Essay: Full of life seems to be
what describes the Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta
elegans) as it swims in the calm waters of MacRitchie
Reservoir where this picture was taken. An introduced
species from the pet trade, many have been abandoned
here when their former owners found their “cute toys” growing
too big for their tanks or more likely when they just became “boring”.
The new-found freedom that this turtle was experiencing
came to an abrupt end when a Malayan Water Monitor
(Varanus
salvator) suddenly swum up from under it and grabbed
the turtle in its jaws! These native lizards can grow to
over 1m in length and swallow prey almost as large as themselves
such as their ferocious appetites in the riverine and beach
habitats that they love to inhabit. We know that this is
a juvenile because young lizards are more colourful than
adults. In the last picture our turtle is still present but
now hidden from our eyes in the throat of Varanus which
has managed to swallow it whole – shell and all!
We should not be unduly
dismayed because the turtle’s death has now given
life to a new generation of Monitor lizards. This is
part of Nature’s
cycle; every living thing has a part to play in the
bigger picture that we call Life. In fact, the Monitor
is increasingly being hunted for its skins and for
food across Asia. With widespread habitat destruction
especially in mangrove swamps, these magnificent
creatures have sometimes experienced local extinction.
That this Monitor now has a full meal, who knows
whether this has given it a fighting chance to start
a new generation of one of the largest lizards in
the world right here at our doorstep?
[287 words]
