From Whale Carcasses To WWII Bombs: Haunting Finds On Singapore’s Shorelines
A 6.3m-long baleen whale carcass was found in the waters off Tanjong Pagar on 6 September.
IMAGE: FACEBOOK/LKCNHM
Retrieval efforts by researchers from the the Lee Kong Chian National History Museum and Singapore Salvage Engineers allowed the carcass to be secured before it was lost to open sea, and it's currently being studied by the researchers.
This is the first time in a decade that a whale carcass has been found in Singapore's waters. In 2015, a sperm whale carcass later named Jubi Lee, washed up near Jurong Island.
IMAGE: FACEBOOK/LKCNHM
Measuring 10.6m in length, the female sperm whale was determined to have likely died from a ship strike, and its skeleton is now displayed at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Here are some other animals that have washed up on our shores in the past:
IMAGE: LEE KONG CHIAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
2014: Two dolphin carcasses
On 15 July 2014, a badly decomposed carcass washed up on the beach of East Coast Park. Subsequent examination revealed it to be an Irrawaddy dolphin measuring approximately 2.2m long.
IMAGE: LEE KONG CHIAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
But that wasn't the end of the story. Three days later, a second dolphin carcass washed up on East Coast Park's beach again. This time, it was an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. No external injuries were observed, and the cause of death could not be determined.
IMAGE: FACEBOOK/WILDSINGAPORE
2021: Juvenile dugong carcass
On 9 October 2021, the carcass of a juvenile dugong was found floating belly up in the waters near Pulau Hantu. The dead dugong, which was found to be a male, was estimated to weigh approximately 30 kg and measured about 1.4m. As adults usually reach lengths of between 2.4m and 4m, the dead dugong was determined to be a calf.
There were no visible signs of injuries on the carcass to indicate that it died from physical trauma. However, as young dugongs usually stay close to their mothers until they reach maturity, the calf was speculated to have been separated from its mother before its demise.
This might have contributed to its death, as dugong calves need a combination of sea grass and their mother's milk for nutrition.
2021: Stranded jellyfish
On 26 November 2021, Facebook user Darren Mok found a large jellyfish stranded on the edge of the beach at Pasir Ris Park.
Using a kayak paddle to dig a trench under the jellyfish, he managed to get it safely back into the water.
Based on its shape and size, the jellyfish was thought to be a Huge Jellyfish of the Rhizostomeae order, which are known to have bells that range from 25cm to 50cm in size.
2023: Saltwater crocodile
A saltwater crocodile, also known as an estuarine crocodile, was spotted basking near Marina East Park on 10 October 2023. The nearly 3m-long crocodile was subsequently trapped and removed from East Coast Park.
Unfortunately, due to the risk that the crocodile would later return to the spot where it was captured, the decision was made to humanely euthanise it, as it posed a danger to public safety.
An unexploded WWII bomb was discovered in the waters near Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in December 2000. | IMAGE: REDBUS.SG
Recurring: World War II relics
These ticking time bombs are sometimes unearthed during construction projects or wash ashore on our beaches. For instance, in December 2000, a World War II bomb was discovered some 3.5km off the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
Whenever war relics are unearthed, the 36th Battalion of the Singapore Combat Engineers (36SCE), also known as the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, is brought in to safely detonate it and dispose of the remains.
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