He’s been slinking beneath your Orlando airboat and sliding through the gator pits; introducing, fighting in the blue corner: Nile “Not-A-Crocodile” Monitor. This adaptive creature is capable of skulking through a variety of diverse habitats. They can run up to 18 miles per hour across packed earth or swim swiftly underwater for up to an hour. Their arsenal of weapons includes sharp, snake-like teeth, a long muscular tail used as a whip, sinister claws for slashing, a seriously bad temper, and an aggressive determination.
In preparation for the upcoming Fauna Face-Off, we’re going to take a closer look at one of the first contenders: the Nile Monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus). This invasive contender is the longest lizard in Africa. It was first spotted in the Cape Coral area in the early 90s. This predator poses a serious threat to local water birds and any other mammals, reptiles, and amphibians that it can fit into its powerful jaws. To make matters worse, these creatures have even been seen hunting in packs.
These large, prolific carnivores are intelligent and determined hunters. They reach up to 5 feet in length, some even surpassing 8 feet, and can weigh up to 30 pounds. In their native Africa, they’re often seen along desert fringes, grasslands, rainforests, human inhabited areas, and areas in close vicinity of rivers, swamps, ponds, seashores, and lakes. The most plentiful and attractive area for an African Nile Monitor roaming Florida would be the mangrove swamps, salt water marshes, and river banks of the Everglades.
The Nile Monitor is the second most common African monitor species sold in the United States. That’s how this species came to Cape Coral and the Everglades areas. Reptile enthusiasts purchased them in the exotic pet trade and they either escaped or were intentionally released. Now, this fierce predator and scavenger is here to battle the native Everglades inhabitants for their territory, resources, and even their lives. The Nile Monitor is not a picky eater. Its stomach has been known to hold a variety of edible content, ranging from mammal hair and bird feathers, to alligator egg shells, and small reptile and amphibian bones. The creatures most at risk to this invasive species are lizards, snakes, freshwater and box turtles, ground-nesting birds, gopher tortoises, burrowing owls, wading birds, small mammals (like feral and domestic cat small), and the American alligator.
Because of the threat this monitor poses, the American alligator is taking control and challenging this invader to battle in the Fauna Face-Off. The alligator is tired of seeing its young and the young of its cousin, the American crocodile, snatched up by this Everglades invader. Tune in to the Wild Florida blogs this Friday for the first round of the Fauna Face-off: the American alligator vs. the Nile Monitor lizard. To get in the mood, take an Orlando airboatride at Wild Florida today. Who knows, you may see one of these resilient reptiles on your trip.
