The Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus) is a species of monitor lizard from the savannas of Africa. It is the largest lizard in Africa, as well as the heaviest. It has a long neck, powerful tail and claws, and well-developed limbs. Their nostrils are placed high on their snouts, indicating these animals are very well adapted for an aquatic lifestyle. They are also excellent climbers and quick runners on land.
Nile monitors feed on a wide variety of prey items, including fish, frogs, toads (even poisonous ones of the genus Breviceps), rodents, small reptiles and birds, eggs, invertebrates, and carrion.
The Nile monitor often goes after the eggs of the Nile crocodile. Nile monitors have been observed to cooperate when foraging. One varanid lures the female crocodile away from her nest while the other opens the nest to feed on the eggs. The decoy then returns to also feed on the eggs.
It is oviparous, laying around ten eggs, though larger females can lay more. Nile monitors often cover their eggs with soil or protect them in a hollow tree stump. They have even been known to bury their eggs in termite mounds. As the termites work to repair the damage caused by the burrowing mother, they seal the eggs inside, protecting them from predators. Once the eggs hatch, the eat the termites until they are strong enough to burrow out of the mound.