This story appears in the November 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. The Komodo dragon, the largest species of lizard now alive, can grow to 10 feet long and nearly 200 pounds.

For those imagining a Komodo dragon scaling a tree and hunting for monkeys in the forest canopy, unfortunately, that’s a bit of a stretch. Although they’re faster and stronger than they look ...

2. They are capable of ‘virgin birth’ Komodo dragons are one of the only animals able to reproduce without male fertilisation. This is due to a process of asexual reproduction known as ...