AnimalsSavanna
Nile monitor Fun facts for kids
Varanus niloticus
The Nile monitor lives near rivers and swamps in Africa and eats crabs, snails, fish and eggs.
- Where it lives
- near rivers and swamps in Africa
- What it eats
- crabs, snails, fish and eggs
- How big it is
- longer than a grown-up is tall
Fun facts about the Nile monitor
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
Mother Nile monitors often lay their eggs inside termite mounds, and the termites seal them in and keep them warm.
Its nostrils sit high on its snout, so it can breathe while most of its body is underwater.
It is a super swimmer and uses its flat tail like a paddle.
Like a snake, it flicks its long forked tongue to smell the air.
When it feels scared, it hisses, puffs up its body and swings its tail like a whip.
Its eggs can take many months to hatch, sometimes almost a whole year.
It is often called the longest lizard in all of Africa.
Baby Nile monitors have bright yellow spots and stripes that fade as they grow up.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I live in Africa, always close to rivers, lakes or swamps.
Like a snake, I flick my long forked tongue to smell the air.
I swim by waving my flat tail like a paddle, and my nostrils sit high so I can breathe.
My mother laid her eggs inside a termite hill, and the termites kept them warm.
I'm the longest lizard in all of Africa, and the Komodo dragon is my cousin.
Sammy might be thinking of a Nile monitor.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the Nile monitor in the Savanna adventure.
Play the SavannaComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
