PETALING JAYA, July 28 — A viral clip of two giant monitor lizards duking it out at a Covid-19 assessment centre parking lot has become a source of amusement to Malaysians online.
And no, they were not fighting over a parking spot.
The pair of reptiles that were locked in a hugging position was recorded in a Twitter video that has been watched more than 666,000 times at the time of writing.
Although most viewers assumed the animals were embracing, male monitor lizards are known to fight over females and territory by standing upright and swaying side to side.
Malaysian social media users had a field day after watching the clip and flooded the tweet’s comments section with a barrage of hilarious responses befitting for the times we live in.
@biawakiium bang buat apa ni bang dekat parking CAC ni!! pic.twitter.com/qi9BhM3aKN
— 🌠✨ (@adriananaziha) July 25, 2021
Me and my buddies after covid ends. pic.twitter.com/IlLpGSFbGY
— Jeri 🇲🇾 (@AzriYusainey) July 26, 2021
Many anthropomorphised the reptiles saying they missed each other after being quarantined for a long period.
"Oh fredd, at last! i miss you!"
— Syaza 🇲🇾 (@Zazameyra) July 25, 2021
"I miss you too buddy. Glad that you're okay. Heard our friend didnt make it"
“Hi friend, long time no see, miss you,” @AnaSibawaih wrote.
“Even monitor lizards miss their friends,” added @ainazawanii.
Others hilariously said the lizards ought to be fined for flouting social distancing rules and not wearing a face mask.
Saman!!! Langgar sop!
— rin 🏴 (@ppxndxx) July 25, 2021
“I suspect they can’t cross state borders, that’s why they miss each other so much,” @razinrhm18 said jokingly.
The sheer size of the reptiles prompted Malaysians to compare them to the King of the Monsters, better known as Godzilla.
GODZILLA MALAYSIA VERSION
— 🏴Seketul Daus Lawan Kerajaan Bangsat🏴 (@akmal_firdaus97) July 26, 2021
Lizilla? pic.twitter.com/ilX662IWPu
— Ta Chéri (@hzwnieazmi) July 26, 2021
next trailer godzilla vs godzilla
— Nyau (@biskutcelupmilo) July 27, 2021
Some even went the extra mile by praising the two lizards’ dance moves.
Menari tango 🫂
— 𝕙ά𝕟η𝕒 (@hansnationlit) July 25, 2021
“So sweet, they’re dancing the salsa,” said @mierulsyafiq.
Despite the amusing comments, a couple of nature lovers responded to set the record straight.
fun fact: they're both male wrestling one another. the one that pushes the other onto the ground wins.
— haru•🇵🇸 (@hfzmhmd_) July 25, 2021
Native to South and South-east Asia, the Asian water monitor can grow up to eight feet long and is the world’s second largest monitor lizard after Indonesia’s Komodo dragons.
The Covid-19 crisis has resulted in countless viral videos of animals rewilding urban spaces as human beings are forced to stay home to curb infectivity rates.