largest lizard on earth

The largest lizard on earth is the Komodo dragon. Komodo dragon, scientific name Varanus komodoensis (Ouwens, 1912), is an animal of the genus Varanus in the family Varanus. Also known as the Komodo dragon, it is the largest lizard known to exist today. Komodo dragons are ferocious and their adults eat the young of the same species and sometimes other adults. It can move quickly and occasionally attacks humans; but it mainly feeds on carrion, leaving its burrows to search for food several kilometers away every day.

The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard known to exist, with an average body length of 2-3 meters; average weight: males 79-91 kg, females 68-73 kg, and the longest is 3.13 meters, weighing 166 kg (including undigested food) Internally), those in captivity are generally heavier than those in the wild. Its tail is almost as long as its body, its limbs are as thick as adult arms, and its head is about the size of a volleyball. The skin colors of cubs are green, yellow and black. Adult monitor lizards are dark brown all over.

Komodo dragons are a remnant of the age of dinosaurs. Prefers hot and dry places, usually inhabiting dry, open grasslands, savannas and low-altitude tropical forests. As a carnivorous monitor lizard, the monitor lizard feeds on wild boars, deer, monkeys, snakes, etc. on the island, and sometimes preys on weaker similar species and juveniles. They occasionally attack humans or feed on human corpses. As of 2010, about 12 people died from the venom in the bite wounds of monitor lizards.

People have hunted Komodo dragons for their hard and thick skin, or captured them for exhibition in zoos. As a result, there are no more than 3,000 Komodo dragons left. It is one of the most precious animals in the world and is a vulnerable species under the Indonesian National Animal Protection and IUCN. They are protected in the national park on Komodo Island. In 1991, Komodo National Park was registered as a World Heritage Site.

Komodo Island is deserted all year round. Later, the Sultan of Sumbawa began to exile criminals to the island to serve their sentences, and discovered giant lizards, but no one believed them. In 1911, an American pilot accidentally spotted the "monster" while flying a small plane over Como Island at low altitude. In 1915, the Indonesian government regarded this animal, which cannot be found anywhere else on earth, as a national treasure and strictly protected it. In 1926, American Bourdain took a large number of shots about the natural scenery of Komodo Island and the giant lizards. In 1931, the film "KINGKONG" was produced, and the Komodo dragons began to be known to the world. In 1990, the Indonesian government established Komodo National Park and officially opened it to tourists.

On September 4, 2021, the World Conservation Union updated the Red List of Endangered Species, and the protection level of the Komodo dragon was upgraded from "vulnerable" to "endangered".

The largest lizard in the world: The largest lizard is the Komodo dragon. The average male body length is 2.59 meters and the weight is about 79-91 kilograms. The largest accurately measured specimen is believed to be a male gifted to an American zoologist by Bhima Sultan in 1928. In 1937, it was briefly exhibited at the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri, USA. At that time, it was 3.10 meters long and weighed 166 kilograms. (Guinness World Records)

animal tags：