that special pleco you want is arriving.

We went to Jay’s to check out their latest arrivals of cichlids, as well as to stock up on some java moss for MAG.  Their freshwater department is located in the back of the store, after you wind your way through the array of beautiful corals.  In the center of the freshwater room are tubs of various koi and shubunkin.  It is a great variety, and right now sales are going on as we head into the winter season.

Freshwater department at Jay’s Aquatics

Jay’s prices are always on the reasonable side, however.  For a saltwater enthusiast, this is a given place to go, but for a freshwater fishkeeper, whether a newbie or advanced aquarist, you just might be surprised how much Jay’s is already offering.

Jay’s Aquatics,

10 Lawrence Road

Salem, NH 03079

www.jaysaquatics.net

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edit: I accidently published this post too early, it was scheduled for wednesday but I pushed the wrong button…

The random picture today (going round on FB)  is a man ‘hugging’ a Japanese giant salamander… I always liked freaky animals, and this monster certainly fits that description…

For the interesting things elswhere:

Sarah Moon on Christian forgiveness, how subversive it is, but how Christians turn it completely wrong…

One of the important theological discussions of the moment is ‘what is the gospel’, and Peter Enns has an interesting post on that question. (I’m sorta with Enns, Wright, and McKnight in this discussion, for those wondering.)

I found this article on the orthodox view of ancestral sin (not original sin like Augustine and those who follow him) interesting.

Interesting stuff about Pentecostalism being pacifist in its early years…

And since we’re doing hard theological  subjects, here is Greg Boyd on the death of Ananias and Sapphira.

What we can learn from the dying…

It seems like every disaster in or around the US gives us prophetic weirdos who say that it’s Gods punishment. It’s strange that they keep silent now, with the Isaac storm and the Republican convention (except for Roger Olson in his more satirical moments)

Kurt Willems on Christian politics: Speak truth, be truth, that’s it…

Derek Flood on sojo, on gender equality and how complementarianism misses something essential in their bible reading. On his blog there’s also an interesting post about re-thinking the Wesleyan quadrilateral (in favor of experience!)

shalom

Bram

From left: Giant pandas Kai Kai (male) and Jia Jia (female). PHOTO CREDITS: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE

Singapore, 15 August 2012 – Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) today announced that the two giant pandas from China will be arriving in Singapore on 6 September 2012.

The giant pandas from Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base will be flown to Singapore on board a Singapore Airlines Cargo Boeing 747 freighter and are expected to touch down at Changi Airport at 8.20 am. The two pandas, named Kai Kai (凯凯) and Jia Jia (嘉嘉), will be housed at the Yangtze River zone of the upcoming River Safari, along with other endangered wildlife from China such as the giant salamander and the red panda. The pandas will add new buzz and excitement to the tourism and leisure landscape, for Singaporeans and visitors.

“After many months of careful planning and preparation, we are happy to welcome the giant pandas to Singapore and to their new home at River Safari. The arrival of Kai Kai and Jia Jia marks the start of an exciting panda research and development opportunity and we look forward to working closely with the Chinese experts to enhance overall understanding on giant panda conservation,” said Ms Claire Chiang, Chairman of WRS.

To ensure that the giant pandas are comfortable during their five-hour flight, the aircraft’s temperature will be set to the bears’ natural habitat conditions and ‘in-flight meals’ will also be provided in the form of bamboo, fruit and water. The pandas will be transported in special crates that offer ventilation and adequate space to move about in relative comfort. A team of keepers and vets from WRS and Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base will be accompanying the giant pandas throughout their journey.

After landing, the giant pandas will receive a celebratory welcome at the airport and will then be moved into a temperature-controlled truck for their journey to River Safari. There, the pandas will be moved into their den block to begin a month-long quarantine. After completing the quarantine process, they will be released into their exhibit to explore and familiarise themselves with their new surroundings before going on public display. Visitors can look forward to visiting the giant panda exhibit in December.

Kai Kai and Jia Jia will be in Singapore for 10 years as part of a joint collaboration between China Wildlife Conservation Association and WRS to raise public awareness on wildlife conservation and develop a breeding programme for these endangered animals. There are fewer than 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild. The pair of giant pandas also emphasises the close diplomatic relations between Singapore and China.

