Komodo Dragon

Taxonomy
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae
Genus/species: Varanus komodoensis

In 1992, Komodo dragons hatched for the first time outside of Indonesia at the National Zoo. Four clutches have hatched and the resulting 55 offspring may be seen in more than 30 zoos around the world. The Zoo's Komodo dragon can be seen in the outdoor enclosure behind the Reptile Building.

Description
The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard. The largest verified specimen reached a length of 10.3 feet (3.13 m) and weighed 366 pounds (166 kg). This may have included a substantial amount of undigested food. More typical weights for the largest wild dragons are about 154 pounds (70 kg). Although the Komodo can run briefly at speeds up to 13 mph (20 kph), its hunting strategy is based on stealth and power. They can spend hours in one spot, waiting for a deer, boar, goat, or anything sizable and nutritious.

Monitors can see objects as far away as 985 feet (300 m), so vision does play a role in hunting, especially as their eyes are better at picking up movement than at discerning stationary objects. Their retinas possess only cones, so they may be able to distinguish color but have poor vision in dim light. They have a much smaller hearing range than humans. The result is an animal that can not hear such sounds as a low-pitched voice or a high-pitched scream.

Facts by http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Komodod...

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