#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  > Thailands Zoos and Animals >  >  The Lizards of Lumpini

## Bobcock

My temple threads are going down like a lead balloon lately so it was time to try something different......

With L Bruce Kekule posting on the forum to do a wildlife thread seems a bit second rate especially when it only concerns the Water monitors in Lumpini Park.....

....but what the fuck and animal is an animal and these are worth photographing.....

Not a huge thread.....

Anyway, we entered from the south-east corner of the park and headed to the water that runs along the south edge as that's where they are easily found.

As soon as we approached the water we spotted a baby, who climbed onto a chair and up a tree.....



we then spotted a big one but it was in the water happily swimming along and was in no mood to get close enough.....



We then spotted several lined up along the fence on the other side of the stretch of water, so we walked back and around to get close. First we came across a medium sized one that was in no mood to let us get too close.



The next one was a bit bigger and paused for a while for some shots.

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## smeden

nice pics  ::chitown::  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## The Fresh Prince

This one looks evil.



Great pic with the reflection. :Smile:

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## billy the kid

very nice pics Bob.
what other species do they have in lumpini .

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## Happyman

I know it is not Thailand but if you ever go to Melaka in Malaysia - take the river trip and there are bloody hundreds of huge buggers on the banks at low tide
 :Smile:

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## Bangyai

> I know it is not Thailand but if you ever go to Melaka in Malaysia - take the river trip and there are bloody hundreds of huge buggers on the banks at low tide


No need to go that far. Just peddle around the canal network in Bangyai and you'll see plenty. Cycling along a dirt track through a bit of virgin jungle last year, a four footer ran out in front of me. Don't use that track any more.

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## Bobcock

This one was in the process of shedding his skin, most of the coulr had gone and he had holes all over him....



This one was bold and in no hurry to move. Even tried to hit us with his tail as we walked around the back of him.



Last one was back on the grassy side of the bank, he let me get very close indeed, my mate took photos of me taking photos, must see that shot.

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## smeden

more nice pics keep them comming   ::chitown::  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## Yemen

Great pictures. I will go to Lumpini to see for myself. Thanks.

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## Bobcock

> more nice pics keep them comming


I have more, but to be honest they are more of the same, I just picked the 7 or so best and varied and used them.

Any more and it'll get boring.

I did get a pidgeon and an egret as well....

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## smeden

> Originally Posted by smeden
> 
> more nice pics keep them comming
> 
> 
> I have more, but to be honest they are more of the same, I just picked the 7 or so best and varied and used them.
> 
> Any more and it'll get boring.
> 
> I did get a pidgeon and an egret as well....


thanks i enjoy  ::chitown::  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## Gerbil

Biggest I've seen must have been over 6 feet long crossing the soi by my house and dissapearing into a Rice Paddy

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## The Cat

Bugger, I thought this was about the band.

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## Onnuter

Cool pics, I keep meaning to take my son down there to see them. he would love that.

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## Cujo

Brilliant. In China they'd have all been eaten by now.

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## Carnwadrick

I've been there, seen them but no way was I going to get close enough to get a decent pic. brave man BC thanks for the pics.

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## khmen

Great photos, seriously. You should be a wildlife photographer! 1st time I saw one of these was in the river in Kanchanaburi, I thought it was a crocodile at first, shit meself!

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## Happyman

Had them sliced and fried with garlic in Sabah ( Malaysia ) 
Quite nice !

For our Ozzie posters 
Are they the same things as the goanna that Kevin Bloody Wilson goes on about ?

 :Smile:

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## Tickiteboo

Top photos Bobcock , thanks . I keep meaning to visit - but I'm easily led astray  :mid:  . Next time I'm in Bangkok I must make the effort.

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## dirtydog

> but no way was I going to get close enough to get a decent pic.


He was probably about 3km away using a 2 foot long lense  :Smile:

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## Bobcock

The last shot I had a 400mm lens but it was probably no more than 5 foot from his snout and I was lying in the grass with him.

I'd be that far away if I ever chose to photograph you however.....

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## pescator

GREAT shots!
I have only come across these reptiles in the wild and they are none too willing to cooperate when it comes to posing for photographs.
The province of Krabi must have an abundance of these creatures as I have seen dozens of them in this particular province.
Amazing reptile, makes one think dinosaur. 

I was wondering, is the water monitor the only monitor lizard in Thailand?

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## dirtydog

^^Damn sure I wouldn't be laying down on the grass 5 feet away from that nasty beast.

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## joannevel69

The pics are brilliant. These creatures are a throwback to the time of the dinosaurs and so worth studying.

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## nikster

> Brilliant. In China they'd have all been eaten by now.


I think they're either lucky, or unlucky, depending on who you ask. Not that Bangkokians would go to the park and hunt lizards...

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## corkscrew

Great photos!!!

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## fridgemagnet

Wonderful to see'em. Here in Chiang Mai, just about everything with legs has been eaten. Snakes too.
There's more wildlife in Ireland.

