Until 1997 the ornate monitor was considered a subspecies of the more ubiquitous and slightly larger Nile monitor. The two closely related species are very similar in appearance, sharing many attributes such as a powerful stout body, elongated snake-like head, sharp claws and long compressed tail. Although both monitors are reasonably alike in colouration, the more brightly coloured ornate monitor has darker olive to black skin with fewer bands of yellow spots spaced from the shoulder to the tail.