AnimalsThe Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world. It is a kind of monitor lizard and can take prey as large as deer. It tracks food with its long forked tongue, which picks up scent from the air.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Varanus komodoensis
- Group
- Reptiles
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- A few islands of Indonesia
- Habitat
- Dry grassland and forest
- A young one is called
- hatchling
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Endangered
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Reptilia
- Order Squamata
- Family Varanidae
- Genus Varanus
- Species Varanus komodoensis
More distant relatives in the order Squamata: common house gecko, Indian cobra, Indian python, king cobra, veiled chameleon.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The Komodo dragon is listed as Endangered. The species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.