Context

The Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard, could become extinct in the next few decades due to climate change.

About

• Komodo dragons, or Komodo monitors, are the largest, heaviest lizards in the world — and one of the few with a venomous bite.
• Komodo dragons are large lizards with long tails, strong and agile necks, and sturdy limbs.
• Komodo dragons are limited to a few Indonesian islands of the Lesser Sunda group, including Rintja, Padar and Flores, and of course the island of Komodo, the largest at 22 miles (35 kilometers) long. They have not been seen on the island of Padar since the 1970s.
• They live in tropical savanna forests but range widely over the islands, from beach to ridge top.
• Its current population consists of only 4,000 individuals. 
  • Class:Reptilia
  • Order:Squamata
  • Family:Varanidae
  • Genus and Species:Varanus komodoensis

How climate change can take a toll on their population?

• Climate change is likely to cause a sharp decline in the availability of habitat for Komodo dragons, severely reducing their abundance in a matter of decades
• Warming and increasing sea levels will reduce the range of komodo dragon habitats and potential lead to the disappearance of this species.
• By 2050, komodo dragon habitats could shrink by up to 87 percent and cause virtually their entire population to collapse.