The largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon, live only in the
vicinity of the Indonesia, for example, on Komodo island, for
which they are named, and on two other tiny island in the Lesser
Sundas group of Southeast Asia, the Komodo dragon is the world's
largest living lizard, occasionally exceeding 10 feet (3 m) in
length. Komodo dragons are carnivorous, feeding on animals as
large as small deer and bush pigs. Their long, sharps claws
enable them to disembowel large animals, and their jagged teeth
aid them in tearing pieces from their prey. Komodo dragons, like
other large monitors, can be formidable adversaries, even for
humans, if these lizards are actually cornered. Komodo dragons
swim well, sometimes swimming to small isles a half kilometer
from shore to prey on domestic goats. Surprisingly, this colossal creature remain unknown to science
until as recently as 1912, but the natives of the region were
well award of its existence and also its prowess as a man-killer.
Heightening its dragonesque appearance is its bright yellow
tongue, flickering out of its mouth in faithful facsimile of its
mythical, fire-spiting namesakes. These reptiles are endangered and are under strict protection by
the Indonesian government.
