There are an estimated 3,400 Komodo dragons left in the wild, living on 5 islands dubbed Indonesia's 'Jurassic Park'

James PasleyJan 12, 2024, 23:13 IST

A Komodo dragon prowls the shore of Komodo Island.Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images

Komodo dragons are only found in one remote area across several volcanic islands in Indonesia.
The reptiles are powerful carnivores. They can smell blood from miles away and move up to 12 mph.

Known for their size, sharp teeth, and long tongues, Komodo dragons are only found on a few remote, volcanic islands in Southeast Asia.

Back in the early 1990s, rumors circulated about the existence of gigantic reptiles discovered on the islands by Western scientists. Since then, Indonesia has been promoting the area as a tourist destination.

Now, with tourist numbers predicted to grow exponentially in coming decades along with climate change, wild Komodo dragons may be at risk.

Here's a look at Komodo National Park.

The Komodo National Park is located in the South Pacific Ocean on the eastern edge of Indonesia.

A view of an island in Komodo National Park.Francis Demange/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Labuan Bajo, once a small fishing town on the tip of Flores Island, is the gateway to the national park.

An aerial photo shows seaside scenery in Labuan Bajo.Xu Qin/Xinhua/Getty Images

The islands here are known for being remote, rugged, and beautiful.

Rinaca Island in Komodo National Park.Mikel Bilbao/VW Pics/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The landscape of volcanic mountains and long grasses is reminiscent of Jurassic Park, or Kong Island.

An aerial view of Padar Island.Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images

Komodo National Park is also known for its marine life.

A scuba diver swims underwater among the marine life in Komodo National Park.Reinhard Dirscherl/Ullstein Bild/Getty Images

But mostly, it is known as the only place in the world where you can find wild Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizard.

A Komodo dragon is walking through the grass on Rinca Island, part of Komodo National Park.Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images

Komodo dragons have captured people's imagination for over 100 years.

A young boy strokes the head of Sumbawa, a Komodo dragon in captivity at London Zoo.Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty Images

In 1910, a Dutch officer named Jacques Karel Henri van Steyn van Hensbroek investigated the rumors and discovered they were true.

A technician adds the finishing touches to a preserved Komodo dragon at an exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History in New York.UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Komodo dragons are large, long, and dangerous. They can smell blood from six miles away and can cover 12 miles in an hour.

Komodo dragons covered in blood eating a dead dolphin.Reinhard Dirscherl/Ullstein Bild/Getty Images

They eat all sorts of animals, including chickens, pigs, deer, smaller dragons, and buffalo.

Komodo dragons eating a chicken inside a zoo in JakartaBay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images

They have glands full of poison, which lowers their prey's blood pressure and stops blood clotting.

A Komodo dragon sticking out its tongue.Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket/Getty Images

Komodo dragons have attacked and killed humans before, though it doesn't happen often.

A grave for a German tourist who disappeared and is thought to have been eaten by Komodo dragons.Gerhard Joren/LightRocket/Getty Images

Despite the reptiles' predatory nature, guides still take tourists over the islands to see them, usually wielding nothing more than a large stick to keep them at bay.

Tourists in a line trek over grassy hills on Rinca Island.Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images

Komodo dragons don't live alone on the islands. Local people live there, too.

Kids playing football on Komodo Island.Daniele Frediani/Archivio Daniele Frediani/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

There are now only an estimated 1,400 adult Komodo dragons and 2,000 juveniles left in the wild.

A Komodo dragon walks on the shore of Komodo Island.Daniele Frediani/Archivio Daniele Frediani/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

Compared to other predators of a similar size, Komodo dragons don't like to travel far, which means habitat loss could hurt them more.

A Komodo dragon leaving the beach on Rinca Island in the Komodo National Park.Arterra/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

They are also fairly slow to breed.

A worker holds a two-week-old Komodo dragon in a zoo incubator.Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty Images

When they hatch, baby Komodo dragons are only about 12 inches long.

A newborn Komodo dragon perched on a branch in a cage at a zoo in Indonesia.Suryanto Putramudji/NurPhoto/Getty Images

A push for more tourism in Indonesia prompted concern for the lizards, which could cause their habitat to deteriorate.

Tourists walking trough the savannah like hilly landscape of Rinca Island.Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images

Labuan Bajo has transformed from a small fishing town into a tourist destination.

A view of the Labuan Bajo marina, a gateway to the Komodo National Park.Achmad Ibrahim/AP

While more tourists will provide more jobs and money for the local economy, not everyone is behind it.

A tourist films a Komodo dragon.Gerhard Joren/LightRocket/Getty Images

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