komodo dragon

The  Komodo dragon  ( Varanus komodoensis ), also known as the  Komodo monitor , is a large species of  lizard  found in the  Indonesian islands of  Komodo ,  Rinca ,  Flores ,  Gili Motang , and Padar.  A member of the  monitor lizard  family  Varanidae , it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusually large size has been attributed to  island gigantism , since no other carnivorous animals fill the  niche  on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests the large size of Komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a  relict population of very large  varanid  lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other  megafauna , died out after the  Pleistocene ...