A Komodo dragon stalks its prey in Komodo National Park on Rinca Island, Indonesia. Island gigantism helped the Komodo dragon evolve to its enormous size. Isolated on the tiny islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang, the Komodo dragon had no large mammal to compete with for resources. As a result, the lizard evolved to its current size: 2-3 meters (6-9.5 feet) and 70 kilograms (150 pounds).
Other Pages That Use This Item
island Encyclopedic Entry
Best For
6-12+
Subjects
Religion, Geography, Science
Appropriate For
- Educators
- Families
- Students
An island is a body of land surrounded by water
Media Credits
The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.
Photograph by Kenneth Garrett
For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact natgeocreative@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please visit our FAQ page.
Media
Some media assets (videos, photos, audio recordings and PDFs) can be downloaded and used outside the National Geographic website according to the Terms of Service. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the lower right hand corner (
) of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.
Text
Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.
Interactives
Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.