monumental step on the moon? Astronaut Neil Armstrong leaping off
Apollo 11to make that first footprint on the lunar soil in July
1969? I was 9 years old then. It was the talk of the town for as
many weeks as I could remember. We kids were no doubt excited too.
The moon landing added spice to our huge appetite for spaceships,
aliens, Ultraman and the like. 'One small step for man, one giant
leap for Mankind' meant nothing much to us kids then.
Of course we grew up and knew better. Man's two most entrenched
aspirations since ancient timeto fly like a bird and to explore
unknown frontiershad taken a leap beyond the wildest dreams.
The moon landing was a landmark victory for science, engineering
and most of all, for the human spirit.
Yet as a biological entity, we human species are not alone in frontier
exploration. Mudflats like those in Sungel Buloh were the monumental
landing sites for sea-bound ancestors of plants that invaded dry
land during the Silurian Period, 425 million years ago. With little
more than rudimentary stem, ancient plants exerted their presence
on land, leaving behind their familiar marine abode. 'One small
stem for Plant, one giant leap for Plant Kingdom'- a landmark invasion
from the sea that heralded land-plant evolution and aided the proliferation
of land-dwelling creatures thereafter by becoming food for their
The remains of many fossilized plants are still valuable resources
in shaping the way we think about how present day plants are grouped
(classified). Their presence also provided clues to ancient geography
and climate of the earth. One good example is the humble nipah palm.
Paleobotanists (paleo - meaning ancient) are unravelling more mysteries
as new fossils are discovered.
But more significantly, paleobotany reveals to us that Nature can
survive, and did survive for about 3500 million years, without Man.
Modern Man's evolution about 2 million years ago pales in comparison.
Yet within this last century alone, despite our achievements, Man
had been the single most destructive force against Nature through
habitat destruction, pollution, and over-exploitation. The greatest
irony is that Mankind cannot survive without Nature.
If wishes were wings and time space, I would like to travel in time
to see the ancient landscapes with a bird's eye view. Who knows,
one day we might. For the moment, a walk in Sungel Buloh will reveal
many links to the past. And if knowledge should inspire, let the
spirit of aspiration be rooted in love for the only home we know
and should cherishthe Earth.
a walk in Sungei Buloh will reveal many links to the past
Belangkas or horseshoe crabs are not crabs as their
name suggested. They are closely related to the spiders and
scorpions. Horseshoe crabs, which are sometimes called king
crabs, have hardly changed in structure for the last 400 million
years. For this reason, they are highly regarded as a living
flight Insects first appeared during the Carboniferous
Period 345 million years ago. They were the first animals
to take to the air, 150 million years before the birds. The
giant Meganeura dragonflies, with a wingspan of over
27 inches, were one of the first. Though becoming smaller,
the dragonflies remain the lords of the air as highly accomplished
predators of the insect world.
surprise Crocodiles have been around for about
200 million years with little change. Their closest relatives
are the birds. In fact, many crocodilians even gather grass
to build nests. Crocodile brains are far more complex than
those of other reptiles. Their hearts are almost as advanced
as the birds and mammals.
Birds are believed to have evolved from a crow-sized species
of dinosaurs that appeared 150 million years ago. The first
known bird is called Archaeopteryx, which means 'ancient
wings'. It had lots of feathers, sharp teeth and a long rigid
tail with two rows of feathers. Today's birds have no teeth
or true tail. Instead, tail teattiers are attached to a reduced
bony stump called the pygostyle.
miracles Pollen of nipah palm is the one of the
oldest known mangrove fossil found, dating back to 70 million
years ago. Small miracles, considering how well they can be
preserved. The toughness is attributed to the presence of
sporopollenin in the outer coating, the exine. Fossil fruits
of nipah have also been found in the clay of London and Paris,
showing a much wider distribution than it is today.
mariner Algae, bacteria and fungi represent the
earliest life forms on Earth. The oldest known fossils dating
back more than 3000 million years are the blue-green algae.
Most algae are found in the sea either as plankton or as seaweeds.
Seaweeds are simple, usually feathery or ribbon-like plants
and have no system of veins or roots, leaves or woody parts.
They may be anchored to the scabed or free floating.
fern One plant that has been widespread in both
ancient and present vegetation of the Earth is the fern. Ferns
are believed to have originated at about 400 million years
ago and formed the main vegetation under the canopy of the
tall prehistoric Clubmosses and Horsetails. Today, ferns number
nearly 12,000 species and are still widely distributed throughout
seed Naked seeds, not enclosed in a fruit wall,
is a mark of distinction for the flowerless seed-plants called
gymnosperms which include conifers. Examples of conifers are
the pines, the giant redwood as well as Jati Laut (Podocarpus
polystachyus) a native tree found above the high tide
in our back mangrove. Early conifers first evolved at about
380 million years ago during the Devonian Period