It was probably introduced as part of the pet trade. No one knows exactly when the monitor arrived in Florida, but it was first spotted in 1990. It’s a formidable animal, and the largest lizard in Africa. At the other is a sinuous head that will devour rodents, birds, fish, crocodile eggs, and pretty much anything else within range of its fearsome, recurved teeth. At one end is a powerful tail that propels the animal through water and whips attackers with surprising force. The speckled body of the Nile monitor lizard can reach up to 2 meters in length.
