Nile Monitor

• It often lays its eggs inside occupied termite mounds, which the termites then repair, providing a natural incubator at steady temperature and humidity.
• It eats crabs and insects (50-70% of its diet), supplemented with small vertebrates, eggs and carrion.
• It lives in forest, dry savannah, swamp and mangrove across sub-Saharan Africa, always near water.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)

Habitat and environment

Forest, dry savannah, swamp and mangrove across much of sub-Saharan Africa, always near water

Birth weight

~26 grams at hatching

Size at birth

15-30 cm long at hatching

Sexual maturity

2-4 years

Gestation / incubation

120-300 days depending on the source (usually given as 6-10 months)

Litter / clutch size

12 to 60 eggs per clutch, often laid in active termite mounds

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 20 years in captivity

Sources consulted: TSUSInvasives · EDDMapS · Animal Diversity Web · One Earth · USGS NAS Species Profile · Animal Pedia · Wikipedia (West African Nile monitor) · Animalia.bio · IUCN GISD