Johora singaporensis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johora singaporensis |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Johora
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| Species: |
singaporensis
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| Synonyms | |
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Stoliczia singaporensis Ng, 1986 |
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The Johora singaporensis, also known as the Singapore stream crab or Singapore freshwater crab, is a very special type of freshwater crab. It is only found in Singapore. This crab is considered critically endangered, which means it's at a very high risk of disappearing forever. It can grow to be about 30 millimeters (just over an inch) wide.
Contents
Where It Lives and What It Eats
The Singapore freshwater crab lives in streams that flow through untouched forests. It likes to hide under rocks near the water's edge. You might also find it tucked away in piles of leaves and other natural bits that collect in the stream.
These crabs are mostly active at night. They search for food when it's dark. Their diet mainly includes detritus, which is decaying plant and animal matter. They also eat small worms called oligochaete worms that live in the muddy stream bed.
Its Home in Singapore
The Johora singaporensis is unique because it only lives in Singapore. It has only ever been found in two places there. One of these spots was inside the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. However, scientists believe the crabs in that area might have all died out. Recent searches haven't found any there.
The second group of these crabs lives outside the nature reserve, near Bukit Batok. This area is partly on private land and partly on military land. The stream in the first location might have become too acidic, which could have caused the crabs to die. In the second stream, the water level is getting lower, which is a big threat to the crabs living there.
The Singapore freshwater crab is one of three types of freshwater crabs that are only found in Singapore. The other two are Irmengardia johnsoni and another critically endangered crab called Parathelphusa reticulata.
Its Crab Relatives
The relatives of the Singapore freshwater crab are found in the genus Johora. These other crabs live across the Straits of Johor in nearby Malay Peninsula and on some islands close by. This makes Johora singaporensis the southernmost crab in its family group.
Scientists believe this crab separated from its closest relatives about 5 million years ago. At that time, changes in global sea level might have created a land bridge that connected Singapore to the mainland. This could have allowed the crabs to spread.
Why It's in Danger
The Johora singaporensis is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means it faces a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild. This is because there are very few crabs left, and their habitat (the place where they live) is getting worse.
Since this crab only lives on one small island, it faces an even greater threat of disappearing. In 2012, it was named one of the world's 100 most threatened species. This was in a report by the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Zoological Society of London. This shows how important it is to protect this special crab.
