Education « My Itchy Fingers

The Beetles

January 15, 2011 at 12:59 am | Posted in itchy fingers | Leave a comment
Tags: Bugs, Education, Environment, Malaysia, Nature, Uniquely Singapore

Itchyfingers were looking for some birds in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves when Tisu Boy pointed to a tree trunk and said he saw something big flew in. I looked through the binos…and what a pleasant surprise!! I didn’t know we have this in Singapore!

A Rhinoceros Beetle! Not sure which species is this one as there are so many
types and Itchyfingers are not experts in insects..heee…Initially it was
partially hidden, and it took a long wait before it decided to show itself.
Males have horns while female do not..so was this one we saw a female?

It was exciting cos being nocturnal, it made it tougher to find them in daytime. We have seen Rhino Beetles in Malaysia but it was the first time we saw it here! A pity it was too high for us to take better photos.

The only time I got closest to one was when we were doing insect
preservation. This is the male Three-horned Rhinoceros Beetle. Beetles have
a wing cover called the elytra as seen here. To fly, a beetle must pull its wings
out from the elytra before flying, hence delaying flight

The Rhinoceros Beetles or Rhino Beetle are a subfamily (Dynastinae) of beetles in the family of scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae). One of the largest beetles, it can grow up to 60cm long! However they are completely harmless to humans because they cannot bite or sting. Remember the timid Rhino Beetle in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life? Hahah…The horns are not used to fight against predators but rather for the occassional battle with another male over a feeding site, which can attract a female. The horns are also used for digging.

A life Rhino Beetle at Fraser’s Hill, Malaysia. Didn’t realise my photo is
blur cos I was blocked and had to bend to take this shot from the top..

At the car porch was this dead but beautiful huge metallic green beetle. No
idea what was it but it was about the same size as the Rhino Beetle…

A poor beetle crushed probably by cars on the road of Fraser’s Hill…a bit
beyond recognition…

But it should be one of these which is quite common in Fraser’s Hill. Not sure
if this should be called Stag Beetle or Staghorn Beetle since we are not
experts…hahah…Anyone care to enlighten Itchyfingers? These guys used
to come into our hotel rooms at night and once I heard a friend caught it in a
plastic bag so that he could photograph it. The next moment, the beetle
had already cut through the plastic with the sharp mandibles!

We waited so long for the Rhino Beetle to move but I guess it prefer the safety of the night. Seeing the Rhinoceros Beetle here just show that though Singapore is so small, we still have a wide biodiversity waiting for us to discover, which makes it all the more important to preserve and appreciate what we have!

Shop Wise, Save Lives

October 12, 2010 at 12:20 am | Posted in itchy mouth | Leave a comment
Tags: Animals, Education, Food, Nature

Words of Cautions: The following post contains graphic imageries that may cause discomfort and distress to some. Itchyfingers seek your understanding as we bring you some cruel facts on the sufferings of animals.

Two weeks ago, Itchyfingers visited one of the most distressing exhibitions at the Atrium of Plaza Singapura. Organised by the Acres, or the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Singapore), it highlighted and revealed the hidden cruelty behind the products of our daily lives towards animals by presenting a mock supermarket backdrop to visitors.

Acres’ poster

The plight of piggies…Itchyfingers has stopped consuming pork for many
years liao cos I find piggies so cute…

Poster on plight of egg-laying chickens…

From cages to display on this mock supermarket shelf…The sign reads,
“Life for a typical egg-laying hen is a tiny cage shared with 5-10 other hens,
in a windowless shed holding tens of thousands of terrified, bewildered
birds. Her personal living space is smaller than an A4 sheet of paper.”
“Being cooped for life without exercise, while constantly drained of calcium
to produce egg shells, means she develops osteoporosis – a mineral depletion,
and her bones crumble and break. Many will become paralyzed and die of
hunger and thirst just inches from their food and water.”

I really don’t know how can we do to help…cos eggs are added in so many products…The poster suggested reducing the amount of eggs and egg products we consume, and by buying “free range” eggs from hens raised in more humane conditions.

Three delicacies that people may wanna give a second thought when they
are satisfying their taste buds

Acres’ appeal to all veal lovers: “Please do not make veal part of your diet.
Spread awareness about the cruelty behind these products. Write to those
restaurants that serve veal about your concern and appeal for the removal
of these items from the menu.” I am sure if there were more than one voice
of protest, restaurant owners would give in…

Foie gras is the diseased fatty liver of a duck or goose. “To create this
‘delicacy’, ducks are cramped into wire cages and force fed up to three times
a day by forcing a metal pipe down their necks into their stomachs and
pumping in up to 2kg of grain and fat. This brutal lifestyle causes the ducks’
livers to swell over 10 times its normal size, resulting in the duck’s legs
collapsing under the weight. It is common to find corpses of ducks that had
literally burst open through overfeeding, birds that had choked to death on
their own vomit and those that had died of aspiration pneumonia – a painful
and often fatal condition caused when, during the process of forced-feeding,
food is pushed into their lungs.”

Gosh…after knowing all these…would you still be able to savour your plate of Foie gras in posh restaurants?

Some of us may not know that the products that we use daily may also contribute to the sufferings of animals…

Rabbit lovers…please do not turn a blind eye on the following poster…

Did you know that many household products were tested on animals first
before they were brought out to the market?

I dun understand this! How can the manufacturer be so sure that animals
and humans would react similarly towards the same ingredient?! Is it
really necessary to use these animals for testing when “there are already
8,000 ingredients known to be safe and effective?”

Toy rabbits used for the exhibition… Do look for products that say “No
Animal Testing”!

Rats and mice are often used to determine the “safety” of many of our
household products. “There is no need for more animal suffering to produce
a new and improved detergent or air freshener. Choose a compassionate
brand.”

Be an animal-friendly consumer!

To reduce the negative impact we are unconsciously making on animals, do try to make a conscious effort by simply shopping wisely. A comprehensive list of international products with regular updates can be found at www.gocrueltyfree.org and at www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au

Also see related post:
> Respect for Life Begins with Concern for Animals

Playing Dead

August 27, 2010 at 12:23 pm | Posted in itchy fingers | Leave a comment
Tags: Education, Environment, Humour

Itchyfingers were birdwatching at Sungei Buloh when we saw something floating in the water. At first look, we thought it was just some big branches, though the colour was a bit pale. But, wait. No, it was something else…

Oh my goodness! It actually had limbs! Looking at the size, it should be a baby!

A baby floating in the water!?? It was floating with the legs above water. Gosh! What did we just discover? A murder? :O How gruesome can that be, especially if it was a dead baby with no head… :O Oh my goodness, what should we do?!?

Then we remembered I had the binos hanging on my neck. I raised it up, but not before mentally preparing myself for the worst…

I stopped breathing and looked through the binos…then…

“Hahahahahhaahahaaaaa……” I burst out in laughter…

It was a baby. But it was a baby doll!

Aiyo! Nearly scared the daylight outta Itchyfingers! Buahahahahah!!!!

No lah, Itchyfingers were not so dumb lah. Was just fooling around again…hahahah…But next time hor, wanna throw away such life-like doll, please dispose of it properly hor! Not only it is polluting the water and the environment, imagine seeing it in dim light! Really can give you a shock! Hahahaah… 8)

Also see related post:
> A Singapore Horror Story