Audubon Zoo Exhibit: Komodo Dragon

Meet a Komodo Dragon at Audubon Zoo

Komodo Dragons are the largest and heaviest of all living lizards. At Audubon Zoo, you can see one of these spectacular lizards at Reptile Encounter. See “Raja,” our resident male Komodo, in his outdoor habitat.

Komodo Dragon Fast Facts

Conservation Status: Endangered – very high risk of extinction
Habitat/Range: Tropical forest and scrub of eastern Indonesia
Diet: Carnivore – meat, including carrion
Size: Up to 10ft. long, 150-330lbs.
Lifespan: Up to 30 years

The Komodo Dragon is the largest and heaviest lizard in the world..

Female Komodos peak in size but males never stop growing.

A Komodo dragon vomits the contents of its stomach when threatened.

Komodo Dragon Habitat & Range

Komodo Dragons have lived on the beaches and in the forests of the lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia for millions of years.

Learn More About Komodo Dragon Habitat & Range

Historic vs. Current Range
Komodo Dragons live on a handful of islands in eastern Indonesia, including the islands of Komodo, Flores, Rinca, and Padar. Their range within those islands has shrunk as human development has spread.

Habitat
Komodo dragons prefer tropical forest and scrub habitat but will also cruise beaches.

Komodo Dragon Behavior

Komodo Dragons are solitary monitor lizards that begin their lives in trees and descend to the ground as they gain size.

Learn More About Komodo Dragon Behavior

Island Life
Komodo Dragons are homebodies. They do not wander far from where they were born, and they live solitary lives. They shelter in tight burrows to escape intense heat, hunt only occasionally, and eat large yet infrequent meals. These big lizards are less active during the dry season and more active during the rainy season.

Wrestling, Mating & Nesting
Males engage in ritual combat to mate with females. They basically stage upright lizard wrestling matches. The loser is thrown to the ground, and the winner gains access to a willing female. After mating, females dig nests and lay up to three dozen eggs. They will guard their nests for several months, fasting and losing weight while keeping watch, but they usually do not stick around long enough to meet or protect their offspring. Interestingly, when males are scarce, female Komodo dragons can reproduce asexually. This type of reproduction results only in male offspring.

Baby Dragons
After about 9 months, the baby dragons hatch out of their eggs and race up the nearest trees. They stay in the treetops for at least a year, feeding on small, arboreal prey and avoiding being eaten themselves (including by adult Komodos).

Hunting & Feeding
As they grow, young Komodos descend from the trees to hunt bigger prey. By about age 10, they are ambushing and eating large prey such as deer, wild boar, and even water buffalo. They also scavenge carcasses that they find by scent. Equipped with 60 very sharp and serrated teeth, they tear meat from the bone and swallow it in huge chunks.

Komodo Dragon Conservation

Komodo Dragons are wildlife icons in Indonesia. They are a protected species, yet still endangered.

Learn More About Sumatran Orangutan Conservation

Threats
Komodo dragons are primarily threatened by human development and encroachment on their limited habitat.

Conservation Efforts
There are only a few thousand Komodo Dragons left in the wild. Most live within the borders of Komodo National Park, established in 1980 by the Indonesian government to protect this iconic species, its remaining habitat, and other wildlife that share its habitat. Local people living on or near the same islands as Komodo Dragons have always revered them. It is hard not to respect an animal with such power and prehistoric appeal. Now, they are increasingly aware of the need to protect their dragon neighbors, and many are actively joining in that effort. Since 2007, the Indonesia-based Komodo Survival Program has paved the path to saving Komodo Dragons. Wildlife biologists and local recruits work together within Komodo National Park and in neighboring communities to study dragons, patrol for poachers, raise awareness, provide science-based recommendations to conserve and manage remaining populations, and promote sustainable development projects that will benefit local people while protecting local wildlife.

Komodo Dragons FAQs

Where can I see the Komodo Dragons at Audubon Zoo?

You can see Raja, the Zoo’s adult male Komodo, in his habitat outside the Reptile Encounter building.

Check the Zoo map or download the Zoo app to use the interactive map and easily locate their habitat during your visit.

Are Komodo Dragons part of any conservation program?

Robert Mendyk, Audubon’s Curator of Reptiles, Amphibians, and Birds, is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Monitor Lizard Specialist Group. Komodo Dragons are a species of monitor lizard.

Komodo Dragon

at Audubon Zoo