Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

The largest living lizard, a venomous predator found only on a few Indonesian islands that can smell food miles away.

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About the Komodo Dragon

Komodo dragons live in tropical savanna forests on a few Indonesian islands, including Komodo, Flores, Rinca and Padar. They flick their forked tongues to sample the air and can smell a dead animal up to 2.5 miles away. Komodo dragons can briefly run 10 to 13 miles per hour. Young dragons eat small lizards, insects, snakes and birds.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Varanus komodoensis^[1]
Size: The largest verified one was 10.3 feet (3.13 m) long.^[1]
Weight: Wild adults typically about 154 pounds (70 kg). The largest verified weighed 366 pounds.^[1]
Lifespan: About 30 years in the wild.^[1]
Diet: Carnivore. Eats carrion and live prey; young eat small lizards, insects, snakes and birds.^[1]
Habitat: Tropical savanna forests.^[1]
Where it lives: A few Indonesian islands in the Lesser Sundas: Komodo, Flores, Rinca and Padar.^[1]
Babies: About 30 eggs, which hatch after about nine months. Hatchlings are about 16 inches long.^[1]
Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2019).^[2]

Fun facts

The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard in the world.^[1]
A Komodo dragon can smell a dead animal up to 2.5 miles (4 km) away.^[1]
A Komodo dragon can eat up to 80 percent of its body weight in one meal.^[1]
Komodo dragons have a venomous bite.^[1]

Vocabulary

venom: A poison an animal puts into another animal by biting or stinging.
forked tongue: A tongue split into two tips, used by lizards and snakes to smell.
carrion: The meat of an animal that is already dead.
hatchling: A baby animal that has just come out of its egg.
endangered: A conservation label meaning a species faces a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Montgomery ZooMontgomery, Alabama · Komodo DragonSee this area on the zoo's website ↗
Zoo AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia · All AnimalsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
San Francisco Zoo & GardensSan Francisco, California · ReptilesSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Komodo dragon.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Varanus komodoensis (Komodo Dragon).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22884/123633058 (accessed 2026-10-02)