It is a great honour to be part of this exhibition alongside the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Thanks, Chelsea Chye, for inviting me to the discussion for this collaboration. It is truly an honour to have the insect videos that my son and I created displayed in such a beautifully designed layout at the ArtScience Museum.

When I was invited to view the installation, I was honestly left speechless. The layout and setup are really impressive. Being able to hear the nature sounds that I recorded at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve adds an immersive touch, making visitors feel as though they are truly surrounded by nature.

I am also very pleased to share that the cicada video is being used by A*STAR for their research video.

Insect as inspiration
The metamorphosis process of the Butterfly and the Moth

From caterpillar to pupa and finally to butterfly deeply inspired me.
I was fascinated by how such a small creature builds a cocoon to protect itself from insects, birds, and harsh weather. Before transforming into a pupa, it prepares itself by consuming more of its host plant. The pupa stage can last a week or longer; for example, the Atlas moth takes about a month.

During this process, nothing seems to happen from the outside, but inside, a remarkable transformation is taking place, eventually becoming a beautiful moth or butterfly.
At that time, I had almost lost all my photography assignments. Watching the pupa stage motivated me and made me reflect: perhaps this was my time to upgrade myself and learn something new. That was when I started learning videography and video editing, hoping to utilize these skills in the future.

These tiny creatures taught me that life is not easy. They face many challenges before becoming something beautiful. This made me realize that the period I was going through was my own “learning time” – a time to stay positive and grow

That is how Singapore Geographic was born

Singapore Geographic showcases 10 videos curated by ArtScience Museum in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, enriched by scientific research from Singapore.

All the videos were filmed in Singapore, including locations such as Sungei Buloh, Choa Chu Kang Park, Thomson Nature Park, and Dairy Farm Nature Park.

Thank you to ArtScience Museum Singapore for this opportunity and collaboration.

The exhibition was opened on 15 January 2026 by Honor Harger, vice president of ArtScience Museum

On the opening day, I was really glad to finally meet some of my “nature” friends who had helped me with identifying the insects. It was great meeting all of you.

David & Jonathan Wirawan

Here are some photos of the Opening Celebration on 15 January 2026.

Photos Courtesy of Marina Bay Sands

Some Photos of the layout and exhibitons:

The post Insects: Microsculptures Magnified – ArtScience Museum appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

1. Nest Hygiene

Maintaining Cleanliness: Young birds produce fecal sacs, which are mucus-covered packages of feces. These sacs are easy for the parents to pick up and remove from the nest. By consuming or discarding these sacs, the parents keep the nest clean, which reduces the risk of parasite infestation and disease.

2. Predator Avoidance

Minimizing Odors: Fecal sacs can emit odors that attract predators. By removing or eating the sacs, the parents minimize these scents, making the nest less detectable to potential threats.

3. Nutritional Reclamation

Recovering Nutrients: In the early stages of development, chicks may not fully digest their food, resulting in fecal sacs that still contain valuable nutrients. By consuming these sacs, the parents can reclaim some of these nutrients, which can be beneficial, especially when food resources are limited.

4. Energy Efficiency

Efficient Disposal: Carrying fecal sacs away from the nest requires energy and time. Eating them allows the parents to quickly dispose of the waste and return to feeding or protecting their young without expending extra energy.

Please see this Video that can see clearly how the mother feeds the babies and was waiting for a while, to let the poop come out, and take it and eat it or throw it away. I took some videos ( not good results / sharp ) but could see the mother ate it.
This Video of a yellow-vented bulbul was recorded in Singapore.

Location: Sungei Buloh – July 2024

The post Why do mother birds eat their babies’ poops? appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

Some of the snakes that have been photographed in Singapore

Paradise tree snake – Chrysopelea paradisi

Body slender and cylindrical, relatively flat and distinct head. Black above with a green or yellow spot on each dorsal scale.

Mildly venomous

Wagler’s Pit Viper – Tropidolaemus wagler

Wagler’s Pit Viper is generally not considered to be aggressive

Venomous

Blue Coral Snake – Calliophis bivirgatus

It has a unique kind of venom that most snakes don’t have, and it even has the largest venom glands of any snake, which extend more than a quarter of its body length.

