monitor lizard

Description:

There are about 108 species of reptiles in Singapore. Most of them are small or rarely seen. But there are a few which are large or prominent. The largest reptiles which can be found in Singapore are the Estuarine Crocodile and the Reticulated Python. The ones most commonly seen in urban areas are the house geckos (typically called house lizard by the lay-person) and the Changeable Lizard. The introduced Changeable Lizard has pushed the local Green Crested Lizard into forested areas.

Habitat:

In gardens and parks, one can often see Common Sun Skinks, the introduced Red-eared Sliders and Flying Lizards. Water Monitors are common in rivers and mangrove. One other monitor that can be found in Singapore is the Clouded Monitor, which is a forest species. It is smaller than the Malayan Water Monitor, has slit nostrils and is paler in colour. In 2008, the Dumeril's Monitor was rediscovered in the swamp forest of Singapore. This goes to show that there can still be surprises in the forests of Singapore. Equatorial Spitting Cobras can still be found in desolated urban areas of Singapore. The bigger King Cobra is much rarer. The closely related Banded Krait sometimes show up as road kills. There are also 2 coral snake and 9 sea snake species.