Description

The Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world (4), and with their ancient appearance and evocative name they conjure up the stuff of legends. The heavy-set body is long with stocky legs and a long muscular tail; the scaly skin is greyish-brown all over (4). Dragons from the island of Flores however, are earthen-red in colour with a yellow head (2). Juveniles have a more striking pattern with very variable combinations of bands and speckling in yellow, green, grey and brown (4). Komodos have a well-developed sense of smell and their long, forked yellow tongue resembles the mythical, fire-breathing dragons of their name.