This group of lizards were spotted enjoying suntan on some large rocks in Garden by the Bay.
Judging by skin colors, I’m not sure if they all belong to same species or the first one is a juvenile with lighter skin tone. One of them was displaying a red throat, called a dewlap, a flap of skin beneath its head and neck. One of the functions of dewlap is to attract mates. But as I slowly approached, it hurried away and never showed its dewlap again. Sorry Lizard, for interrupting your mating rituals!
Lizards are beneficial to the garden, as they eat and control population of small insects. Each link in a food chain is important to maintain bio-diversity. Their presence is a sign that the garden is pesticide free and is enjoying an organic eco-system.
I wish common house gecko sometimes spotted at home can be as colorful.
These above do not look as the juveniles for the commonly monitor lizards, such as below spotted at the Jurong Lake Garden. Monitor lizards have important ecological roles to play as they control the population of their prey, including insects, snakes, fish and a diverse list of their food source. They are also scavengers, as I’ve seen one consuming a dead turtle. Monitor lizards are food source for larger predators like crocodiles. I’ve only seen wild crocodiles in Sungei Buloh.
