Monitor lizards seen ‘hugging’ at Sengkang park — but here’s what they’re actually doing
It may look like an affectionate embrace, but these two monitor lizards were not feeling the love.
Stomper S spotted the pair locked in what looked like a hug at Sengkang Riverside Park on Sept 15 at about 9.50am.
“It was awesome and rare to witness,” said the Stomper, who shared photos and a video of the unusual encounter with Stomp.
The images and footage show the two large reptiles upright on their hind legs, with their front limbs wrapped around each other.
Other park users also stopped to watch, observing the spectacle from a short distance away.
S described seeing the unusual encounter as a moment of mixed emotions.
“I couldn’t believe I saw that,” he said. “It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
At the same time, he admitted he was “eventually scared” by how aggressive the two reptiles appeared.
Despite appearances, the pair were not sharing a tender moment.
Not hugging, but wrestling
According to the National Parks Board (NParks), two monitor lizards seen “hugging” each other are actually males engaged in a wrestling match.
Each tries to overpower the other and push their opponent to the ground, with the winner gaining favour with a female monitor they are trying to impress.
So, what the Stomper witnessed was more WWE than romance.
The animals appear to be Malayan water monitors.
The Malayan water monitor is the most common of the three monitor lizard species found in Singapore. The other two are the clouded monitor and the rarer Dumeril’s monitor.
Malayan water monitors are commonly sighted around Singapore and favour areas near water, including parks, gardens and mangroves. NParks describes them as one of the world’s largest lizard species.
They are also good swimmers and divers and can climb trees.
Despite their imposing appearance, monitor lizards are generally shy and tend to stay away from humans.
Members of the public who encounter one are advised to remain calm, keep their distance and not touch, chase, corner or feed the animal.
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