A juvenile Komodo dragon faces away on a flat, dusty trail, with its thick body and long tail visible.

Juvenile Komodo dragon at Rinca Island, Indonesia.

Creator: Alexander Vasenin

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

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Species record

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

Explore the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the world’s largest living lizards and are native to several Indonesian islands. They are most abundant in savanna and monsoon forest, though they also use steppe, mangrove and littoral habitats. They hunt live prey and scavenge carrion, using a long, forked tongue and specialized scent organs to find food. The IUCN lists them as Endangered globally; its 2021 assessment says climate modelling suggests the population’s decline over 2010–2050 may exceed 30%, while separately reporting continuing habitat decline across a third of the range driven by human activities, including agricultural expansion.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Chordates
  3. Subphylum: Vertebrates
  4. Class: Reptilia
  5. Order: Squamata
  6. Family: Varanidae
  7. Genus: Varanus
  8. Species: Varanus komodoensis

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
savanna, monsoon forest
Selected regions
Asia
Selected countries
Indonesia

Conservation status

The Ark records: Endangered.

Did you know?

  • A Komodo dragon flicks its forked tongue to collect scents from the air; a special organ in its mouth helps it follow where the smell is coming from.

More images

Komodo dragons rest in the shade beneath a raised wooden building, with trees around the structure.

Komodo dragons beneath a building on Rinca Island, Indonesia.

Creator: Michael Day

Licence: CC BY 2.0

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Sources and attribution