Komodo Dragon vs Rafflesia

Varanus komodoensis compared with Rafflesia arnoldii

Key Differences

Komodo Dragon is carnivore while Rafflesia is parasite.
Komodo Dragon is 6.4x heavier than Rafflesia.
Komodo Dragon lives longer (30 years vs 5 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Komodo Dragon	Rafflesia
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)	Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Genus	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)	Rosa (Roses)
Species	Varanus komodoensis	Rafflesia arnoldii

Conservation Status

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Rafflesia

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Komodo Dragon	Rafflesia
Diet	Carnivore	Parasite
Average Lifespan	30 years	5 years
Average Length	2.6 m	1.0 m
Average Weight	70.0 kg	11.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic 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.

Rafflesia

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 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Indonesia and Malaysia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Komodo Dragon

The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard. It is found only on a few Indonesian islands.

Rafflesia

Rafflesia arnoldii produces the world's largest individual flower, up to 1 meter in diameter. It is a parasitic plant with no roots, stems, or leaves.