The amazing disappearing magic show by a Malayan Water Monitor was one of the highlights observed during a free nature walk conducted by the Naked Hermit Crabs volunteer guides.
The lizard was about 1.4m long (maybe a bit longer as it had a very long tail) and had been resting on a branch of a mangrove tree which reached above the viewing platform. It was already about 6.30pm and the lizard must have been basking in the afternoon sun on a safe perch on a high branch. Some kids spotted it on the high branch and their howls of delight must have been too much for the lizard. We need to be quiet in Nature Parks so that the animals do not run and hide which is exactly what this lizard did. The lizard crawled down the branch to a hole in the trunk of the tree. The hole was not much wider than the lizard's head and certainly smaller than the lizard's belly girth. It cautiously looked inside the hole to see if anything else was inside before deciding that all was good. The video clip is self-explanatory....the background dialogue is also interesting. It was certainly amazing to see the entire lizard disappear into the cavity.
Check out all the mangrove denizens spotted during the walk at the unique Pasir Ris mangroves at this link http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.sg/2013/09/family-fun-exploring-pasir-ris-mangroves.html.
Find out more about the unique Pasir Ris mangroves :
Find out about wild happenings in Singapore here :
And here are some fabulous links about the star of this blogpost...the ubiquitous Malayan Water Monitor :
http://varanidae.org/6_1_Ng-and-Mendyk.pdf - read about a water monitor getting eaten by crocodiles at SBWR!
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