Two lizards go head-to-head in a battle for food, with one lizard being significantly larger than the other, making for an interesting contest.
38-year-old house executive, Elize Roets, captured the entire battle on camera and shared it with LatestSightings.com.
“I was driving along the S147 dirt road when I reached the S89 junction. I turned left. Approaching the first concrete low-water bridge that crosses over the Ngotso River, I spotted two monitor lizards. I saw a smaller lizard go down to the water through the grass and a much larger monitor lizard lazing on the roadside.”
Monitor lizards are a family of carnivorous reptiles found throughout the world. They are known for their long necks, sharp claws, and long tails, and can grow up to 2 meters in length. Monitor lizards are also excellent swimmers.
“I was focused on the bigger one lying next to me, hoping to take a photo of it. However, when I saw the movement coming back through the grass, That’s when I saw a fish in the smaller one’s mouth, I knew I had to start recording.”
Monitor lizards are opportunistic feeders and will eat a wide variety of prey, including insects, small mammals, birds, and fish. They scavenge for food and will eat carrion if they come across it. Tourists often see monitor lizards scavenging around campsites in Kruger National Park, looking for food scraps.
“The bigger lizard used its sheer size to overpower the little one and bully it out of its hard-earned meal. Even though the little lizard wanted to fight back, it was unable to, and before he knew it, the bigger lizard had stolen the fish. After the big one swallowed the fish, I stopped recording.”
“My advice to anyone visiting the Kruger National Park is to be patient. You may drive for hours and hours, but you never know what is around the next corner. The Kruger National Park is home to an incredible array of wildlife, and there is always something new and exciting to discover. In my case, it was the sight of two monitor lizards having a squabble over a fish.”