Highly venomous

Oriental Whip Snake – Ahaetulla prasina

This elegant snake is arboreal and lives in bushes and trees.
It is common in many of our wild places, including urban gardens and coastal areas.

Mildly venomous ( generally not problematic for humans. )

King cobra – Ophiophagus hannah

The longest of all venomous snakes
They are called king cobras because they can kill and eat cobras.

Highly venomous

Red-tailed Racer – Gonyosoma oxycephalum
A species of snake in Singapore distinguishable by its bright green body, reddish-brown tail and electric blue tongue.

Non-Venomous

Painted Bronzeback – Dendrelaphis pictus

This small and slender snake is easily identified through its bronze dorsal colouration and a blunt snout.

Non-Venomous

Kopstien’s Bronzeback – Dendrelaphis kopsteini

Head distinct from slender body, eye large. Scales along middle of back distinctly enlarged

Non-Venomous

Blue Bronzeback – Dendrelaphis cyanochloris

Commonly known as Wall’s bronzeback

Non-Venomous

Banded Krait – Bungarus fasciatus

Banded Krait is considered to be a coastal snake but can also be found in a variety of habitats including peat swarms and forests.

Highly venomous

Jasper Cat Snake – Boiga jaspidea

It has a highly patterned reddish-brown body with scattered black and pink blotches and accentuated by red, orange and yellow highlights

Venomous

Black Spitting Cobra – Naja sumatrana

The Equatorial spitting cobra also called the black spitting cobra, Malayan spitting cobra, golden spitting cobra, Sumatran spitting cobra, or Palawan spitting cobra
The body is thick, and the tail short. The head is distinct from the neck, and the snout is rounded.

Venomous

Gold-ringed Cat Snake – Boiga dendrophila

commonly called the mangrove snake or the gold-ringed cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake in the family Colubridae

Mildly venomous

Keeled Rat Snake – Ptyas carinata

It has a cobra-like head but a pretty net-patterned tail

Non-Venomous

White-spotted Cat Snake – Boiga drapiezii

Commonly known as the white-spotted cat snake, is a species of long and slender rear-fanged colubrid that is common throughout its range

Mildly venomous

Reticulated python – Malayopython reticulatus

It is the world’s longest snake, and the third heaviest after the green anaconda and Burmese python

Non-Venomous

Twin-barred Tree Snake – Chrysopelea pelias

Rarely seen, mostly found in the Forest, the Twin-barred Tree Snake can glide from tree to tree by flattening its body into an aerofoil-like surface and flinging itself from tall trees

Mildly venomous

Mangrove Pit-Viper – Cryptelytrops purpureomaculatus

is an endangered native reptile species. It is a shy snake that has a purplish-brown body.

Venomous

Bigeye Green Whip Snake

is a native reptile species.

Mildly venomous

Photographed by:
Daryl Tan
Koo Ke Han
David Wirawan

All photos are copyrighted.

The post Snakes of Singapore appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

Scientifically known as Prionailurus bengalensis, the leopard cat is Singapore’s last native wildcat 

The wild leopard cat is similar to the size of a domestic cat, but it is more slender and has a tail that is half as long as its body. It is a versatile creature that is able to move stealthily amongst the forest floor, manoeuvre through the forest canopy and swim efficiently across rivers. It is thanks to their excellent swimming capabilities that mainland leopard cats are able to colonise offshore islands.

Where in Singapore are leopard cats found?

Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin, Western Catchment Area and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It is believed there are about 50 individuals altogether.

Source of information: https://www.swagcat.org/our-wildcat

I saw their program – Leopard Cat Quest @Ubin.

I thought it was interesting and wanted to have the experience of Pulau Ubin at night. I joined the walk as I like to explore our natural place and would like to document the biodiversity as much as I can.

We met at Changi Ferry Terminal and started our journey around 7 pm, and I met a nice group of people during the trip.
Finding the leopard cat was a huge bonus, but spending the night at Pulau Ubin and knowing more about this SWAG group activity and meeting the people behind it, it’s really great experience.