CapitaLand, the Presenting Sponsor and Conservation Donor of the Giant Panda collaborative programme, has pledged a conservation donation to support the 10-year collaborative programme to promote giant panda conservation; and Singapore Airlines is the Official Airline Sponsor of these gentle animals.

Singapore will be the ninth country to receive giant pandas from China since 1994.

Note: Further details will be given closer to the giant pandas’ arrival date.

And when asked by a question like, what word comes into your mind when you hear the term “organisms?” What is your answer? Of course, a lot of things will definitely enter our minds like dogs, cats, lions, giraffes, small insects, and many more. But we are far more aware of these organisms already. So why don’t we take a dip in the ocean floor and see weird creatures you haven’t heard off or read probably.

Once you’re through reading, you’ll discover organisms that are interesting, unique, and weird at the same time.

List of Unusual Living Organisms:

Yeti Crab. In 2005, the Yeti crab was discovered in the floor of the Pacific Ocean and described as a particular aquatic organism that resembles Yeti, a mythical ape-like creature full of hair. As you can see in the picture, the crab’s body is full of hair thus, the name. The Yeti crab was reportedly found in the hydrothermal vents of the Pacific Ocean and it’s alarming to know that these vents releases a toxic liquid harmful to aquatic organisms but is the source of food for such crab.

Chinese Giant Salamander. On the other hand, the Chinese giant salamander is said to be the largest salamander in the world and has not taken any change in the body shape or anything for the past 30 million years. It seems that this particular salamander didn’t undergo any evolution and stayed the same. Found in the lakes of China, this giant salamander is a nocturnal specie with a poor eye-sight and can grow up to 73 inches in length.

Viperfish. This particular organism is too frightening to look at as described by some. It seems like it’s something that can haunt your dreams at night. A deep water fish that lives in tropical to moderate waters, viperfishes can live for forty years if not fallen prey to sharks and dolphins.

Giant Grenadier. It is indeed a giant and it makes sense that it’s given such name. With an average lifespan of 56 years and more, the giant grenadier has a wide mouth used for feeding on squids, worms, and shrimps. It can even grow up to seven inches in length and when it open its mouth, it is very scary to look at.

Japanese Spider Crab. The Japanese spider crab is very much popular in Japanese and even raised in different parts of the world. Can you just imagine a spider and a crab crawling in the ocean floor? Well, you better do because they’re true. It is described as the largest crab in the whole world and can even grow up to be as big as a car in inches with its eight legs.

If you want to know more and get quote on the world’s most unusual living organisms, stay tune in this website.

All Photo’s were taken on a Pentax MZ-50 SLR Camera using 200 & 400 Fuji Superior film enjoy!

D Day was the 9th of May 2012

Shinagawa Goos, Tokyo Home

Nicole Impressed by Shakeys Buffet pizza….

Rainy day in Shibuya

Drunk focusing

This is Take, pronounced similar to Sake but with a T, this dude is the best damn tour guide in Japan

Heading to Mt. Fuji on a day trip, slightly cloudy but still impressive as hell

0 degrees at the 5th station, FUJI BE CRAZY

This is a statue of a dude who’s climbed Fuji alot of times, Take knows him of coarse

Post Box hangs

5 Star tour bus

Sashimi Lunch yew!

Made it to Hakone Lake

Cable-car ride outside of Hakone

The sheer joy I had seeing the Earth’s natural steam was crazy, National Geographic didn’t prepare me for this!!!

