Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

Komodo dragons

• Endemic to south-east Indonesia
  • Islands of Komodo, Flores, Rinca, Gili Dasami and Gilli Motang in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Republic of Indonesia
• Largest Komodo dragon habitat is on the island of Komodo, where they occupy the entire island
  • Komodo National Park
    • UNESCO World Heritage site
    • Established in 1980
• Occupy small island ranges
  • Komodo: less than 1,000 km²
  • Flores: 400 km²
  • Rinca: 278 km²
• Two nature reserves on island of Flores: Wae Wuul and Wolo Tado reserves (Ciofi and De Boer 2004)
• Elevation range
  • Sea level to 800 m (3,000 ft)

All varanid lizards

• Occur throughout Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Australia (Fitch et al. 2006)

Indonesia islands

• Found in arid and mountainous regions
• Often found in the rocky valleys between 500-700 m
• Also common in flat savannas
• Adults frequently occupy the transition zone between tropical monsoon forest and drier savanna

Age-related changes

• Hatchlings predominantly arboreal
  • Readily climb into trees to feed, rest, or escape predation
• Juveniles commonly hide in crevices, or under or among rocks (Imansyah et al. 2008)
• Adults terrestrial
  • May construct burrows along vertical banks of stream beds, or under boulders and fallen trees
  • May sleep in high grass or dense brush at night

The Komodo dragon's range is a fraction of what it once was. Today, they are found on only 5 Indonesian islands.

Adapted from www.d-maps.com. Click here or on the map for detailed distribution.

Auffenberg (1981)
CBSG (1995)
Ciofi and De Boer (2004)
Fitch et al. (2006)