To add something about sizes: The komodo dragon is one of those animals whose dimensions are highly frequently exagerated. Specimens over 50 kg (with empty stomach) are already highly exceptional. It gives not a good idea of the whole animal if the sizes of dragons are given, which were bloated with prey. The very heaviest one with confirmed weight (and empty stomach) was 81 kg.
Komodo-dragons are very stocky animals, and compared to their size, they have only very short tails. In contrast species like the newly discovered Varanus bitatawa have like most other monitors a proportionally long tail and are lesser bulky than komodo dragons. So it is not surprising that a lean and long-tailed monitor can weigh only 22 Ibs at 2 m. The snout-vent-length, which gives a much better idea about the actual size, is probably only around 80 cm for this new species. In contrast the SVL of the 81 kg komodo dragon was 154 cm. Weight increases with the cube, and if you take this as a basis for comparison calculations, things work quite well. At a SVL of 154 cm, this particularly huge komodo dragon had a full length of 304 cm (i.e. its tail was not even half of the total length). Theoretically this is only 50% longer than a 2 m Varanaus bitatawa, what would (at similar body proportions) indicate to a weight-difference at the factor of 3,375. But this doesn´t work, as they have very different body proportions. If only SVL is compared, the comparison of 154 cm and 80 cm leads to a calculated weight difference at the factor of 7,13. Multiplied with the given weight of 22 Ibs, we get roughly 70 kg. Now given the fact that komodo dragons are still overall bulkier than V. bitatawa, it works perfectly, so 22 Ibs is really not an unrealistic weight for a 2 m monitor.

Honestly, how often are new land-dwelling vertebreas of this size discovered? Add to that the fact that it’s one of only 3 species of fruit-eating lizards, and you have a truly remarkable find! This is Cryptozoology at it’s “Mountain Gorilla” finest….a creature that is of significant size, is ethno-known, has incredible features that are distinct from known species…truly a special piece of news that deserves more play!

Largest Komodo dragon verified was just over 10 feet long and weighed 370 lbs, including undigested food. These newly discovered tree dwellers are over 6 feet long but surprisingly only weigh about 22 lbs.

The Komodo dragon, to me, is one of the scariest animals, in no small part to their blood poisoning saliva, as well as monsterous looks and surprising agility.