Wildlife you probably won’t find

But what of the animals we can’t see? Increased use of automatic motion-detecting cameras ( camera traps) has revealed that more animals share our island than previously realised. These rare animals are scattered throughout our nature reserves and on Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin.

•The Malayan porcupine, around 70 centimetres long and distinctively spikey, caused great surprise when it was found to be living on our island. First rediscovered on Pulau Tekong in 2005, it’s now known to be shuffling its way through the larger nature reserves of the country, albeit in very low numbers.

• The small leopard cat is Singapore’s only remaining wild cat. The main island contains an estimated 20 of these beautifully dappled felines, while around 29 survive on Pulau Tekong.

• Although it’s a mammal, the Sunda pangolin’s scales made of compressed hair make it appear like a reptile. Pangolin scales and meat are sought after by poachers, and according to WWF Singapore, they are the most trafficked animal worldwide. Here, the animal’s greatest threat is habitat loss.

• Standing up to two metres tall, the mighty sambar deer is Singapore’s largest. Around 20 individuals remain on the main island. Its tiny cousin, the lesser mouse deer, is only around 30 centimetres tall, and equally reclusive. The greater mouse deer is only known from Pulau Ubin.

• Dugongs are marine mammals – sailors of old apparently mistook them for mermaids. They’re occasionally sited in the Johor Strait, grazing on seagrasses while moving to other feeding sites.