This week's featured animal is the Nile Monitor Lizard! As you may or may not have heard, these guys are taking over the Everglades along with the snakes. So let's look at some info about them.
Varanus niloticus
These guys mainly live in Central and Southern Africa, usually near a source of water. There are 31 total species, all carnivores.
They prefer eggs, but will eat small birds, reptiles, and mammals that they can catch. They can hold their breath underwater for up to one hour, and they are excellent climbers. Crocodiles and pythons are their biggest threats.
They are solitary creatures, meaning that they don't like company. They only breed one time of year, and the mothers do not care for their young. They become sexually mature at 3-4 years, and can live between 10-20 years in captivity.
Their size depends on the species. The ones in the Everglades vary from 3.5 feet to 5 feet. But usually they are between 5.5 to 7 feet.
When these guys are still fairly young, their teeth are small and very sharp. But as they get older, they get blunter and get ridges. This is because of the shift from fast, but weak prey to slower but more protected prey (i.e. fish to eggs).
Sources:
- http://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/nile-monitor-lizard
- http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/choose-a-species/reptiles/lizards-and-tuatara/varanus-niloticus
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