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Post by Charity on Apr 22, 2006 8:52:47 GMT -5
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world, growing to an average length of 2-3 meters (10 feet). In the wild large adults tend to weigh around 70kg (154 pounds). Captive specimens often weigh more. The largest verified specimen was 3.13 meters (10 feet 3 inches) long and weighed 166kg (365 pounds) including undigested food. [1] It is a member of the monitor lizard family, Varanidae, and inhabits various islands in Indonesia. The Papua monitor, Varanus salvadorii may surpass the Komodo in length but it is slimmer and weighs less. [2] Sightings of the Komodo dragon were first reported to Europeans in 1910. Widespread knowledge came after 1912, in which Peter Ouwens, the director of the Zoological Museum at Bogor, Java, published a paper on the topic. In 1980 the Komodo National Park was founded to help protect their population. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon
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