I am fascinated by Komodo dragons, also known as the Komodo monitor a large species of lizard.
I don't know much about them. Do they make good pets?
You would need a large enclosure as they are unusually large. I would recommend a smaller lizard as a pet.
Are they dangerous, I have small children in the house. Also what do they eat?
No they eat mostly insects and wouldn't bother your kids. The oldest fossils found date to 3.8 million years ago. They existed with the dinosaurs.
Wow that is very interesting. Anything else I should know about Komodo dragons whilst considering one for a pet?
Just that they are very friendly and can be trained to be walked like a dog. Some locals from Indonesian islands where they are found do this!
Omg that's so cute! I really want one now!
. However, recent research suggests the large size of Komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relict population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna, died out after the Pleistocene (as a result of human activity). Fossils very similar to "V. komodoensis" have been found in Australia dating to more than 3.8 million years ago, and its body size remained stable on Flores, one of the small number of Indonesian islands where it is
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon ("Varanus komodoensis"), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases and weighing up to approximately .
Its unusually large size has been attributed to island gigantism, since no other carnivorous animals fill the niche on the islands where it lives