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Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator)
A face-to-face encounter with a full-grown monitor lizard is always a fascinating experience.
They are among the biggest
lizards in the world, reaching lengths of more than two meters. Although they appear a bit clumsy, climbing trees does not
pose a challenge for them. They are excellent swimmers as well and thus often mistaken for crocodiles.
Among their
favourite foods is carrion; and provided they're left alone, they're pretty harmless.
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Myna (Acridotheres spp.)
Two species of mynas can commonly be seen in Singapore, especially at hawker centers and coffee shops: the Javan Myna
(Acridotheres javanicus, see photo) and the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis tristis, no photo available yet).
Originally brought into Singapore as a cage bird in the 1920s, the Javan Myna has since established itself as the most
abundant bird species in Singapore.
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Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
This sunbird species is a regular in parks and gardens and even on balconies.
Both male and female have a dull olive-brown
back and yellow underparts. The breast and forehead of the male (right photo) is a metallic blue-black.
They feed on small
insects and nectar, which they sip from the calyxes with their long curved beaks.
It is sometimes mistaken for a humming
bird.
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Changeable Lizard (Calotes versicolor)
Only introduced into Singapore in the early 1980s, this lizard has since become more abundant than the indigenous Green-crested
Lizard (Calotes cristatellus).
During the mating season the males develop a reddish head with a black blotch, which
has earned them the rather unflattering name "bloodsucker lizard".
Because of their ability to change colour rapidly, they
are sometimes wrongly called "chameleons".
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