This marks the second escape of this particular Varanus niloticus
UPDATE: Dino the Nile monitor was found about 2 miles from his home.
Dino the 25-pound Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) is still on the loose in Woodland Park, Colorado, four days after its owner, Greg reported him missing. Greg, who didn't want his last name to be known, told 11 News that the lizard is not aggressive but is rather very mellow. "My roommate, he has a 4 1/2-year-old that loves this lizard and is sad that it's gone. So like I said, he's a very mellow lizard; he doesn't bite." Dino is kept in an outside during the day and apparently still has his harness and leash attached. Greg says that Dino had gotten loose about the same time last year and went missing for two weeks before he was found, about 100 feet from his home.
Nile monitors grow to about 6 feet in length with some specimens growing to more than 7 feet. Their native range is sub-Saharan, eastern and northern Africa. Adult Nile monitors feed on shellfish, mollusks, fish, chicks, and mice. They require temperatures between 82 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the ideal temperature range now (July 2012) in Colorado during the day. Ideal nighttime temperatures are 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If not found soon, chances of the reptile surviving the upcoming cold weather (Woodland Park is 8,000 feet above sea level) will be drastically reduced.
