Komodo dragons are classified as Vulnerable by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) due to hunting and habitat loss. Komodo dragons, the world’s largest living lizards, are found on the islands of Komodo and its few smaller outlying islands north of Australia. These islands are inhabited by between 1,500 and 2,000 of these giant monitor lizards.
Researchers have been capturing Komodo dragons on the islands and microchiping them to learn things such as home range, growth rates, and habitat preferences. Approximately 800 of these dragons have been microchipped in the past six years. Researchers have also been locating dragon nests, and when the babies emerge, they are weighed, measured, and microchipped. Monitoring these babies from birth will permit the first study of dragons through the entire course of their life and will provide valuable insight into dragon reproduction and nesting behaviors.
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