Giant monitor lizard seen feasting on a crab at Sungei Buloh
A nature photographer hoping to capture a glimpse of Singapore's elusive king cobra instead stumbled upon a different kind of predator at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve: a giant monitor lizard with a crustacean craving.
The impressive reptile, estimated to be over 1.5 metres long, provided a dramatic spectacle as it hunted crabs among the exposed mangrove roots during low tide.
IT professional and hobbyist photographer Mr Prashanta Kumar Mohanty, in his 40s, told MustShareNews: "This was one of the largest monitor lizards I had ever seen."
Originally on the hunt for the venomous snake, Mr Prashanta quickly redirected his lens towards the monitor lizard.
He subsequently shared photos and video footage of the encounter on his Facebook and Instagram pages, showcasing the reptile's impressive hunting skills.
The video shows the massive monitor easily seizing a crab, described by Mr Prashanta as “roughly the size of a male teenager’s palm”, and crushing it with its powerful jaws.
“The lizard ate three to four smaller crabs before finding the larger one featured in the video,” he added.
One striking image captures the crab's eight legs protruding from the lizard's mouth.
While Mr Prashanta has witnessed monitor lizards eating crabs before, he said it was the sheer size of this particular reptile that made this encounter so memorable.
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