Bird flea vs Komodo Dragon

Ceratophyllus zhovtyi compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Bird flea is Least Concern while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bird flea	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Siphonaptera (Siphonaptera)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Ceratophyllidae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Ceratophyllus	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Ceratophyllus zhovtyi	Varanus komodoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Bird flea and Komodo Dragon share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

Bird flea

LC — Least Concern

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bird flea	Komodo Dragon
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	2.6 m
Average Weight	—	70.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bird flea

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Komodo Dragon

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Indonesia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bird flea

The Bird flea (Ceratophyllus zhovtyi) is a species in the genus Ceratophyllus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.