Food webs in naturalised streams
Discover the hidden network of life in Singapore's naturalised streams
Last updated 15 June 2026
Food web in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
Producers
Algae form the base of many aquatic food chains as they grow on almost any moist or wet surface. Small invertebrates and other animals will scrape them off these surfaces to eat.
Consumers
Painted Chorus Frogs can be found in many grassy areas, although they are relatively small and are often heard before they are seen. They lay their eggs in a variety of water bodies, with their tadpoles consuming algae, biofilm and detritus before becoming adult frogs. The adult frogs will hunt small insects.
Common Scarlet Dragonflies are regularly found along urban water bodies, with the adults hunting for a variety of insects in the air, on the surface of the water, or amongst vegetation. All dragonfly nymphs are also carnivorous and fully aquatic, and will hunt tadpoles, small fish, and aquatic invertebrates in water bodies.
Common Snakeheads are hardy fish that are voracious carnivores, consuming any animal smaller than their mouths.
Collared Kingfishers prey on a variety of animals other than fish, including insects, frogs, and even small lizards. They use their powerful beaks to grip prey, and may even smash them on a branch before swallowing them whole.
Yellow Bitterns are usually standing still within a clump of plants along a water body, patiently waiting for prey to swim by. Like all herons. they use their quick reflexes and sharp beaks to spear their prey, usually fish.
Apex predators
Grey Herons are very large birds, and as a result they are able to eat very large prey. Like all herons. they use their quick reflexes and sharp beaks to spear their prey, usually fish.
Smooth-coated Otters are resourceful carnivores that work together to hunt, with family groups driving entire shoals of fish to smaller areas to be caught. Smooth-coated Otters have mostly been observed eating fish, but they can also eat crustaceans, birds, and frogs.
Brahminy Kites are one of the most commonly seen raptors in Singapore as they soar high above urban landscapes, forests, and coastal areas. They are adaptable hunters that feed on fish, and a wide variety of smaller animals.
