BBC - Wildlife Finder - Komodo dragon (video, facts and news)

Komodo dragons are huge, heavily-built monitor lizards - the largest lizards in the world. The largest accurately recorded specimen was 3.1m long and weighed 166kg. Komodos use deadly saliva containing toxic bacteria as part of their armoury. The bacteria multiply rapidly in a bite wound and lead to blood poisoning and gangrene in the victim. This energy efficient predation keeps the Komodo dragons at the top of the predator tree in their island home.

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Featured in the following TV programmes

Catch Up

Life: Reptiles and Amphibians

A look at the strategies used by reptiles and amphibians to conquer their shortcomings.

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Archived

Last Chance to See: Komodo Dragon

Mark and Stephen attempt to track down the deadly Komodo dragon.

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Archived

David Attenborough's Life Stories: Dragons

David Attenborough was one of the first people to film the Komodo dragon.
Archived

Letter From...: 25/07/2009

David Attenborough on discovering the Komodo Dragon.

Earth News

'Virgin births' for giant lizards

The largest lizards in the world are capable of "virgin births".
Komodo dragons have venomous bite

The Komodo dragon has a bite tinged with a deadly venom, according to researchers.

About the Komodo dragon

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard that inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang in Indonesia. A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and weighing around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusual size is attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live; their large size is also explained by the Komodo dragon's low metabolic rate. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.

Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About twenty eggs are deposited in abandoned megapode nests and incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. They take around three to five years to mature, and may live as long as fifty years. They are among the rare vertebrates capable of parthenogenesis, in which females may lay viable eggs if males are absent.

Komodo dragons were first recorded by Western scientists in 1910. Their large size and fearsome reputation make them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild their range has contracted due to human activities and they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. They are protected under Indonesian law, and a national park, Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.