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What’s your favorite animal? When people are asked this, many think of furry sweet animals like dogs, cats, or monkeys. Few probably think of lizards, and even fewer might probably include Komodo dragons.

Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards. Adult Komodos can reach up to 3 m and weigh around 150 kg. This makes them not only the biggest but also the heaviest lizards on Earth.

Komodos are reptiles that have been around for millions of years, and are currently only found in Indonesia. They truly look like little dragons without wings. They have wide, flat, sturdy heads, curved legs with sharp claws, and strong, muscular tails. One of the most prominent features of the Komodo is the yellow tongue that keeps flickering. This is because they use their tongues to smell instead of their snouts. Doesn’t the Komodo dragon sound fascinating?

The San Francisco Zoo dedicated an entire exhibit space, “Komodo Alley,” to one of these animals last year. This made headlines because they brought in a young male Komodo, “Big Daddy Bahasa,” so that visitors could watch how much he grows. Since bringing in this creature, children and teens have wanted to visit the zoo more to see how much Big Daddy Bahasa is growing, and many people are keeping track of him to see changes in his weight and length. Do you have a zoo nearby with animals like this?