Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Komodo Dragon | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

ReptiliaDry tropical savanna, monsoon forest and coastal scrub on a handful of Indonesian islandsEndangered

Field profile

The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard, reaching about three metres in length and roughly 70 to 90 kilograms in the wild. It is an ambush predator of deer, pigs and carrion, with a serrated-toothed bite and an exceptional sense of smell delivered by a forked tongue. The entire wild population lives on a small cluster of Indonesian islands.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-06-11

Komodo Dragon

The Komodo dragon has venom, not a septic bite

For decades the dragon's lethality was blamed on filthy mouths seething with bacteria. Anatomical and chemical work published from 2009 onward instead found true venom glands in the lower jaw, secreting proteins that lower blood pressure and hinder clotting.

Read with evidence →