Reptiles
Komodo Dragon
Varanus komodoensis
About
The largest living lizard, reaching 3 meters in length and 70 kg. Found only on a handful of Indonesian islands, Komodo dragons are apex predators with venomous bites and a reputation for eating just about anything, including each other.
Their Eggs
Soft, leathery eggs about the size of a grapefruit, laid in burrows or commandeered megapode (brush turkey) nesting mounds. The female guards the nest for several months.
Egg Size Comparison
Fun Fact
Female Komodo dragons can reproduce through parthenogenesis — producing viable offspring from unfertilized eggs, without mating. This was confirmed in 2006 when a captive female at Chester Zoo in England laid eggs that hatched into healthy male dragons despite having never been near a male.