I really want to hear and learn from them, how they keep their spirit and love, and how they can manage their time for this wildcat.

I’m glad that I can have a conversation with Dr Vilma D’Rozario, Co-Director of Singapore Wildcat Action Group, and here are some questions about SWAG

What made you interested in wildcat?

I’ve always loved all wildcats. However, Felidae of Malaysia have a special place in my heart in 2012 when I saw at least 2, if not, 3 golden cats at Fraser’s Hill, whilst driving up from Kuala Kubu Bahru!

I had the privilege of assisting Marcus Chua in his field studies of leopard cats around the same time. Tagging along with Marcus and friends on transects on Pulau Tekong and the Western Catchment Forest, I saw several leopard cats!

I became very interested in the Malayan tiger back in 2014 when I met passionate staff from the Malaysian Alliance for the Conservation of Tigers (MYCAT) who were saving tigers. I was shocked to hear the population of tigers in Malaysia was in decline and that they were critically endangered. I joined many people from Singapore to go to Pahang for Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT Walk) since 2015, and still do.

How do you get the data/information about our wildcat?

For the leopard cat in Singapore, I assisted Marcus Chua in on-the-ground surveys to spot leopard cats. Marcus also used several camera traps to detect them and monitor their behaviour.

How is this Singapore Wildcat Action Group started?

WHO WE ARE

While not all of us are Singaporean, we all call Singapore home.
We are passionate about the conservation of all wildcat species and we have a special love for the Malayan tiger.
 
We believe in taking meaningful action that helps us achieve our mission of building grassroot support for wildcat conservation and to realize our goal of raising funds to protect the world’s remaining 200 Malayan tigers living in the wild.
 
We are a group of volunteers who joined forces in 2019 with a belief that together, we can
multiply our efforts and compound our results.

WHAT WE DO

We raise awareness of wildcat conservation through regularly held events, such as the Wildcat Lecture series and the Singapore Tiger Week.
 
We recruit volunteers to take direct action to protect wildcats and their habitats by participating in CAT Walks in Malaysia.
 
We educate children about wildcats and nurture in them a love for wildlife through our Little Tiger children’s book series and by hosting Little Tiger Wildcat Parties.
 
We raise funds for the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers through sales of SWAG merchandise and by hosting an annual charity dinner.

What we can do to help protect this wildcat?

Please check this link: https://www.swagcat.org/Saving-our-Last-Wildcat

To help tigers, we recommend that people consider CAT Walk Plus! Here is more information:
A CAT Walk Plus, organised by the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) is a low-impact, guided weekend hike through an area of Malaysia that is critical to the conservation of wildlife.

CAT Walkers enjoy a jungle adventure while assisting MYCAT and the authorities to look for signs of illegal activity, spot animal signs and assist in tiger monitoring efforts by retrieving camera trap images.

To register and find out more:
https://www.swagcat.org/cat-walk

What’s in it for us?

Let the rainforest soothe your stress away. Walk the same trails as Asian elephants have. Dip in cool forest pools. And give yourself a good chance of spotting a leopard cat!

My Walk with SWAG

I really enjoyed the walk, experience in the dark and looking for any wildlife, for me it’s a therapeutic way to release all my busy life and enjoy nature. 

Gloria Seow as our guide explains quite many things about animal behaviour at night. For example, some facts about spiders are spiders sometimes eat their own web and spider silk is really just made of connected protein chains.

During our walk, we used our normal torchlight. However, when we spot wild animals, we use red torchlight, as this wavelength of light will not disturb nocturnal animals.

We also spotted many great mouse deer, toads, spiders, snakes, wild boars, sleeping birds, bats, and beetles.

Overall, that was a nice experience with great people while also helping this wildcat project.

