Hover fly vs Komodo Dragon

Cheilosia pagana compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Hover fly is Least Concern while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hover fly	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Syrphidae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Cheilosia	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Cheilosia pagana	Varanus komodoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

Hover fly

LC — Least Concern

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hover fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and 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.