Pirate ship ride on Hakone Lake

A Japanese dude dreaming he was as cool as me

Take Lurking

Dreamy girl

Hakone Shrine, wished for something that I didn’t get

Fake Pirate ship was sick

Spot the weird twins

One of the most peaceful places in Japan

SHINKANSEN

ZOOOOOOOOOOMMMM

SHINKANSEN HANGS

Shinagawa PACHINKO

Harajuku Volcom Store

Harajuku station with Tokyo’s Empire State Building in Shibuya in the background

Entrence to the Meiji Shrine

Nicole anxious to pop open one of those Wine barrels

A perfect afternoon at the Meiji Shrine

Twilight stroll through Shibuya

The greatest train line in Tokyo, the mighty Yamanote

Sad times leaving Tokyo

The Hiroshima A-Bomb dome Find out more

My favorite city in Japan

There’s a flame at the centre of this monument that will only go out once all of the earth’s nuclear weapons are destroyed

A watched stopped at the time of the Bombing 8:15am

A beautiful Ricoh camera that was used to capture photos in the days after the bombing

Spring in Hiroshima

This part of the river was chocked with bodies of dead & alive people who were blown in or jumped in to escape the extreme conditions of the deadly Atomic blast

The Lower Entrence to the Hiroshima Castle Complex

Sweet Moat

Awesome courtyard!

Hiroshima Castle… the second

Top of the Castle *inside also on the top floor were various types of vending machines and video games

Beautiful Hiroshima city

Kyoto Tour guide #1 she had a rad flag

Nijo Castle, Shogun’s residence way back when

Shogun’s Garden

The Golden Pavilion, Kinkakuji

Atop of this building sits a beautiful Golden Phoenix

Nice place to catch some Z’s or some carp

The Golden Pavilion gardeners…. cleaning up leaves

See this, THROW ALL THE COINS!!!!!

Island with a shrine

Entrence to the Kyoto Imperial Palace

Dancing Japence birds, very very impressive

Couldn’t get enough of that architecture

Maintenance

Sorry but this place had incredible roofs

The Imperial Palce, Grand courtyard…… Spectacular

Some important gate

Apparently thats the womens gate behind Nicole

Copper roof Building

Nice pond

Nicole liked it

Shinto Shrine

The most impressive Garden i’ve ever seen!

Ran out of film here….. gutted

A buddhist temple where if you were caught filming of any kind you would be severely punished, this place was also spectacular, there were 1001 Buddha statues inside including a giant Buddha very spectacular place

The high stairs entrence to Kiyomizudera Temple, this place is to incredible for words!

Stairway to the Lovers temple

Happy dude statue

EVIL RABBIT STATUE

Perfect view of Kyoto

Daily protests in Osaka, didn’t have a clue what they were protesting about

Dude told me to mind his manikins while I was washing my clothes

Sea Farer from JAWS, Universal Studios, Osaka

Awesome Chevy from JAWS

My life long dream was to make it to Jurassic Park

Universal Globe

Shinsaibashi Subway Station

Found the Giant Japanese Salamander

Aquarium hangs with Nicole

PIRANA 3D

ARRRRRRRRR

First Impression: What the giant rat!!!

Scuba-diving with Penguins?!?!!?! yo dude wanna swap jobs?

Great Barrier Reef display, Osaka Aquarium

Cool hiding spot bro

Crazy amounts of Hammerhead Sharks in this tank

LAZY FISH

DOPEY ASS FISH

I wish I was that fish on it’s back <3

Manta Ray dancing in the tank

These guys were super cool

Thanks for killing Steve Irwin Jackass

My favorite Manta Ray

Sneaky Moray

One of the coolest animals

Caught a crab picking his noes

Spiky crab stare off

Lurking

FOUND THE OPELIO CRABS!!!!!

WENT NUTS!!!!

Deadliest Catch eat your heart out

Glowing jellyfish

Such an incredible animal, how do Jellyfish work?

All tuckered out after the Aquarium, *Waiting for coffee

Second pirate ship of the trip

Just before we realised that this cruise would be terrible

Extremely popular in Japan are Ferris Wheels who would have guessed

Industrial Osaka

Pretty steel birds laying atop path blockers, my first though… MEDUSA IS STILL ALIVE

Best moat iv’e ever seen

Impressive

Nicole getting the tourist snap

Saw this dude riding his bike Felt like saying

But actually I was just jealous… because I was walking

This is a statue of a Samurai standing outside of the Buddhist temple just outside the entrence of Osaka Castle, this place was awesome!

Crazy ass Hornet I saw walking back from a maccas sesh

Room with a view

RICE PATTY FIELDS!!!!

