Photographer astonished at seeing four-metre python swallowing large monitor lizard whole over an hour
A lucky photographer in Sungei Buloh recently witnessed an extraordinary sight of a python swallowing a large monitor lizard whole.
It devoured its prey for over an hour before slithering off into the water.
Image courtesy of Kelvin Leong
Photographer rushed over to see four-metre python swallowing large monitor lizard
51-year-old Kelvin Leong, the photographer behind ‘Wilderness.sg‘, told MS News that the sighting occurred at around 9.30am last Saturday (17 Oct).
A birdwatching friend notified him of the python and monitor lizard encounter.
Mr Leong rushed over to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve to have a look.
“I witnessed something I had never seen before,” he said, in reference to a python swallowing a large monitor lizard.
By the time I arrived at the location, the python had already coiled tightly around the monitor lizard, with the head already being swallowed.
Source: Wilderness SG on Facebook
Mr Leong estimated the python to be about three to four metres in length.
He could not accurately assess the size of the monitor lizard, but remarked that it was “certainly not a small individual”.
While reticulated pythons can reach seven metres long, Singapore’s pythons tend to be smaller due to a lack of large mammals to eat.
Image courtesy of Kelvin Leong
Onlookers astonished as python spends over an hour eating monitor lizard
“How did the lizard become its prey? I can only wonder,” Mr Leong said. He watched as the python opened its flexible jaws extremely wide and began the slow process of swallowing.
Image courtesy of Kelvin Leong
Mr Leong added that the monitor lizard had likely been suffocated to death by then.
“I was both stunned and astonished to see a monitor lizard of that size succumb to a python,” he told MS News.
It was a remarkable sight, and everyone gathered around expressed similar feelings of surprise and disbelief.
The python’s body engorged to ridiculous levels as it continued to devour its prey.
Source: Wilderness SG on Facebook
It took over an hour to finally finish its ‘breakfast’, ending with the tail.
Source: Wilderness SG on Facebook
Video of encounter goes viral on Facebook
Then, the massively enlarged snake slithered into the water and swam away.
His Facebook post about the encounter gained over 1,400 likes on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group.
Image courtesy of Kelvin Leong
Mr Leong later posted a video of the swallowing process, which received over 390,000 views.
Netizens expressed overwhelming awe at the footage and praised Mr Leong for the fantastic shots.
One remarked that the python probably did not need to eat for another month after such a big meal.
Source: Facebook
Also read: 2m-long monitor lizard spotted eating python at Ulu Pandan Park Connector, awes netizens
2m-long monitor lizard spotted eating python at Ulu Pandan Park Connector, awes netizens
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Featured image courtesy of Kelvin Leong and adapted from Wilderness SG on Facebook.
