komodo dragon

The Komodo dragon, native to Indonesia, is the largest living lizard in the world. In the wild large adults tend to weigh around 70kg (154 pounds). Captive specimens often weigh more. The largest verified specimen was 3.13 metres (10 feet 3 inches) long and weighed 166kg (365 pounds), including undigested food.

Their prey is wide ranging, and includes wild pigs, goats, deer, and water buffaloes. In the wild they have also been observed to eat other smaller dragons. Occasionally they have been known to eat humans and human corpses. The serrations along their teeth are an ideal niche for over 50 strains of bacteria. If the initial bite does not kill the prey, and it escapes, the deadly infections caused by the bacteria living in the dragon's teeth kill the prey within a week.

The Komodo dragon is an endangered species (appx. there are 6000) and is found on the IUCN Red List.

Komodo National Park in Indonesia includes three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar. The islands are of volcanic origin. Within its area there are living about 4000 inhabitants. In 1991 the national park was accepted as World Heritage by the UNESCO.