Clouded Monitor

I was frantically searching for some creatures at the Summit Hut when out of nowhere came this big Clouded Monitor, Varanus bengalensis nebulosus.

It is a medium sized Monitor that can reach up to 1.5 metres. It is distinguished from the Malayan Water Monitor by the position of the nostrils which lie mid-way between the eye and snout.

This mainly terrestrial species can be found in habitats as diverse as scrubland and rainforest, but is generally encountered as it digs amongst leaf litter searching for beetles and other insects. It may also be spotted clinging high up on tree trunks or exploring tree holes : its sharp claws make it an excellent climber.

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I soon headed back to go search for some Snakes.

Kendall's Rock Gecko

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I was walking observantly through the Main Road when I noticed a few Kendall's Rock Geckos, Cnemaspis kendalli on a tree trunk. Most of them fleed when they saw me approach. I took a single photograph, as they are said to be quite common.

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The Invitation

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When I reached Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, I was firstly invited by these bee hives outside the Visitor Centre. They all seem to contain Black Bees. Or are they Wasps?

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Tongue Flipper

Here's a Flat Tailed Gecko that I found in a pool of water outside my house.

I got it out and took a few shots before releasing it back outside.

I got a nice shot of him flipping out his tongue to clean his nose.

I got it into a container that was suitable for Hermit Crabs. There it was very well camouflaged when it stood parallel to the lines on the piece of wood.

Home for Blind Snakes

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My hunting seemed to get better after the centipede fight and, after spotting 2 Brahminy Blind Snakes. They were both found under stone slabs hardly a metre from each other. It should have been a good place for them as there were plenty of ant larvae around.

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Back to Home Sweet Soil.

But I only managed to get pictures of one. The other was just too scared and fleed before a single shot.

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Centipede Fight

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When I lifted up a stone slab just beside the previous one, I noticed that there was a mother centipede guarding her newborns. At first everything was fine...

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Until another woke up and went too close to the mother. That was when the fight started.

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But in the end, Victory was for the original mother and she had driven the intruder away.

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Underground Inhabitants

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I went normal hunting today below my block. I lifted up a few big stone slabs but all I found were ants. Only under on was there a Beetle Larva buried partially in the soil.

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