Komodo dragons

The habitat of dragons (Varanus komodoensis) in the wild has diminished as a result of human activity and IUCN includes Komodo dragons as a species vulnerable to extinction.

The large lizards are now protected under Indonesian government rules.

A national park, the Komodo National Park, was established to protect them.

The main habitat of this giant lizard is only available on the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Gili Dasami in Nusa Tenggara.

Komodo was first documented by Europeans in 1910. The name of this carnivorous animal was known to the world after 1912 Pieter Antonie Ouwens, director of the Zoological Museum in Buitenzorg (now Bogor), published a paper on dragons after receiving photos and skin of this reptile.