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Reptile. The Nile monitor lizard is the largest lizard in Africa, growing up to 2.1 meters (7 feet) long. Because they eat crocodile eggs, Nile monitors are often seen near crocodile nesting sites. Adult Nile monitor lizards can easily outrun people over short distances. They can also remain underwater for more than an hour. The female Nile monitor lays her clutch of eggs in the active mounds of termites. The heat from the termites acts to incubate the eggs. When they hatch, baby lizards resemble tiny versions of their parents. The mosasaur, a large, extinct sea monster that disappeared 65 million years ago, is closely related. |
| Scientific
Name |
Lifespan |
| Varanus niloticus |
15 years |
| Diet |
| Carnivore. Fish, crocodile eggs, insects, aquatic creatures, and some mammals. |
| Predators and Threats |
| Crocodiles, pythons, leopards, eagles, and humans. Predatory fish, herons, snakes and even adults of their own species prey on young. |
| Habitat |
| Rivers, water bodies; all over Africa except the northwest. |
