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The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili Motang.
Monitor lizards are poached in some South- and Southeast Asian countries, as their organs and fat are used in some traditional medicines, although there is no scientific evidence as to their effectiveness. [38] [39] Monitor lizard meat, particularly the tongue and liver, is eaten in parts of India and Malaysia and is supposed to be an aphrodisiac.
Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) The Komodo dragon is the largest extant lizard with a maximum known mass of more 80 kg (176.3 lb), also perhaps the heaviest squamate. The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest living lizard in the world, with an average mass in 70 kg (150 lb) and 25 kg (55 lb) for males and females respectively ...
Varanoidea is a superfamily of lizards, including the well-known family Varanidae (the monitors and goannas). Also included in the Varanoidea are the Lanthanotidae (earless monitor lizards), and the extinct Palaeovaranidae. Throughout their long evolutionary history, varanoids have exhibited great diversity, both in habitat and form.
Varanus includes the Komodo dragon (the largest living lizard), crocodile monitor, savannah monitor, the goannas of Australia and Southeast Asia, and various other species with a similarly distinctive appearance. Their closest living relatives are the earless monitor lizard and Chinese crocodile lizard. [3]
The Komodo dragon is significantly slower, reaching speeds of just 5–6 m/s (16–20 ft/s), although that is enough for it to chase goats and deers, which it mostly preys on. [15] Being the largest true monitor, Megalania is yet slower, with its estimated top speed no more than 3 m/s (9.8 ft/s). [16]
The Komodo dragon is the largest living species of lizard in the world. The largest of the monitor lizards (and the largest extant lizard in genera) is the Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis ), endemic to the island of its name, at a maximum size of 3.13 m (10.3 ft) long and 166 kg (366 lb), although this is currently the only record that ...
Lace monitor fossils from the middle Pleistocene have been found in Naracoorte Caves in South Australia. [15] Genetic analysis of mtDNA shows the lace monitor to be the closest relative (sister taxon) of the Komodo dragon, with their common ancestor diverging from a lineage that gave rise to the crocodile monitor (Varanus salvadorii) of New Guinea.