We’ve seen a street brawl or two, but never one quite like this …
Bengal monitor lizards (Varanus bengalensis) are nothing if not focused. When these reptiles take each other on, there’s little that can shake their concentration … not even a bus. In a video posted recently by YouTuber Suhanesh Madav, a pair of male Bengal monitor lizards are so embroiled in battle that they inadvertently cartwheel into a busy street.
Unfazed by their perilous surroundings, it’s amazing these rivals avoid death-by-tuk-tuk. Although it’s unclear where this clip was filmed, it’s likely to have originated somewhere on the Indian subcontinent, or possibly in southeast or west Asia, where this species is known to roam.
Lizard fighting is kind of like wrestling … or slow dancing … or slow wrestling. When competition for food or mates arises, male Bengal monitors rear up on their hind legs and try to overpower rivals by thrashing their heads and upper bodies together in a sumo wrestling-inspired bro-hug (the male that manages to pin his foe to the floor is crowned Lizard King).
Despite a bit of clawing and biting during these wrestling bouts, serious injuries are rare (although battling it out within tail-whipping distance of a bus certainly increases the odds of getting hurt). We’re not sure who came out on top in this unusual street fight, but we’re just thankful the lizards appear to have made it out of harm's way.
Here's the full video ...
Header image: Carlos Delgado
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