Photo of monitor lizards' 'battle hug' in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park selected as finalist in international wildlife photography competition

Monitor lizards abound in Singapore, but have you ever witnessed them in a fight?

In April, Jessica Emmett, a wildlife photographer by hobby, stumbled upon two monitor lizards locked in battle in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, and captured the moment on camera.

"It was like an evenly matched arm wrestle!" she told Mothership. "They were breathing heavily to muster every ounce of strength."

But her photos seemed to show a different story.

The two lizards had their arms wrapped around each other, with their upper bodies pressed tight against the other as they swayed from side to side.

"So many of the photos looked like loving hugs or a dance and didn’t at all reflect the heated battle I was witnessing," Emmett said.

When she posted her photos on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group on Apr. 21, others reacted similarly in the comments.

"Wow love is in the air," wrote one, adding a laughing face emoji.

Believing that more people might find the photos funny too, Emmett decided to submit one to the 2025 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.

Selected out of almost 10,000 entries

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards is an international photography competition that has been running for a decade since 2015, spotlighting some of the most joyful and humorous images of wildlife to promote conservation.

This year, out of almost 10,000 entries received from applicants from 108 countries, the judges only selected 40 individual images, three portfolio category images, and 10 videos for the finals, according to CNN.

Among the individual images of a squirrel having a bad hair day in Canada, and three lions yawning simultaneously in Kenya, was Emmett's photo of a "battle hug" between two monitor lizards in Singapore.

She also submitted other photos she had taken of different animals, but only the lizards' waltz became a finalist.

A twist

There was more that the selected photo did not capture.

"About nine minutes after I arrived, in a shock twist, a third, larger, monitor lizard slowly approached the pair!" Emmett recalled.

The tension heightened after the third lizard arrived and turned the fight into a three-way battle.

It first whipped its tail at the two lizards, then lunged at them, sending them scurrying away after a brief tussle.

"It’s likely I witnessed a territory dispute," Emmett said, explaining that it happened at a prime location by the river and under trees where herons nested.

"They also could be fighting for mating rights or dominance, it’s hard to know."

Bringing Singapore wildlife to a global stage

Emmett is no stranger to entering photography competitions.

In 2024, she won the black-and-white photo category in the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group photography competition with her photo of two otters snuggling in Singapore.

Nonetheless, Emmett has found it intimidating to go up against many professional photographers in competitions.

However, a fellow photographer friend encouraged her to keep trying, saying that the more they submitted photos of Singapore wildlife to competitions, the higher the chance Singapore wildlife can be seen on the global stage.

Shortly after their conversation, the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards, whose submissions Emmett always enjoyed seeing, opened for entries for its 2025 run.

By having her photo be selected as a finalist, her goal has already been achieved, she said, as it meant that the hugging water monitor lizards in Singapore have now been seen by many people around the world.

Her photo was included in the finalist photos highlighted by The Guardian, BBC Earth, and Smithsonian magazine, among others.

The comedy aspect of this competition was a big bonus to Emmett.

Through comedy, the photos submitted appeal to people around the world, and beyond just the photography and nature communities.

"As someone that really struggles with mental health, it is very meaningful to be part of competition that makes people smile!" Emmett added.

The winners of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards will be announced on Dec. 9 at an awards ceremony in London, and it will be followed by a free exhibition at a London gallery featuring all the 2025 finalist entries from Dec. 10 to 14.

The day after the winners are announced, the finalist entries will also be open to a public vote on the competition website, to win the People’s Choice Award.

Top images from Jessica Emmett