If you would like to join and help them, you can check their program. Please visit their web here https://www.swagcat.org/

The post Are there any Wildcats in Singapore? appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

I still missing 2 of them
– Longhorned Grasshopper
– Water Beetle – Donacia Javana

Blue Carpenter Bee – Xylocopa caerulea

Asian Honey Bee – Apis cerana

Cricket – Homoeoxipha Lycoides

Cicadas

Crimson dropwing

Man-faced Stink Bug

Netty Ladybird

Ornate coraltail

Potter Wasp – Phimenes flavopictus

The post Singapore Insect Stamp 1985 appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

The event was conducted at an Active SG Park, Jurong Lake Gardens. Minister Desmond Lee kicked off the event at 7.30 in the morning, introducing this Bird Watching activity and encouraging families to explore Nature, as there are many natural places in Singapore.

My Group was led by Wing Chong, an experienced birder. I really love how he introduces the birds with a story, which was really interesting and we will easily remember the birds he mentioned because of those stories.

Some of the birds we spotted:

• Oriental white eye
• White-Collared King Fisher
• Sunbird
• Night Jar
• Rufous woodpecker
• Barbet
• Javan Munia
• Yellow-Vented Bulbul
• Slaty-breasted Rail
• Coucal
• Asian Glossy Starling 
• Pink-necked Green Pigeon
• Oriental Pied Hornbill 

If you like to join this birdwatching activity please check this Facebook page Nature Kakis

Bonus: Brown Anole

The post Birdwatching at Jurong Lake Garden appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

Spiders lay their eggs in egg sacs. These sacs are made out of woven silk and help to protect the eggs and maintain the right humidity.

Spider egg sacs vary greatly in size, shape, and colour ( most of them are cream, brown, or white )

The egg shape depends on the spider species, some are:

• round ball,
• a disc with a rounded part in the middle
• squishy pillow
• fluffy mass of silk

The egg sac silk protects the eggs against physical damage and excessive drying, wetting or heating, as well as provides a shield against predators like ants and birds

One egg sac can have  4 to 600  eggs

When the eggs hatch, they are known as spiderlings. These spiderlings are usually small and pale in colour.

The eggs of many spiders are glutinous and stick together allowing them to be laid in a continuous stream into the partly built silk egg sac

Photos was taken at Thomson Nature Park – Jan 2023

Reference:
https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/egg-sacs-spiderlings-and-dispersal/

The post Spider Egg Sac appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

Nice to meet Adrian Loo, Mun Ching, Sipei and Nature Kaki Team and Telok Blangah Pulai Eco team, in person. (I’m part of te team).

Here are some photos of the events.

The post Story of Trees and Pasir Panjang Nursery Walk appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

I am really glad that I can get more information from Yen Yi (NUS Avian Evolution Lab) about this Dead Bird, and here are some questions that I hope can give us more understanding about it.

What do you do with this dead bird, why do you need to examine the bird carcass?

1. We photograph the carcass to record its appearance and take biometric measurements, such as the wing length, bill-to-skull and tarsus length. We then subsample the carcass, a process in which a portion of the bird’s breast muscle tissue is carefully excised with a sterile surgical blade, much like a biopsy. The muscle tissue is macerated and immersed in absolute ethanol in a small tube to preserve the DNA it contains. These tubes of tissue are kept in our lab freezers at -20 degrees Celsius for long-term cryostorage. These precious samples contribute to a biorepository by providing a source of preserved DNA and associated plumage and biometric measurements that our researchers and collaborators have access to. 
   
   
2. The remaining carcass can be prepared as skin or parts specimens. Otherwise, we dispose of the unused carcass and its parts as biohazard waste.
   
   
3. Carcass specimens of rare species are sent to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum collection for future scientific reference.
   
   
4. We make an effort in collecting dead birds because it is otherwise difficult to obtain specimens for many bird species. Maintaining diverse species representation in our lab repository is crucial in conducting comprehensive avian genetic research, which is our Lab’s main focus.

Can you tell us more about your process of handling the dead bird?

1. Our lab maintains a hotline that members of the public can contact when a bird carcass is found. Thereafter, we arrange for a lab member to collect the carcasses if their conditions look salvageable. This hotline is available to contact via Telegram and Whatsapp, at +65 98764997.
   
   
2. The carcasses are kept in ziplock/airtight plastic bags labelled with their species names and find details, such as time, date and location. We do our best to process the carcasses when they are freshly obtained. But since this is a time-consuming process, the carcasses are stored in a specially designated freezer at -20 degrees Celsius until we are able to process them. We also keep the found details and any associated photographs in a database for future reference.
   
