Nile Monitor

The Nile monitor is one of the largest lizard species in Africa, found across much of the continent south of the Sahara in habitats near rivers, lakes and wetlands, capable of growing to over two metres in length. It has a muscular, elongated body covered in small, bead-like scales patterned with yellow spots and bands on a dark background, powerful limbs with sharp claws, and a long, muscular tail that it can use as a whip-like weapon in self-defense. Nile monitors are strong swimmers and skilled climbers, feeding on an unusually broad diet that includes fish, frogs, birds, eggs, small mammals and even other reptiles, and they are notably fond of raiding the nests of crocodiles to eat the eggs, a behavior that puts them in direct conflict with much larger and better-defended animals. The species has been introduced outside its native range in places such as Florida, where escaped or released individuals have established invasive populations that pose a threat to native wildlife.