Endangered Species Guide : Reptiles : Animal Planet

Reptiles

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KOMODO DRAGON (Varanus komodoensis)

The Komodo dragon is the world's heaviest lizard, weighing 150 pounds or more. It has gray scaly skin, a pointed snout, powerful limbs and a muscular tail. It lives in the scrub and woodland of a few Indonesian islands. They use their keen sense of smell to locate decaying animal remains from several miles away. They also hunt other lizards as well as large mammals and are sometimes cannibalistic. This species is threatened by hunting, loss of prey species and habitat loss.

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IUCN Status: Vulnerable
USFWS Status: Endangered
Major Threats: Habitat loss, loss of prey species and poaching
Habitat: Open grassland, tropical savanna, tropical forest and scrub
Location: Lesser Sundu archipelago of Indonesia
Diet: Mainly carrion; also attacks large live prey

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