The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the world's largest living lizard, native to a small cluster of islands in eastern Indonesia, including Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. Adults typically reach 2.5 to 3 meters in length and can weigh over 70 kilograms, hunting deer, wild boar, and water buffalo through a combination of ambush, serrated teeth, and venom-producing oral glands that prevent blood clotting in prey.
The species plays a critical role as an apex predator in its island habitats, regulating prey populations and influencing vegetation structure across a landscape it has occupied for millions of years. The IUCN Red List reclassified Varanus komodoensis as Endangered in 2021, citing climate-driven sea-level rise as a direct threat to the low-lying coastal habitat on which the species depends, alongside prey depletion from poaching and the restricted geographic range that leaves wild populations with little room to adapt.
No projects have listed this species yet. If you run a project that protects the Komodo Dragon, you can add it to Wildlife Connect.
