Komodo dragons look a lot like creatures from dinosaur times - because their family really is that old. Their ancestors have been walking on Earth for millions of years. Today they live on only five Indonesian islands and nowhere else in the world.
Despite their name, they cannot breathe fire. But they do have a few amazing tricks. They have a long, forked tongue, like a snake's, that they flick out to taste the air. Their tongue picks up the scent of food from far away and sends a kind of 'smell map' to their brain.
Komodo dragons can run surprisingly fast for short bursts - around 20 km/h, faster than most adults can sprint. They can also swim between nearby islands. Baby Komodos hatch from eggs the size of grapefruits and spend their first few years living up in trees, where they are safer from bigger Komodo dragons below.
Scientists believe there are only about 3,000 left in the wild. To protect them, Indonesia has made their islands into a national park called Komodo National Park. Visitors must walk with a trained ranger and stay together in a group, so everyone is safe and the dragons are calm.

