The Bronx Zoo is again home to Komodo dragons, the largest and heaviest lizards in the world. The animals, which can weigh over 300 pounds and reach more than nine feet in length when grown, are already awing visitors at the Zoo Center building. The Zoo hasn’t had any dragons since the 1950s.
Komodo dragons have no predators aside from man, and loads of food available in their natural habitat, on islands in Indonesia, which enables them to grow so big.
Komodos are also built for hunting, equipped with a highly developed sense of smell that gives them an advantage over prey. Scientists even think the lizards may have venom in their saliva.
Komodo dragons still face threats, though. They have to compete with humans for both space and prey and, with fewer than 5,000 left in the wild, they are now classified as Vulnerable. To help secure the animals’ future, WCS leads the Komodo dragon Species Survival Plan and supports the Komodo Survival Program in Indonesia.
Photo c/o Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS
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