Can Komodo dragons be found in the Philippines?

Can Komodo dragons be found in the Philippines?

As seen on Kuya Kim’s “24 Oras” report Tuesday, residents of Tamparan, Lanao del Sur caught a lizard, which they thought was a Komodo dragon. They said it killed their chickens.

However, wildlife educator and conservationist Jazz Ong said this is impossible as Komodo dragons can only be found in Indonesia. What residents caught was a yellow-headed water monitor instead.

“You usually find [yellow-headed water monitors] in places that are near or that have bodies of water because they are aquatic lizards,” she said.

Meanwhile, Komodo dragons are a kind of monitor lizard or “bayawak.” The biggest of its kind that was discovered weighs 166 kilograms and is 3.13 meters long.

A male Komodo dragon usually weighs 90 kilograms with a length of 2.59 meters. Females, meanwhile, can stretch up to 2.29 meters and weigh 73 kilograms.—Franchesca Viernes/LDF, GMA Integrated News