Komodo dragon

Varanus komodoensis

The largest living lizard on Earth

Photos and pictures

4 pictures: tap to see them large.

Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)usual weight in the wild; the known record is 366 lb, but measured on a full stomach
Length: 10 ft (3 m)only in rare cases
Lifespan: 30 yearsup to 50 years by some estimates
Speed: 12 mph (19 km/h)only in short sprints
Scent distance: 6 mi (9.7 km)from 2.5 to 6 mi, with a favorable wind
Maximum meal: 80 percent of body weightin a single sitting

It has about sixty serrated teeth up to one inch long that are constantly being replaced.
The tips and edges of its teeth have an orange coating that is enriched with iron.
While swallowing prey it breathes through a small tube under its tongue connected directly to its lungs.
Swallowing a whole goat takes fifteen to twenty minutes, sometimes pushing the carcass against a nearby tree.
Lacking a diaphragm, it cannot suck up water, so it scoops liquid into its mouth and lifts its head.
It hears only sounds between four hundred and two thousand hertz, so for years people thought it was completely deaf.
A young individual approaching a carcass rolls in feces to avoid being eaten by the hungry adults.
Ten percent of the adult diet consists of young members belonging to their very own species.
In 2006 a female at Chester Zoo laid eleven unfertilized eggs, and seven hatched into healthy males.
The 1926 expedition by Douglas Burden brought back two live specimens and inspired the 1933 movie King Kong.

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

What did researchers discover in 2009?

Question 2 of 5

Why do young individuals spend years in trees?

Question 3 of 5

From how far away can it smell a carcass?

Question 4 of 5

Where does it live in the wild?

Question 5 of 5

How much food can it ingest in a single meal?

Experiment 1

Take a tape measure and stretch it out ten feet across the floor: that is the maximum length ever recorded for this giant lizard.

Experiment 2

Calculate eighty percent of your body weight: that is how much food this animal can swallow during just a single meal.

Experiment 3

Look up a location on a map six miles from your house: that is the distance from which this animal can smell a carcass.