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A giant reptile that can often reach 10ft/3m in length and 300lb/140kg in weight (more typically 70kg). A native of the islands of Komodo, Padar, Rintja and Flores in Central Indonesia; there are close relatives also in Australia. See also Scientific American March 1999, pp65--71. Komodos and dinosaurs share a common ancestor, maybe 250 million years ago. They have poor hearing by human standards (only sensitive to frequencies 400--2000Hz, compared to the human range of 20--20000Hz), and they probably cannot see well in dim light, though can see in colour. The Komodo smells the way snakes do, by transfering smells from its tongue to the Jacobson's organs in the roof of its mouth.