Status
Endangered
Habitat
Dry savanna and monsoon forest, five islands
Range
Asia · Australia
Group
Reptiles
Venomous — a fact only established in 2009.
The long-standing story was septic bacteria in the mouth. It was wrong. Komodos have genuine venom glands producing anticoagulants and hypotensives; prey dies of shock and blood loss, not infection.
Their entire world range is about a thousand square kilometres. Sea-level rise is projected to remove a substantial share of the low-lying habitat that remains, which is why the species was uplisted to Endangered in 2021.
Where we photograph it
The open shelf
More frames of the komodo dragon
Streamed live from the Commons Quality Images archive, fifteen at a time. For viewing here — each frame remains its photographer’s.
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Developing the next fifteen…
