Singapore: Lizards of Sungei Buloh

Tan Wee Cheng, Singapore weecheng.com

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a 87 ha mangrove swamp and wetland located on the northwestern coast of Singapore. Singapore may be a modern and densely-populated city, but important pockets of nature has remained here. Small in area it may be, but Sungei Buloh is one of the most important feeding and resting stops for migratory birds traveling along the “East Asian Australasian Shorebird Site Network”, i.e., the network of routes between Siberia and Australia.

According to Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Heritage:

During their non-breeding phase they [the shorebirds] inhabit the southern hemisphere in flocks, arriving in Australia in October and feeding mainly on small creatures living in mudflats. In April, these birds fly from their Australian feeding grounds to breed in the tundra areas of the northern hemisphere, such as the Russian Far East and Alaska. They nest on the ground, with their brown and russet breeding plumage providing camouflage against predators.

I’m not a specialist birdwatcher, but Sungei Buloh does fascinates me with another of its wildlife: the Malayan Water Monitor Lizard. Sungei Buloh has lots of these and they can be seen most times of the day, either swimming in the swamps and simply basking on the banks. Among the largest lizards of the world, these gray creatures can grow to over 2 meters long and up to 25kg in weight. There are numerous websites about them and here are some pictures I have taken of these creatures.