Broad Scalewort vs Komodo Dragon

Porella obtusata compared with Varanus komodoensis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Broad Scalewort	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Porellales (Porellales)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Porellaceae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Porella	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Porella obtusata	Varanus komodoensis

Conservation Status

Broad Scalewort

EN — Endangered

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Broad Scalewort

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Broad Scalewort

The Broad Scalewort (Porella obtusata) is a species in the genus Porella. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.