Honduras mahogany vs Komodo Dragon

Swietenia macrophylla compared with Varanus komodoensis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Honduras mahogany	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Meliaceae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Swietenia	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Swietenia macrophylla	Varanus komodoensis

Conservation Status

Honduras mahogany

EN — Endangered

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Honduras mahogany

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (6 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Micronesia, Palau, Vanuatu), and South America (Brazil, Colombia). 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.