Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

ABOUT THE DIGITAL NATURE ARCHIVE OF SINGAPORE

This website is created by the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) at the National University of Singapore, to provide a searchable digital database of Singapore’s natural heritage, i.e., its flora, fauna and natural habitats. The initial funding for creating the digital nature archive (DNA) is sponsored by the Care-For-Nature Trust Fund of Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. RMBR maintains and update the database, with supports from the National Parks Board.

Our objectives:

  • To provide a free online searchable digital database on natural history, for use by students, educators, general public, conservationists and scientists
  • To sort, catalogue and systematically archive the vast treasury of wildlife images, nature places and people from Singapore through
    • slides and print images
    • digital images
    • historical photographs (e.g. from retired university professors, natural historians, experienced photographers, old local books, etc.)
    • video clips and sound clips
  • Provide information on species status, habitats and general biology
  • Permit student to student transfer of knowledge and information through their involvement in collecting more digital images, thereby ensuring the continued building of the database resource.
  • Make Singapore a centre for nature education using IT.

 

Featured Organism

Saraca thaipingensis

Yellow Saraca
This medium sized, evergreen tree with a wide-spreading crown grows to a height of 7 m or more. Leaves are simple pinnate, large, with up to 8 pairs of opposite, 20-40 x 6-12 cm leaflets but without a terminal one. Young leaves are cream-coloured, hanging limply in tassels for a few days before they stiffen and turn green. Flowers 1-2 cm across, faintly fragrant, in dense bunches that arise from the trunk and main branches. They are light pinkish yellow turning deep yellow with a dark crimson eye spot which darkens to blood-red. Most of the flowers in a cluster are functionally male, the others bisexual. Pods are large, 30-45 x 6-10 cm, thin, flat and leathery. They turn purple with maturity, splitting into two coiled halves to expose the flat, black seeds.

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Information

Browse complete information about organisms of various kingdoms, as well as people, places and activities.


Media

Browse complete collection of media files contributed by dedicated researchers and naturalists.

Presented by

NUS      RMBR
Sponsored by

Care-for-Nature