Komodo dragon

Also known as Komodo monitor, Komodos, Komodo island monitor, Komodo island dragon, Varanus komodoensis

species of reptile

AI overview

The Komodo dragon is a large species of reptile found in Indonesia that is the heaviest living lizard in the world. It matters as a significant part of its native ecosystem and as an important subject for scientific study and wildlife conservation.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

Endangered

科摩多巨蜥（學名：Varanus komodoensis）又譯科莫多巨蜥，俗稱科摩多龍，屬於巨蜥科巨蜥屬，是世上最大的蜥蜴，僅分布於印度尼西亚的四个島嶼。

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Parent taxon: Varanus
Named after: Komodo Island
Located in: East Nusa Tenggara
Mass: 70
Image: Varan komodský 3.jpg
Length: 1.5
Speed: 20
Life expectancy: 30
Has parts of class: tooth

Show 18 more facts

taxon rank: species
taxon name: Varanus komodoensis
Commons category: Varanus komodoensis
endemic to: Indonesia
IUCN conservation status: Endangered status
taxon common name: komodoški varan
color: black
minimum frequency of audible sound: 400
maximum frequency of audible sound: 2000
main food source: carrion
exact match: wordnet-rdf.princeton.edu/wn30/01695060-n
start time: 3800000-00
CITES Appendix: Appendix I of CITES
sequenced genome URL: www.ensembl.org/Varanus_komodoensis
Commons gallery: Varanus komodoensis
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
short name: V. komodoensis
taxon range: East Nusa Tenggara

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~35 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili Motang. The largest extant population lives within the Komodo National Park in Eastern Indonesia. It is the largest extant species of lizard, with the males growing to a maximum length of 3 m (10 ft) and weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb).

As a result of their size and group hunting behavior, both exceptional among reptiles, Komodo dragons are apex predators, dominating the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey consisting of small prey like invertebrates or birds for juveniles and larger mammals for adults, occasionally even attacking humans. The diet of adult Komodo dragons mainly consists of Javan rusa and feral pigs, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Komodo dragon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.