Africa’s longest lizard, the Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus), is a large reptile that is also referred to as the water monitor. It may grow up to two meters in length, with the tail accounting for more than half of its length.

It rarely ventures far from water and is frequently spotted swimming in the shallows, lounging on a rock, or searching through the riverine foliage over much of the area. Using its forked, flicking tongue to locate its prey by scent, this adaptable predator can swim, run, and climb with equal ease. It will consume anything from insects to small mammals.

Information Regarding the Nile Monitor

The tail of a Nile monitor can reach a length of almost one meter. It helps propel it through the water, acts as a counterbalance when sprinting, and can be used as a whip to strike an attacker in self-defense.
When a crocodile nest is left unattended, water monitors will raid it to get its eggs. It is even claimed that they cooperate, with one nipping in to capture the prize while the other agitates a female crocodile away from its clutch.

The Nile monitor’s greatest adversary is the martial eagle, which can capture and transport a person up to 4 kg in weight.
The greatest clutch size of any lizard, up to 60 eggs, are laid by a female Nile monitor breaking into a live termite mound in the spring. The termites fix the damage and let the eggs incubate in warm, humid circumstances.

The following spring rains cause the soil to soften, allowing the hatchlings to emerge.
Since at least 1990, nile monitors have been thriving in Florida, USA. The reptile, which escaped from private collections, has adapted well to the subtropical wetlands and is now a threat to alligators and other native animals. Lee County is home to the majority of the established breeding population.