Varanus niloticus
The Water, or Nile, Monitor is one of the three largest lizards occurring in Africa, growing to a total length of up to almost 2.5m and a weight of up to 15kg or more!
As its name suggests, this enormous lizard is very much at home in aquatic habitats (streams, rivers, pans, lakes, dams, marshes, etc.) and is an excellent swimmer, often diving beneath the water surface to hunt for prey or escape enemies. They feed predominantly on crustaceans and molluscs, but will also prey on insects, frogs, fish and the eggs of birds, tortoises and crocodiles. They’re often seen basking in the sun on rocks or logs close to the water and are very good climbers, often hibernating in the tops of trees in temperate regions like South Africa. When cornered they lash out with their long, muscular tails in self-defense, often inflicting serious damage to any bold attacker.
After the first spring rains, females dig holes in occupied termite mounds in which they lay between 20 and 60 eggs. The termites then fix the nest and the monitor eggs then develop inside it at a constant temperature and humidity. The eggs can take anything between 6 months and a year to hatch, with the young then digging themselves out of the termite mound.
In South Africa, the Water Monitor occurs along all the river systems running to the Indian Ocean north of Port Elizabeth, as well as along the rivers making up the Orange-Vaal system running to the Atlantic. North of our borders they occur widely in sub-Saharan Africa and along the Nile River into Egypt. Sadly they are a target species of the exotic pet trade.
DeWetsWild 
Haai oom… dis ‘n groot akkedis daai! 😉
Nogal ja! 😀
Curious why they are called “monitor “ lizards??
Very interesting question, Alanna, and I don’t know the answer, but this page has a very entertaining suggestion as to how they got the name: https://meeppa.wordpress.com/fauna/how-the-monitor-lizard-got-its-name/
Mmmm… ek wonder?? 🥺🤭
Wonderful post
Thanks a lot!
That thing could give a nasty shock —
You’d think that you have found a croc!
btw It occurred to me you might have enjoyed this if you’d come across it a year ago: https://colonialist.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/gains-and-losses-in-poetic-translation/
You’re right, Leslie – it could be very easy to confuse them with crocodiles, especially a large specimen in the water. But I had to smile when I once heard about a frightened tourist calling a reception office in Kruger to complain about a “gecko” hanging from the rooms curtains etc. The camp staff tried to calm him down by saying that there’s no need to worry about a gecko, but after several distraught pleas eventually went to investigate, only to find a 2 meter long leguaan in the rondawel!
You did a very good job of translating Leipoldt’s verse, that contrast between sweet nature and horrid war…
Shivvers!
They do look like some kind of dragon, don’t they Teresa!?
Your pictures give me the chills . . . and that’s a compliment! So glad I can look here and not in the face of one of these creatures.
😀 Thanks friends! These guys do look very intimidating, but if you give them their space they are fascinating to watch!
Pragtige foto’s, Dries.
Waardeer dit, dankie Dina!
One of the most beautiful lizard I have seen!😊 Is it dangerous for people? Some varans have bacteria/poison in the saliv.
The Water Monitor isn’t really able to kill a human, John, but they can deliver a very nasty bite (which could well become infected if not treated) and if they hit you with that tail it can cause some serious damage!
This one resembles an animal in our country called “Bayawak”. Some people who love exotic food even eat it. 😨
Indeed a close relative of your “Bayawak”, Carlo, but I don’t think I would be able to eat it!
I also won’t dare eat it. Ahahaha
It is always a pleasure to see one in the wild – your lovely photographs do justice to them!
Thank you so much, Anne! We also enjoy seeing the leguaans but sadly that seems to be only inside the game reserves these days.
Sjoe dit lyk na n lekker grootte wat jy afgeneem het. Het al n groot een eendag teëgekom in die Bosveld. Hy’t oor die grondpad geloop.(Seker nie n waterikkewaan gewees nie.)
Hulle is voorwaar enorme akkedisse, Ineke, en mens bly maar liefs uit so n grootte se pad ne!
Ja doerdie tyd het ons die ou maar sy stap laat stap oor die pad voordat ons verder gery het.
That’s a lot of lizard! Very handsome on though. I’d love to see one in the wild!
Definitely one of the animals that you should hope to see when visiting South Africa, Montucky, even if it isn’t one of the charismatic and iconic large African animals featured in the doccies on tv!
The exotic pet trade….darn these people! Why can’t they just leave nature alone and find something else to do?!
Sickening really, isn’t it, Lois!? Animals like these really do best in their natural environment and can never have the quality of life they deserve being cooped up in a cage.
Beautiful markings. That’s a large lizard!
janet
It is a tank of a lizard for sure, Janet!
The skin is gorgeous. I can understand they are sought after for exotic pet trade. Excellent photos.
Thank you for the kind compliment, Miriam. Indeed,their patterns are what gets them into captivity, but they really are too large and aggressive to make good pets and so many are killed or abandoned once they’ve outgrown their accommodations and their owners fancy. And many, many more die after being caught than what eventually ends up in a pet shop.
We went to the Crocodile farm near Sydney, Australia. We don’t like the fact that the young crocodile skin makes the most expensive leather purses and shoes. I don’t like many thing human do to animals.
When we went to Spain, we went to a bull ranch, and found out that the bulls are raised innocently until the day they put in a ring and got killed. Good the Barcelona banded the bull fight.
Nothing on this planet is as cruel and inhumane as humans…
Yes, it’s a sad story.