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## DrAndy

> The pics are brilliant. These creatures are a throwback to the time of the dinosaurs and so worth studying.


 
yes, indeed, nice pics Bob

but these Monitor lizards are no "throwback" to any time; giant monitor lizards did live in the Pleistocene and Cretaceous eras, but saying they are a throwback would be equivalent to saying elephants are a throwback because mammoths used to live a long time ago

incidentally, they have evolved several features differently from other lizards




> Monitor lizards differ greatly from other lizards in several ways, possessing a relatively high metabolic rate for reptiles and several sensory adaptations that benefit the hunting of live prey

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## DrAndy

> Wonderful to see'em. Here in Chiang Mai, just about everything with legs has been eaten. Snakes too.
> There's more wildlife in Ireland.


 
only in Belfast

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## Bobcock

Sunday I found myself again in Lumpini Park with my cameras. I didn't actually go to see the lizards, I was just meeting someone who wanted to borrow a camera and try with a view to purchasing his own.

When I met him a small water monitor was sitting close by and had no desire to move so he was an easy target.



He would have been about 3 feet long with about 50% of that being tail. He was just happy to sit there and pose from all angles.

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## Bobcock

This attentive little fella then wandered along the grass next to us.....



followed by this guy who was approx 5 foot long.....



It's difficult trying to get new angles to shoot them...... here's one looking directly at me which they don't usually do, not a great shot but I included it to show how he closed the eye that was looking into the sun and looked at me with the eye in shade.

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## somtamslap

Really good pics..

Not only do they use their tails for attacking but they've got one hell of a bite too..

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## Davis Knowlton

^My eleven year old son just learned that - fortunately from a fairly small teacher.

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## Bobcock

I've had a couple of them try and whip me with their tails but generally they are scared of me and go the opposite direction.

The last two that I'll post (still got to process the pics)  were big enough to not be bothered by me in any way, but I wouldn't have taken my eye off them when taking close ups, a metre or two separation is always best....

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## Bobcock

It's suprisingly difficult to get a decent tongue shot, they flick in and out very quickly on the smaller ones.

This is the original one that hadn't moved but was now deciding whether to climb a tree or not.



It got to the base of the tree and paused again, really was a good patient model and gave me time to try a few things with faster exposures, slower exposures and fill in flash.

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## Bobcock

This is the first one as he climbed up the tree, posed at eye level for some time giving me the chance to take some shots and then he was gone................



Then behind me from a small pond this fellow emerged, he was about 7 foot long, and as he came out of the water he paused and posed, before going off in search of food. I was able to walk with him, no more than 2 metres from him and take shot after shot.

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## Bobcock

not the greatest shot due to the high contrast, but it gives a perspective of the size of this one, and the next one was bigger.

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## fridgemagnet

"Great photos, seriously. You should be a wildlife photographer! 1st time  I saw one of these was in the river in Kanchanaburi, I thought it was a  crocodile at first, shit meself".

Same for me - first time I saw a big monitor lizard in a roadside drain, in Kuta, Bali, I thought it was a croc. Girlfriend pointed out that there are no crocs in Bali (other than the plastic ones).
They do swim in a similar manner, don't they.
I believe they are the same, or a very close, species - Varanus something, anyway.

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## robuzo

> Originally Posted by smeden
> 
> more nice pics keep them comming
> 
> 
> I have more, but to be honest they are more of the same, I just picked the 7 or so best and varied and used them.
> 
> Any more and it'll get boring.
> 
> I did get a pidgeon and an egret as well....


Next time maybe you'll catch one of them getting a pigeon or egret.

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## HollyGoodhead

They're massive, like mini Komodos.  Seems mad how they're just living in the city.  Cheers for the pics  :Smile:

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## Bobcock

> Great photos, seriously. You should be a wildlife photographer!


Kind words, however.....Not a chance, this is easy stuff in a park, Real nature Photography means time, patience and skill, guys wait hours, days, weeks for a shot.....a friend of mine won one of the biggest competitions in the world. He dived on that reef several times a day for weeks getting to know one particular shark before finally getting the shot that he dreamed of.

look fo r the threads of L. Bruce Kekule on this site to see the results of the hard work and dedication it needs. Travel photography is my genre and passion, got two new threads coming up from Malaysia over the next couple of weeks.

Anyway the final shots of the lizards..... I followed this big one for some time....





Quite an impressive set of claws....



It went down to the waters edge and walked along with me back pedalling.....My mate said "Be careful behind you", "I said Yeah I can see the edge Okay".....He said, "No, I mean there's an even bigger one behind you, but Ï think it's dead.

Well, it wasn't, it had some injuries but mainly looked shite because it was shedding it's skin....It was asleep, but did wake, it was probably a wee bit longer that the one I was taking pics of, but it would have been a fair bit heavier. The smaller one went close but then moved off quite quickly once it had a look.

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## Bobcock

This is a picture of me taking a picture of a lizard at Lumpini. The pic being taken was the last pic of the first batch.

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## Norton

Popped in here by accident but pleasantly surprised. Thought the thread had something to do with the nocturnal lizards selling their wares along the sidewalks bordering Lumpini.  

Great pics.

BTW, You really should do something about the fungus infection. It could get out of hand. :Smile:

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## chitown

Now that is a lizard with fashion sense!!!




>

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## Bobcock

Actually I'm wearing that shirt now....

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## kmart

Nice hair-do. Are you a Scouser?  :Smile: 

Some terrific pics in here, Bob. First time I've seen this thread.

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## Sabai Prai

> I have only come across these reptiles in the wild and they are none too willing to cooperate when it comes to posing for photographs.


Probably for your own good that you didn't get any photographs, I'm sure you would be arrested for doing that to them, I would have been scared they bit it off, getting so close.

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## Takeovers

A nice Canon lens and you sure know how to use them. Terrific photos.

You sure have better uses for your lenses thant this.

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