Monday, November 2, 2009

Can He Stick?

After the wet Saturday, the weather on Sunday is good so I went back to SBWR for exploration. Managed to see some interesting animals & some rare migratory birds such as the Broadbill sandpiper.
It was about 1pm and I was on my way back to the main bridge area suddenly heard some noise like some thing is falling from the tree just not far from me. A monitor lizard dash out from the bush and on the way crossing to the water over the other side of the path. Immediately I use my camera to take the first photo and to zoom in to check what is happening.
Apparently, the monitor lizard caught a big grasshopper and trying to swallow it. The grasshopper is still alive and the leg is still kicking.

The monitor lizard open and close the mouth very rapidly to adjust the position so that is easier to swallow the grasshopper and at the same time to ensure the grasshopper do not escape.
Water monitor lizard eat almost anything that they can find and swallow. From small insect, crabs, snakes, birds, even rubbish and human feces.
I didn't know they can hunt grasshopper too. They use their purple colour forked tongue to taste the air for food. I'm not sure if their tongue can be double up as sticky stick to catch insect like other lizards do. They can climb well, so as the grasshopper can jump in a split of a second. Water monitor lizard was not known to ambush for food. So how can the grasshopper end up in the monitor lizard's mouth? Has anyone seen a monitor lizard ambush and/or use their tongue to catch fast flying insect? It will be very interesting to find out.

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