Gold Tooth vs Komodo Dragon

Hydnellum auratile compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Gold Tooth is Vulnerable while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gold Tooth	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Thelephorales (Thelephorales)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Bankeraceae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Hydnellum	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Hydnellum auratile	Varanus komodoensis

Conservation Status

Gold Tooth

VU — Vulnerable

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gold Tooth

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable 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.