A taste of marine biodiversity

To start off, I really wish to compliment the sheer capacity of the bus. It was spacious and did not induce too much claustrophobia, making the long ride a really comfortable one. Little things like this go a long way in enhancing the morale of participants. Kudos to the logistics management and organization! It was a really awesome way to begin the day.

We set off en route to the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology. I got the opportunity to witness for myself the diverse species found off the coasts of Taiwan. The guide was extremely generous with her sharing and it was commendable that she attempted to teach us as much as possible. I particularly found this fish peculiar - its camouflaging expertise totally took me by surprise. I was staring into the tank thinking it was just another ordinary piece of coral; little did I know it was actually a fish staring back at me!!! The cold room housing the deep-sea organisms was way too chilling! It is pretty difficult to imagine why organisms thrive in such dark and freezing environments with little or no activity.

Next up was the Northeast coast intertidal zone. After all the lectures emphasizing the myriad of marine species occurring off the coasts of Taiwan, I had expected to see the intertidal area bustling with activity. However, I have to admit a slight disappointment by the relatively poor species diversity as compared to a previous experience back in Singapore. I was hoping to find gigantic sea stars, fiddler crabs and nudibranchs, but they were nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, I still had my virgin handheld experience with the sea cucumber. Thankfully it did not eviscerate!

Me enjoying the sea breeze at the intertidal zone

Everyday is starting to bring new surprises and I believe the adventure will only get better. Yangmingshan, here I come!!! :)