Rare fish rediscovered in Pasir Ris Park; species was first documented in 160-year-old painting

A dog-faced water snake biting a ladder gudgeon. - DARYL TAN

SINGAPORE: When Daryl Tan, an avid photographer of snakes, went on a trip to the mangroves at Pasir Ris Park in June 2023, he made a monumental discovery - a creature that was previously thought to be extinct in Singapore.

Except that it was not a snake, but a fish whose existence was recorded only in a watercolour painting more than 160 years old.