Monitor lizard spotted in Delhi goes viral; Adds to the list of bizarre events in 2020

2020 has been the most eventful year thus far, with the pandemic and various other unusual spottings. In the light of this, a monitor lizard was recently spotted in the Chhatarpur area in Delhi. This picture of the lizard, which was shared by IPS officer HGS Dhaliwal, quickly became viral, and garnered close to 4.9k likes and more than 1,000 reshares on Twitter. Many have even termed this house the ‘Jurassic Niwas’, amongst other comments.

Some people even suggested that this could possibly be someone’s pet, after an ostrich spotting was posted shortly after the lizard’s picture started trending.

Earlier this week, a video of a monitor lizard bravely confronting and trying to fend off a relentless attack from two dogs had gone viral. The incident happened in Pauri district in Uttarakhand. The confrontation lasted for about three minutes after which the people filming the video drove the dogs away. Monitor lizards have long necks and powerful tails. These are generally carnivorous and eat eggs, smaller reptiles, birds, insects, and fish among other things. The carnivorous creatures are native to Africa, Asia and Oceania but are considered to be non-poisonous.

Such wildlife spotting pictures have been on the rounds ever since the beginning of the lockdown, and are giving people cold chills during this ‘staying home period’.