It may look like an affectionate embrace, but these two monitor lizards were not feeling the love.<\/p>\n
Stomper S<\/strong> spotted the pair locked in what looked like a hug at Sengkang Riverside Park on Sept 15 at about 9.50am.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was awesome and rare to witness,\u201d said the Stomper, who shared photos and a video of the unusual encounter with Stomp.<\/p>\n The images and footage show the two large reptiles<\/a> upright on their hind legs, with their front limbs wrapped around each other.<\/p>\n Other park users also stopped to watch, observing the spectacle from a short distance away.<\/p>\n S described seeing the unusual encounter as a moment of mixed emotions.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe I saw that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, he admitted he was \u201ceventually scared\u201d by how aggressive the two reptiles appeared.<\/p>\n Despite appearances, the pair were not sharing a tender moment.<\/p>\n According to the National Parks Board<\/a> (NParks), two monitor lizards<\/a> seen \u201chugging\u201d each other are actually males engaged in a wrestling match.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n So, what the Stomper witnessed was more WWE than romance.<\/p>\n The animals appear to be Malayan water monitors.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s monitor.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s largest lizard species<\/a>.<\/p>\n They are also good swimmers and divers and can climb trees<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite their imposing appearance, monitor lizards are generally shy and tend to stay away from humans.<\/p>\n Members of the public who encounter one are advised to remain calm<\/a>, keep their distance and not touch, chase, corner or feed the animal.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNot hugging, but wrestling<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Stomp](\"https:\/\/www.stomp.sg\/assets\/stomp-comment-COLiWNMD.png\")
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