Who would have thought that there was a hidden marine world right on our sunny island? Well, the sandy beaches of Changi are actually home to plenty of marine intertidal animals of all shapes and sizes! We went on a coastal walk with Young Nautilus and learnt more about the wildlife mysteries roaming in our waters. (Do note that we were supervised by specialised tour guides throughout the learning journey!)

We got there bright and early at 9.30am and the fresh sea breeze was definitely a welcome change to Singapore’s hot and humid climate. Almost immediately we were ushered to our group and given handy little reference cards showing all the interesting critters that call Changi Beach home. Here are some of the animals we encountered that day.

If you have ever gone to the beach and seen flat discs partially buried in sand, those are called Sand Dollars. Related to Sea Urchins and Sea Stars, these invertebrates burrow under the sand to find food. Early beachgoers gave this animal its name since they looked like old American dollar coins - Very creative, we know.

Since we arrived, everyone had been noticing these little pink and yellow blobs scattered around the shore. They were in fact Pink Warty Sea Cucumbers (not gummy candy someone had left.) As cute as they look, we were promised they look like something truly alien with their feeding tentacles when it’s mealtime.

You might not recognise them when they are not drenched in black pepper or chilli sauce, but these are the very same crabs generations of Singaporeans enjoy. Called Swimming Crabs, these agile crustaceans come in a variety of colours and have quite the mean pinch, so keep your claws to yourself and admire them from a distance.

Not to be outdone by some of the flashier members of this list, the Lucida Sea Star was a fascinating sight too. This particular one was missing a limb, but not to worry! Like many of its kind, this Sea Star can regenerate as long as its vital organs are intact. Fun fact: Educators worldwide are trying to get everyone to switch the term “Starfish” out for “Sea Star” since it’s more accurate. Now you can spread the good word too!

Luck was in our favour that day and we got to see another cool creature that had washed ashore, a huge sea jelly! It had to be around at least 40 cm long. This fellow had unfortunately passed, but it was a great opportunity to see a specimen close up. As translucent as they are, you might be wondering where their internal organs are. The thing is, they don’t have any - Not even a brain! Which is amazing considering they have managed to exist for more than 500 million years.

Towards the end of the tour, one of the guides stopped to point out some trash on the beach. He stressed the importance of being environmentally conscious on a personal level. Though local volunteers and workers do an amazing job in cleaning up Singapore’s beaches, it’s also up to us individuals to prevent waste from making it into our oceans. Let’s remember the 3Rs and do what we can together!

We couldn’t possibly cover all the cool animals we encountered on our excursion, so it’s up to you to discover more about Singapore’s shockingly diverse marine life on your own. If you’re looking to get your feet wet in an outdoor family activity that’s both educational and entertaining, we highly recommend this Young Nautilus tour! Also, if you are there, do not pick up marine life on your own, no matter how cool they might look!