Komodo dragon (scientific name: Varanus komodoensis) is a large lizard commonly found on the islands of Indonesia. They are members of the Varanidae family, and are the largest living lizards, with a body length that can reach a maximum of 3m, and a weight of about 70kg.

Despite their large bodies, they run quite fast, able to reach speeds of about 20km/h. In addition, they can also dive 5m deep in water, and climb trees like other lizards.

They are carnivores, with their preferred prey being invertebrates, birds, herbivores and mammals. Scientific documents suggest that they have venom in protein form, secreted from two glands in the lower jaw.

Not only that, even the Komodo dragon’s saliva contains up to 50 different types of bacteria. Just one bite from this dragon can poison its prey and kill it before being swallowed whole by the dragon.

Komodo dragons are voracious eaters, able to eat up to 80% of their body weight in one meal. After eating, Komodo dragons often have to drag themselves to a sunny location to speed up digestion. The reason is because food in their stomachs can rot and cause poisoning for dragons if left for too long.

However, because of its voracious nature, combined with a shrinking habitat, from having a large number of up to thousands, Komodo dragons are currently facing the risk of extinction.