In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Nile Monitor in 9 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Nile Monitor.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Nile Monitor - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: First, let us draw the long, conical outline of the Nile Monitor's head. Draw the conical shape using two gently curved lines meeting in a rounded point.
Step 2: Draw a tiny circle for the Nile Monitor's eye and draw two slanting lines to show its forked tongue.
Step 3: Next, draw two gently curved lines for the body of the Nile Monitor lizard.
Step 4: Draw the tapering tail of the Nile Monitor by drawing two S-shaped lines, starting from the body and ending in a point, as shown in the image. The end of the tail should look almost like it is forming a small circle.
Step 5: Draw the left hind leg of the Nile Monitor using a bent line starting and the end of the body and ending after the tail.
Step 6: Draw the other hind leg using an S-shaped line.
Step 7: Draw the left fore leg of the Nile Monitor lizard using two curved lines. Make the fore leg smaller and thinner than the hind legs. Draw short, curved lines to show the toes of the lizard.
Step 8: Draw just the toes of the other fore leg behind the first one. This will make your drawing more realistic.
Step 9: Draw small ring shapes to show the leathery skin of the Nile Monitor lizard. Draw the marking s line by line all across the head, body, legs and tail of the lizard. Start above the eye and draw a wavy line down the body of the Nile Monitor lizard to show the texture of the skin on its back. After you complete your drawing of the Nile Monitor lizard you can color it.
Interesting Facts about the Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus):
The Nile Monitor is a large species of lizard originally from Africa. In fact, it is Africa’s largest species of lizard! It can grow up to two meters long, which is about as long as a grown man is tall. It has tough, leathery skin that is a brownish-grey color and that has yellow bands of color down its back. Its elongated head is almost like a snake’s head. Plus, it has very sharp claws and can use its long powerful tail as a weapon as well.
Did you know?
- The Nile Monitor can run up to eighteen miles per hour on land.
- This lizard can swim underwater for up to an hour!
- Nile Monitor lizards sometimes hunt in packs, and will eat just about any small animal they come across. Sometimes they’ll even eat road kill.
- A female monitor lizard can lay up to 60 eggs in one breeding season. This is the largest nest size of any lizard in the world.
- In Africa, the Nile Monitor is hunted for its skin and also for its meat.
Some people keep Nile Monitor lizards as pets. In the U.S. state of Florida, where people sometimes let their pet monitor lizards out into the wild, Nile Monitors are reproducing in the wild and damaging local populations of native fish and birds… and even eating peoples’ house cats!
How to Draw a Nile Monitor – Step-by-Step Tutorial