The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard species, found only on a handful of Indonesian islands including Komodo, Rinca and Flores, where adults can grow to around three metres in length and weigh well over sixty kilograms. It is an apex predator capable of taking down prey as large as deer, water buffalo and, occasionally, humans, using a combination of a powerful bite delivered with sharp, serrated teeth and venom glands that impair blood clotting and cause shock in the victim. Komodo dragons are also skilled scavengers with an extraordinarily keen sense of smell that can detect carrion from several kilometres away, and they are capable of short bursts of speed despite their bulk. Confined to a very small total range and threatened by habitat loss, poaching of its prey species and rising sea levels affecting its low-lying island habitat, the species is classified as endangered.
Facts
Classification
DietDetritivore or Scavenger 2 System (Realm) ThreatsClimate Change and Severe Weather 2 Relationship to People Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status. Scientific Name Conservation Status Population EstimateMost recent of three consecutive yearly counts in the article's Conservation section: 3,222 individuals in 2013, declining to 3,092 in 2014 and 3,014 in 2015. Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceThe Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body, as well as about 60 frequently replaced, serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 cm (1 in) in length. 1 Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Source Komodo Dragon (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Komodo Dragon (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationScientific classification infobox
Varanus komodoensis
Infobox: status
EN
Conservation section, 2013-2015 count sentence
In 2013, the total population of Komodo dragons in the wild was assessed as 3,222 individuals, declining to 3,092 in 2014 and 3,014 in 2015.
Description section, tail and teeth sentence
The Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body, as well as about 60 frequently replaced, serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 cm (1 in) in length.
Article text
Under Appendix I of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), commercial international trade of Komodo dragon skins or specimens is prohibited.
In Biome: Grassland, Behaviour and ecology
The Komodo dragon prefers hot and dry places and typically lives in dry, open grassland, savanna, and tropical forest at low elevations.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Komodo dragon
threat (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
In the wild, their range has been reduced by human encroachment and is likely to contract further from the effects of climate change; hence, they are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List.
system (entity description states it plainly, diet)
Komodo dragons are also skilled scavengers with an extraordinarily keen sense of smell that can detect carrion from several kilometres away, and they are capable of short bursts of speed despite their bulk.
View the Source3. Komodo dragon (Wikipedia)
4. GBIF Species API
Wikidata: Komodo Dragon
- Wikidata Q4504, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Varanus, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon)
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