Crazy dam of some sort…

These photos were taken from inside the train from Takayama to Nagoya, the countryside and the perfect day made for some dope photos

Last view of Fuji ;(

If you like any of my photos let me know so my head can get really big and i’ll start putting it on my Resume

Cheers Blake

Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki visits the Japanese Giant Salamander on exhibit at the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Asia Trial.

Recomposed on October 29, 2012

There are only two existing species of Giant Salamanders living today and both of them live in Asia: the Japanese Giant Salamander and the Chinese Giant Salamander. These creatures are massive compared to their smaller relatives and can almost eat anything. Their slow metabolism enables them to go for weeks without eating any food. Giant Salamanders are known to eat insects, mice, and even crabs. Since they lack good vision they rely on sensory organs to locate their food. Giant Salamanders lack lungs for breathing, but breathe through their skin in a process called valerian respiration. Their skin has folds in it that makes for a large surface area that produces a greater oxygen supply than if they had smooth skin. Furthermore, a layer of mucus on top of their skin protects them against parasites and other things. Most Giant Salamanders live in fast flowing mountain river beds. Their skin color has different brown colorations that blends in well with the muddy river beds they inhabit.²

Metoposaur (Giant Salamander) skull cast at the Akron Fossils & Science Center. When you visit the museum be sure to check out his teeth, their quite large!

Some Giant Salamanders in the fossil record, called metoposaurs, grew as long as twelve feet. They are more complex than modern Giant Salamanders. Metoposaur skulls have a series of flat plates with pea-sized scoops and raised ridges covering them. These areas are cut through by a second series of canals which run around their skulls. There is a row of teeth beginning at the back of the skull, which continues up to the eyes, getting progressively larger. At the eyes, the teeth separate into two rows, one continues around the edge of the mouth, the other cuts across behind the nostrils. At the eyes, there are pods of large, sharp teeth, and close by is a row of tiny teeth that are hard to see in small salamander skulls. Metoposaur spine and legs are unremarkable, but their clavicles, which are attached to their shoulder blades, are huge. These wing-shaped bones, also sculpted by pits and ridges, are connected to another huge triangular-shaped bone, the inner clavicle, or breastbone. These three bones are equal in mass and size to the skull!³

Come see our spotted salamander this month at the museum at one of our Creature Feature Workshops. All of our amphibians will be on display as we discover the amazing design of these creatures. See the events calendar on our website for more information.

______________
Sources:

1. Photo credit: Smithsonian National Zoo on Flickr, July 22, 2010.
   
2. Information reworded from Jake Tiffany’s and Chris Ashcraft’s article on salamanders on CreationWiki.org.
3. Restructured quotation from Joe Taylor’s (director and curator of the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum in Crosbyton, Texas) book Fossils Facts & Fantasies. This book is available in the Akron Fossils & Science Center’s gift shop. Joe Taylor is the fossil excavator who made the replica (pictured above) and he will be speaking at the Science Center on Monday evening, April 23, 2012 with his colleague, Hugh Miller. The topic of discussion will be C-14 in Dinosaur Bones!

There are so many great things to learn about giant salamanders. Here are just a few fun facts.

I also apparently don’t know where Colorado is, even though I’ve been there.

The group of primary-age children breaks into a song about the bonds of friendship between human and salamander.

“It’s everyone’s friend,” they warble through the chilled afternoon air.

“Let’s be friends forever.”

A small river burbles its accompaniment – a river flowing past their school, which contains along its length a number of concrete structures designed to make sure the Japanese giant salamanders, or hanzaki, are still around by the time the next generation of children stands in the same spot and sings the same song.

The “hanzaki holes” are a key conservation tool in a land where many rivers are now sculpted not by nature, but by the hand of man.

When I ask Professor Masafumi Matsui from Kyoto University, a leading Japanese authority on all matters amphibian, to name the single biggest modern threat to this animal that has been around roughly unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs, he answers without demur: “The construction of dams and roads, which destroys the habitats”.

“We can’t do without constructing such things; and [the habitat] will be cut upstream and downstream.”

Read full story HERE.