   

In Singapore, what is usually the cause of dead birds?

1. Most of the carcasses we collect seem to have died upon high-speed collisions with urban structures, especially those with transparent materials, reflective surfaces and night lights which can confuse many birds. For instance, birds cannot see glass very well and can accidentally crash into glass structures at high speeds – many of the carcasses we collect are found near glass windows and doors. This is corroborated by reports by many members of the public, who recount hearing a loud thud prior to finding the bird lying motionless by the structure.
   
   
2. Even if the bird survives the collision, it usually suffers from some form of a concussion that incapacitates the bird. The bird is then prone to other fatal risks such as predation or may simply die from internal bleeding or bruising.
   
   
3. Our hotline is especially busy during the migratory season when many birds succumb to Singapore’s skyscrapers. Birds typically migrate at night and seem to rely on light sources for navigation – artificial light sources are known to draw them off-course and cause them to fatally collide into urban structures.
   
   
4. We would highly recommend members of the public consider bird-safe modifications to glass windows or doors to help out Singapore’s migratory avian visitors. Any installations that make glass structures more visible to birds, such as window decals, mosquito screens, curtains and blinds, one-way privacy films, can tremendously mitigate bird collision risks. We can also do our part in turning off non-essential lights at night as a precaution against confusing migrating birds.
   
   

What should we do if we find a dead bird?

1. Please Telegram/Whatsapp our hotline at +65 98764997 We will respond as soon as possible and liaise with you.
   Please contact via this contact form also
   
   
2. Even if we are unable to collect the bird carcass, the occurrence data will be recorded and will be useful to our lab’s data repository.
   
   

Can you tell us more about NUS Avian Evolution Lab?

In the NUS Avian Evolution Lab, our research focuses on harnessing genomic techniques to understand evolutionary mechanisms in nature and to aid conservation work. Our work extends beyond avian research – other organisms our lab has studied (and still does for some!) include pangolins, crocodiles, mosquitoes, horseshoe crabs and even cockroaches!

DEAD BIRD HOTLINE
NUS Avian Evolution Lab at 84495023 or Telegram @deadbirdhotline
Address: Block S3, Level 4, 16 Science Drive 4, 117558. 

For more information on how to contact NUS Avian Evolution Lab can visit their website:
https://avianevonus.com/
and can contact them here:
https://avianevonus.com/contact-us-2/

The post What should you do if you see Dead Bird? appeared first on Singapore Geographic.

Starting from The Great Makeover Project, facilitated by Secondsguru under the aegis  National Library Board  Singapore. We visualized our idea and presented it. The objective was to transform these “Liveable spaces” into “Loveable spaces”.

 On 18 June 2022, ParkKaki managed to do our first event, which include:

 – Nature Photo Walk

 – Storytelling in the Park  

 – Eco-craft Workshop

Thank God for the nice weather, National Library Board – Choa Chu Kang Library, Secondsguru for all your guidance, NParks for your permit and guidance and Choa Chu Kang Town Council, Nikon Singapore for your camera support, and all our participants for your support as it couldn’t have been done without you guys.

We really hope that from the Nature Photo Walk, all the participants can learn more about CCK Park, see some insects (butterflies, caterpillars and beetles) and fungi and can feel how to be in a Secondary Forest and see Durian on the Tree, Jack fruits.

I hope children have a great experience with the Nikon Z50 camera, enjoyed the Nature Photo Walk and captured some photos and have a lovely family bonding time.

Park Kaki Team

• Gina ( The Rainbow Artisan )
• Alice ( The Rainbow Artisan )
• Sook Neo ( Helium Lab Sg )
• Ee Ling
• David ( Singapore Geographic )

Here are some photos of the walk and some biodiversity we spotted during the walk.

Here are some biodiversity we found during the trip

Here are some photos were taken by participants using Nikon Z50 and Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens

For others activities (storytelling and Art-Craft ) can be seen here:
https://www.facebook.com/ParkkakiCCK

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