Golden Waxcap vs Komodo Dragon

Hygrocybe chlorophana compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Golden Waxcap is Least Concern while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Golden Waxcap	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Hygrocybe	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Hygrocybe chlorophana	Varanus komodoensis

Conservation Status

Golden Waxcap

LC — Least Concern

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Golden Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

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.