100529 Kusu Island

Kusu has a really thick, tightly packed magnificent stretch of coral.


Chay Hoon spotted this wolf snake (Lycodon sp.) on the grassy area before the lagoon.


Actinodendron sp., also known as the hell's fire anemone. It is known to sting quite painfully. I wonder if any swimmers in the lagoon ever stepped on one before.


Large clump of Heteractis magnifica.


Marcus spotted this beautiful Heteractis crispa. It also has shrimp on it.


A pair of spotted reef crabs (Carpilius maculatus?). The paler one has the redder one's leg in its claw, perhaps intending to proceed with sexual activity.


This is typical of the coral stretch, where the coral growth is so thick it is almost impossible to avoid stepping on them.


Beautiful coral polyps.


This anemone shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis?) has a streak of scintillating blue along the midline.


Octopus blending in with its surroundings. Interestingly, it has no need to match color with the background.


As I learned from Kok Sheng, it pays off to examine Acropora closely for many creatures hide in them :

One of the most beautiful shrimps I've seen yet.


Crab.


Even a few of these fish.


Other types of coral may also shelter organisms like this crab (Cymo andreossyi?) in Pocillopora.


Flatworm (Pseudobiceros uniarborensis) on soft coral (Alcyoniidae).


The only nudibranch I saw, Phyllidia pustulosa.


The presence of certain types of seaweed and also cyanobacteria on the shore indicate that sea hares may be present as well, like this extraordinary sea hare (Aplysia extraordinaria).