Adam Maniam was visiting Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Dec. 30, 2023 with his family when something emerged from the vegetation and landed on the footpath.
A flash of green, a flurry of limbs — Maniam said he wasn’t sure what he was seeing but instinctively picked up his camera.
“An epic battle”
“We have a saying amongst wildlife photographers: Shoot first, check later!” he told Mothership.
It appeared that a brawl had broken out between two Green crested lizards.
He shared a blow-by-blow account of the fight on the Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings.
“You can see from the series that what started off as a fight between two green lizards eventually turned into a fight between a green and dark-brown lizard,” wrote Maniam.
From green to brown
One lizard was on top of the other, pinning it down and driving its teeth through the other’s jaw.
Two photos, taken moments apart, show the shift in colour of the lizard splayed on the ground.
Image by Adam Maniam.
Image by Adam Maniam.
These lizards are known to turn from bright green to dark brown or grey when threatened or stressed.
They are a territorial species, and can turn aggressive when defending their land.
“Extreme anguish”
The fight turned more dramatic, as the green lizard bit right through the jaw of the brown lizard.
The brown lizard struggled to pry and wriggle itself away with all its might. With its mouth wide open and legs in the air, Maniam felt like it was “suffering badly”.
“I did not have much hope for the brown lizard at this point in time,” shared Maniam.
Image by Adam Maniam.
Image by Adam Maniam.
Brown turns the tables
Not all hope was lost for the brown underdog — it unexpectedly flipped the script by finding its footing and planting all four feet on the ground.
It pulled itself away from the green one without hesitation, and went on the offensive.
Image by Adam Maniam.
Image by Adam Maniam.
Image by Adam Maniam.
Ended in a draw
“After a brief scurry away, the brown individual even appeared to get the upper hand, biting down on the jaw of the green individual,” described Maniman.
“The green lizard is probably questioning its life choices now.” Image by Adam Maniam.
Image by Adam Maniam.
The face-off concluded rather uneventfully, with both lizards running off into the vegetation, probably to retreat and lick their wounds, opined Maniam.
Altogether, the fight lasted close to 10 minutes, alternating between the lizards violently struggling and the lull periods as they fought to catch their breath.
Maniam was shooting six to eight metres away with his telephoto lens while also signalling passers-by to avoid stepping on the pair.
Reviewing the photos, his daughter was amazed by the expressions of the brown lizard, while his son commented that they looked like two dinosaurs in battle.
He never thought he would ever get the chance to document such an encounter between two uncommonly seen lizards, he shared.
“It was a real privilege to get front-row seats to watch this. It is something I may never get the chance to document again. It was a really lucky day,” he reflected.
Maniam picked up photography 10 years ago when his daughter was born to document her growth. He eventually developed a love for the craft in wildlife and aircraft photography.
Green crested lizards
These critters, generally insect eaters, are native to Singapore and used to be commonly found. Now, they are the rarer lizards of its size locally.
Its population has been displaced by the more aggressive Changeable lizard, a non-native species introduced in the 1980s.
Green crested lizards are found mostly in primary and secondary forests only, while Changeable lizards are now abundant in many parks and gardens, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).
More Nat Geo moments in Singapore
All images courtesy of Adam Maniman.
