# Komodo Dragon — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Varanus komodoensis*

> A Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the world's largest living lizard, a venomous monitor species native to a few islands in eastern Indonesia that can grow to about 3 metres long and 70-90 kilograms.

**IUCN status:** Endangered (IUCN, 2021) — fewer than ~1,400 mature individuals  ·  **WARN range:** Indonesia

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lifespan | ~30 years in the wild; longer in managed care |
| Weight | Typically 70-90 kg; up to 166 kg |
| Length | Up to ~3 m (largest living lizard) |
| Diet | Carnivore - deer, boar, carrion; juveniles eat insects and small prey |
| Incubation | ~7-8 months |
| Eggs per clutch | ~20 eggs |
| Top speed | ~20 km/h in short bursts |
| Baby name | Hatchling |
| Group name | Bask (also informally bank) |
| CITES | Appendix I |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Reptilia
- **Order:** Squamata
- **Family:** Varanidae
- **Genus:** Varanus
- **Species:** Varanus komodoensis (Ouwens, 1912)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Endangered
- **Population:** Fewer than ~1,400 mature individuals (a few thousand including juveniles)
- **Trend:** Decreasing
- **Assessed:** 2021
- **CITES:** Appendix I
- Reassessed from Vulnerable to Endangered in 2021. Population is fragmented across island subpopulations, none holding more than ~500 individuals; climate-driven habitat loss is a key long-term threat.

## Key facts: Komodo Dragon
- It is the largest living lizard on Earth, reaching roughly 3 metres and up to 166 kg.
- The entire wild population lives on just a few Indonesian islands - Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Nusa Kode.
- The IUCN reassessed it from Vulnerable to Endangered in 2021, citing a small, declining population and climate-driven habitat loss.
- Fewer than about 1,400 mature individuals are estimated to remain in the wild.
- Komodo dragons have venom glands that produce anticoagulant venom, causing prey to bleed and go into shock.
- Females can occasionally reproduce without a mate through facultative parthenogenesis, producing only male offspring.

## Why it is endangered
In 2021 the IUCN moved the Komodo dragon from Vulnerable to Endangered. The decision reflected a tiny global range, a fragmented population spread across several island subpopulations, and an estimate of fewer than 1,400 mature individuals, with no single subpopulation holding more than around 500. The biggest emerging concern is climate change: rising sea levels and warming are projected to shrink the low-lying coastal savanna habitat the species depends on, with modelling suggesting steep habitat loss in the coming decades. Because the dragon cannot simply move to new ground, this island confinement that once protected it now leaves it acutely exposed.

## Behaviour and ecology
Komodo dragons are apex predators of their islands. Adults are ambush hunters that take large mammals such as Timor deer and wild boar, while also scavenging carrion detected with their forked tongues from kilometres away. A bite delivers venom from glands in the lower jaw that prevents blood clotting and lowers blood pressure, helping bring down prey far larger than the dragon itself. Juveniles, vulnerable to being eaten by adults, spend their early years up in trees eating insects, small lizards and birds. Females lay roughly 20 eggs, often in megapode mounds or self-dug nests, which incubate for around seven to eight months.

## Threats on the ground
The most direct pressures are loss and degradation of habitat, declines in the wild prey the dragons hunt, and human disturbance across a range that overlaps with growing tourism and development. Poaching of prey species such as deer reduces the food base, and the dragon's small, isolated subpopulations make any local loss hard to reverse. Layered on top is the longer-term threat of sea-level rise eroding coastal feeding grounds. With so few animals and such a confined range, even modest additional losses carry outsized risk.

## What rescue and protection involve
Protecting Komodo dragons centres on safeguarding their habitat and prey within and around their island range, monitoring subpopulations, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and supporting the local communities who share these islands. Practical conservation work includes patrolling against poaching of prey animals, managing tourism pressure, caring for injured or displaced wildlife, and habitat restoration. Because the species exists nowhere else on Earth, on-the-ground stewardship in Indonesia - led by local teams - is the front line for its survival.

## Komodo dragon vs. other large monitor lizards
| Feature | Komodo dragon | Asian water monitor | Crocodile monitor |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Varanus komodoensis | Varanus salvator | Varanus salvadorii |
| Max length | ~3 m | ~2-3 m | ~2.5 m (very long tail) |
| Typical weight | 70-90 kg (up to 166 kg) | up to ~20 kg | up to ~20 kg |
| Range | A few Indonesian islands only | South & Southeast Asia (wide) | New Guinea |
| Venom glands | Yes | Yes (genus-wide) | Yes (genus-wide) |
| IUCN status | Endangered | Least Concern | Least Concern |

## What WARN does
Indonesia is one of the five countries where our network funds local partner shelters, sanctuaries and rescue teams, so the Komodo dragon's home range sits squarely within our funded focus. We channel support to in-country partners working on wildlife protection, habitat stewardship and the care of injured or displaced animals, rather than operating our own facilities. For a species found only on a few Indonesian islands, that partner-funded model - paired with wider public education about why these dragons matter - is how we aim to help.

Komodo dragons exist nowhere on Earth but a few Indonesian islands - one of the five countries where our network funds local rescue and conservation partners. A gift toward habitat protection helps the people on the ground keep their islands, prey and predators intact.

## Frequently asked questions: Komodo Dragon
### How big do Komodo dragons get?
Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards, reaching about 3 metres (roughly 10 feet) in length. The largest verified specimen measured about 3.13 metres and weighed 166 kg, though wild adults more typically weigh around 70-90 kg.

### How long do Komodo dragons live?
Wild Komodo dragons are thought to live around 30 years, and individuals in managed care have lived considerably longer, with some reaching their fifties or beyond.

### What do Komodo dragons eat?
They are carnivores and apex predators. Adults hunt and scavenge large prey such as deer, wild boar and even water buffalo, while juveniles eat insects, small lizards, birds and eggs.

### Are Komodo dragons dangerous to humans?
They are powerful venomous predators and can be dangerous, so people should keep their distance. Attacks on humans are rare but do happen, which is why visitors in their range are always accompanied by trained guides.

### How many Komodo dragons are left in the wild?
The IUCN estimates fewer than about 1,400 mature individuals, within a total wild population thought to be a few thousand animals when juveniles are included. All of them live in eastern Indonesia.

### What is a baby Komodo dragon called?
A baby Komodo dragon is called a hatchling. Hatchlings are only about 40 cm long and spend their first years living in trees to avoid being eaten by larger dragons.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List - Varanus komodoensis (Endangered, 2021)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22884/123633058)
- [CITES - Varanus komodoensis (Appendix I)](https://cites.org/eng/taxonomy/term/4181)
- [Smithsonian's National Zoo - Komodo dragon](https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica - Komodo dragon](https://www.britannica.com/animal/Komodo-dragon)
- [San Diego Zoo - Komodo Dragon](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/komodo-dragon)
- [Animal Diversity Web - Varanus komodoensis](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Varanus_komodoensis/)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/komodo-dragon