Redang... the Nudibranch

Nudibranch grazing on a coral head

'Nudus' is Latin for naked. 'Branchia' is Greek for gills.

Marry these two, you get Naked Gills.

Why the need to marry Latin with Greek, I don't know.

In more down-to-earth lingo, these creatures are sea slugs, or sea snails, without the shell.

They don't really breathe through gills, but rather through that protruding opening that looks quite a bit like a flower bud about to open.

Unlike those ‘uninteresting’ terrestrial slugs that chew up your garden vegetables, these guys are some of the most colorful creatures you can ever find in the oceanic realm.

I love to seek them out because they don't swim away when I shoot them; not like those coral fishes that can't keep still even for a 10-second photo session.

Most nudibranches have rhinophores (tentacles, or horns) that are sensitive to touch, taste, and smell.

They are hermaphroditic (meaning that, they contain both the male and female sexual organs at some point during their lives), but cannot fertilize themselves.

So, they still need to look for a willing partner to 'do' it.

And can you imagine that these tiny fellows are also carnivorous? With their diet focusing on sponges, hydroids, tunicates, and even barnacles? (More pictures of these later, if I don't forget)

Why the colors? One theory: self-defense.

The color camouflage makes them blend into the environment as well as to warn potential predators that their meat is distasteful or even poisonous.

This nudibranch that I shot at Redang is called Chromodoris bullocki Colingwood. Quite a mouthful of a name.

Although this family of nudibranch comes in several color variants, this particular specimen is light pink and has a thin white marginal line on the sides.

The gills are whitish while the rhinophores are yellowish.

They dwell openly in shallow reefs and their size ranges from 4 mm to 60 cm.

I once saw a bright yellow-blue colored 'pajama' nudibranch (another specie of the larger Chromodoris family) while hunting for mussels in the Japan Inland Sea near my home. Right on the pebbles at the edge of the sea.

So, if you are lucky, you don't need to go diving to see them.

The guy in this photo is about two centimeters.

Redang... the Triggerfish

Triggerfish munching on a sponge barrel (C) Lrong Lim

The Titan Triggerfish is the largest of the triggerfish species.

This guy at Redang is about 50 cm, but records show that it can grow up to 75 cm in length.

Divers know this fish as highly territorial.

They are very aggressive especially when guarding its nest, supposedly found in open areas of sand.

Although not poisonous, divers have been bitten by them for being too curious.

I have yet to be attacked by the titan although I like observing them feed on corals.

So far, I have not seen their nests yet.

Still, I have taken care not to be too much of a busybody to these guys.

This fish is a rather common sight in the East Coast as it usually hangs around coral reefs in the tropical waters.

The sponge barrel (one of its food) used to be the raw material for the sponge used for cleaning.

Traditionally, the people around the Mediterranean Sea used to harvest them.

But due to over harvesting, most of the sponge we used these days are made from artificial material.

Redang in the off-season

Pasir Panjang with Pulau Lima in the background (C) Lrong Lim

Was at Redang for the first time last month. Had been avoiding Redang in preference for that little paradise, Lang Tengah. The crowds had not arrived yet, so Pasir Panjang was really quiet.

Heard from the hotel staff that during the peak season, about 2000 visitors throng the beach. Stayed at the Laguna Redang. New solid buildings, lots of wood fixtures, good and plentiful food, friendly staff, and a magnificent view of the sea from the restaurant.

But I wished the staff could do away with the fake ‘Malalaysian’ way of salutation each time we walked up the stairs towards the restaurant. Has anyone actually seen any Malaysian greeting someone by putting the palms on the chest?

Walked the whole stretch of Pasir Panjang and it made us glad that we chose Laguna. Most, if not all of the other resorts seemed shabby: some not so; some really crappy.

We have read many a time that Redang offers the best of diving on the east coast although some may claim Tenggol is the one.

Our four days there was spent mostly scuba diving, and we had the services of the dive masters all to ourselves.

Three poppies

Three poppies (C) Lrong Lim

Poppies are normally the first flowers to pop out in early spring. These orange poppies are 'semi-wild' as they are found all over the place. Don't think we can get any opium from them, but may try to harvest the poppy seeds, sprinkle them over my breakfast yogurt, and check out its taste. Olympus C5050, aperture priority, F2 at 400, ISO64

Got up at five this morning.

These days, the air is so dry that I wear a surgical mask to sleep.

Still, I wake up with my nose and mouth feeling 'super-dry'.

Took my usual morning stroll in the mini plot of flowers and vegetables down from my apartment.

It is so refreshing to look at the flowers, especially when the morning sun is shining at a low angle.

This morning, I could not help running up the stairs to grab my camera for some shots.

There are 17 blocks of apartment inhabited by government officials, but almost none, besides me (ahem...) took the 'trouble' to use the empty plot of land that lies in front of every block.

Three times a year, we congregate to cut the grass in our respective plots.

It is a pain in the butt, actually.

Been cultivating the flowers and veggies on a portion of the plot for a while now.

Last Sunday, decided to extend the size of the plot.

The other guys in my block must be secretly cheering me on, for the simple reason that there is now less grass for them to cut.

Am planning to plant a bunch of carrots and white turnips there.

Gmails, anyone?

Any Gmails here? (C) Lrong Lim

One thing that I really, really can't understand about my countrymen is the tendency or the need to perpetually refer to the prime minister when they attempt to put forward their views.

A latest example is a letter to Malaysiakini.

It goes, 'The headline on the destruction of the forest reserve at Bukit Beruang in Malacca shows that Barisan Nasional leaders do not seem to heed the call by our prime minister to preserve the remaining green areas in this country from wanton destruction.'

You can check for more instances when you read the papers.

My question is, why the perennial need to refer to the man?

Is it that we can't drag ourselves out of that feudalistic frame of mind?

Can't we institute systems and procedures that, regardless of whoever sits on that chair, life will go on?

Well, just letting off some occasional steam... must be that guy who can't stop pestering me for a recommendation letter.

Ok, ok, before I get carried away any further...

I have a bunch of Gmails idling around in my garden.

If I were a 'sleek' businessman, I would put them on ebay and make some roti.

I have a friend who once asked for posters from a well-known camera maker.

He got the posters for free, and then he sold them for a clean bundle.

If he reads this, he'd probably say, 'eh, don't want to friend you already, ok?'

So, anyone who is keen in having one, please... don't ape that gentleman up there.

The consequences may be too intolerable for you.

Just drop me a line at lronglim@gmail.com