Meet the Komodo dragon, the giant lizard in today's Google Doodle
The Komodo dragon lumbered into the spotlight Monday as Google honored the giant lizards that dwell on volcanic islands in Indonesia's Komodo National Park.
About 5,700 of the lizards live at the park, which opened in 1980 and spreads across three key islands north of Australia.
The largest lizards on the planet, the Komodo dragon can weigh more than 300 pounds and stretch up to 10 feet. Its massive size is linked to a phenomena called island gigantism, ios 9 notes, in which island-bound animals evolve into behemoths. Komodo dragons are 100 times bigger than the smallest lizards, Google notes.
They feast on Timor deer, their primary food source on the islands, and can sprint up to 12 mph in pursuit of prey. Their venomous bite allows them them to attack victims and then slowly track them, National Geographic reported, devouring wounded creatures once they weaken and die.
Watch the feeding of a Komodo dragon at a Cincinnati zoo:
Komodo dragons can eat over half their own body weight in one meal, as Google notes, and have been known to bite people using their replaceable teeth.
The Komodo dragon is currently classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, meaning it's "at high risk of extinction in the wild." Google's Doodle on Monday marks the 37th anniversary of Komodo National Park, which exists to provide a habitat for its resident dragons, the Timor deer and and 72 species of birds.
See seven baby Komodo dragons hatched at zoo:
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