Florida Invader: Nile Monitor Lizard1
Steve Johnson and Monica McGarrity2
Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus) Credits: Patrick Lynch, South Florida Water Management District, 2009
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Report Nile Monitor sightings immediately:
1-888-IveGot1 (1-888-483-4681; live animals only)
www.IveGot1.org (provide photos if possible)
The Nile Monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus), native to sub-Saharan Africa, has become established in the wild in coastal areas of Lee and Charlotte Counties in Florida due to releases or escapes of pets. There are also isolated populations in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, and individual lizards of several Varanus species have been captured in other areas. Nile Monitors are large, voracious predators that may grow to over 7 feet long. These large lizards eat the eggs of birds, alligators, crocodiles, and turtles and could impact many threatened and endangered species, including Burrowing Owls and sea turtles. They are opportunistic predators and will consume any prey they can subdue, including pets. They thrive in a wide variety of habitats near water, especially in and around urban areas, where they live in burrows near the water's edge. They are strong swimmers and spread via canal systems and coastal mangroves. Females lay eggs which they bury. Lifespan is 10–15 years.
The Nile Monitor's head is gray-brown and marked with light-colored, V-shaped marks across the neck—these marks extend forward through the eyes. The fleshy, forked tongue is blue. The narrow neck is longer than the head. Credits: Patrick Lynch, South Florida Water Management District, 2009
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The Nile Monitor's body is gray-brown and marked with bands of lighter-colored (often tan) spots with light speckles between them. Toward the end of the tail, the bands of spots fuse into solid bands. Credits: Patrick Lynch, South Florida Water Management District, 2009
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Young Nile Monitors look nearly identical to adults. At hatching, they are already nearly a foot long. Credits: Mike Pingleton, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Acknowledgments
This project was made possible in part by a grant from the South Florida National Parks Trust and the Ferris Greeney Family Foundation, and by the USDA-RREA. This document was created as additional reference material for the Introduced Reptile Early Detection and Documentation training program, also known as REDDy. For more information, visit http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/reddy.shtml.
Footnotes
This document is WEC293, one of a series of the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date August 2010. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Steve A. Johnson, associate professor and Extension specialist, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida/ IFAS–Plant City Center, 1200 North Park Road, Plant City, FL 33563; Monica McGarrity, biological scientist, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida/ IFAS–Plant City Center, 1200 North Park Road, Plant City, FL 33563
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