After a picnic lunch near a marshy area in Bagani Mahangu Game Reserve in Namibia the afternoon of August 19, 2012, we continued our drive to the Botswana border. Brad photographed a Nile (Water) Monitor, Varanus niloticus, as it walked in a muddy area near the road. This long member (4-6 feet in length...and even up to 8 feet) of the monitor lizard family has a muscular body, strong legs and powerful jaws. Teeth are sharp and pointed in juveniles but become blunted and peg-like in adults. Its sharp claws are used for climbing, digging, defense, and tearing a meal apart. The tongue is forked and has highly developed olfactory properties. Temperatures were in the 90's on this clear day.