Rock Monitor

Veldlikkewaan · Varanus albigularis

A big, stocky lizard with a blunt, bulldog-like snout and powerful claws for digging and climbing. It can reach about two metres long and prefers dry, rocky country away from water. It feeds on insects, snails, eggs and small animals. When threatened it puffs up, hisses loudly and lashes its strong tail like a whip.

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How to identify it

A large land lizard with a short, rounded snout and a banded tail, found in dry bush rather than near rivers.

Where to see it in Kruger

Lives in dry savanna and rocky outcrops across the park, often seen crossing roads or climbing trees in the central and northern regions.

Did you know

It can swallow a whole bird's egg and crush it inside its throat using special bony bumps in its neck!

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