Komodo dragon  (Varanus komodoensis)

The Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world (4), and with their ancient appearance and evocative name they conjure up the stuff of legends. The heavy-set body is long with stocky legs and a long muscular tail; the scaly skin is greyish-brown all over (4). Dragons from the island of Flores however, are earthen-red in colour with a yellow head (2). Juveniles have a more striking pattern with very variable combinations of bands and speckling in yellow, green, grey and brown (4). Komodos have a well-developed sense of smell and their long, forked yellow tongue resembles the mythical, fire-breathing dragons of their name.