Stingrays are a delicacy enjoyed by most — and it seems nature agrees.

Thatappears to be the case, after a monitor lizard was seen making a hearty meal of a stingray at MacRitchie Reservoir on Sunday (July 20), according to an Instagram post by Navaraj Rajendran later that day.

"Sambal stingray!" Navaraj exclaimed in his post. "Hope I didn't use up all my luck chancing upon this big water monitor enjoying a huge stingray."

Although Navaraj said he didn't have his camera with him, the veterinary student still managed to snap a few shots, presumably with his phone, adding that it was a "perfect morning walk".

Photographs and videos showedthe reptile savouring its meal, tearing into the flesh of the stingray while keeping a watchful eye on its surroundings.

In one reply to a commenter, Navaraj shared: "Fella really enjoying."

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A post shared by Raja Raj a. k. a Nava (@rajarajshots)

Navaraj, 25, told AsiaOne that he had had been on a morning walk with his girlfriend when he noticed "something large" splashing in the water and decided to stop to have a look.

A large monitor lizard then surfaced from the waters of the reservoir, dragging the stingray along.

The monitor lizard was approximately two-and-a-half metres long and the largest he had ever seen.

"It was surprising to see the lizard enjoying its large meal so close to us," he told AsiaOne. "I felt so lucky to be able to witness such a wild moment so up close and personal."

As it tucked into its meal, a crowd of onlookers began filming the lizard excitedly, which made it wary, Navaraj recalled.

It was then seen dragging the stingray's half-eaten carcass further away from the boardwalk, where it resumed its feast.

The spectacle attracted more observers, which led the monitor lizard to re-enter the reservoir to finish its meal in peace.

Sharing his thoughts with AsiaOne, Navaraj said that he had been fortunate enough to catch other instances of nature taking its course. 

"However, these experiences were often limited to smaller animals like birds, insects and smaller reptiles. This was the first time I had seen such an interaction between two large animals in Singapore," he said.

"The force and intensity of the monitor lizard's bites made the whole experience even more exciting."

'Ended up as lizard's meal'

However, Navaraj isn't the first to witness such a scene.

Facebook user Jayasree Alamuru also witnessed a similar sight last November while travelling through Sungei Buloh one morning.

A video shared to Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Nov 23 showed a monitor lizard biting on the carcass of what appeared to be a stingray while resting between mangrove trees.

Comments suggested that the stingray could have been dropped in the middle of the pathway by a bird, before the lizard swooped in to claim it as its own.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com