The Roaring Dragon

Imagine yourself shipwrecked on a prehistoric island, no modern era resources, no companion and yes….no cellphone coverage either and finding yourself face-to-face with the world's largest living lizard -- a meat-eating monster up to 12 feet (3.6 m) long, weighing 300 pounds (136 kg)! The first visitors to Komodo Island probably were terrified by these prehistoric-looking beasts.

The Komodo dragon,

or komodo monitor lizard, is thought to be the source of Chinese legends of great scaly man-eating monsters, the dragons that are still featured prominently in Chinese folklore and religion.

Specie Description
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard that inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang in Indonesia. A fearsome member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, withan average length of 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and weighing around 70 to 140 Kilograms.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:        Reptilia
Order:       Squamata
Suborder:  Lacertilia
Family:      Varanidae
Genus:      Varanus
Species:    V.komodoensis

Their unusual size has been attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests that the large size of komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relic population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which died out after contact with modern humans, along with other megafauna. Fossils very similar to V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to >3.8 mya, and its body size remained stable on Flores, one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, ever since Flores(along with neighboring islands) were isolated by rising sea levels ~900,000 years ago. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.

Reproduction
Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About twenty eggs are deposited in abandoned megapode nests and incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful.

Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. They take around three to five years to mature, and may live as long as fifty years. They are among the rare vertebrates capable of parthenogenesis, in which females may lay viable eggs if males are absent.

Discovery
Komodo dragons were first documented by Europeans in 1910, when rumors of a "land crocodile" reached Lieutenant van Steyn van Hensbroek of the Dutch colonial administration. Widespread notoriety came after 1912, when Peter Ouwens, the director of the Zoological Museum at Bogor, Java, published a paper on the topic after receiving a photo and a skin from the lieutenant, as well as two other specimens from a collector. Later, the Komodo dragon was the driving factor for an expedition to Komodo Island by W. Douglas Burden in 1926. After returning with 12 preserved specimens and 2 live ones, this expedition provided the inspiration for the 1933 movie King Kong. It was also Burden who coined the common name "Komodo dragon." Three of his specimens were stuffed and are still on display in the American Museum of Natural History.

Causes of Endangerment of the Komodo Dragon, Hunting and Habitat Loss
The current population of Komodo dragons seems relatively stable at about 5,000 animals, yet scientists are concerned that only 350 of them are breeding females.
The primary threats to the dragon's survival include illegal hunting and loss of habitat to human settlement. They are sought as trophies of human valor among hunters.

Conservation Actions to Protect the Komodo Dragon, Regulation of Trade and Habitat Protection
Trade in Komodo dragons has been prohibited. Protection from poaching is made easier by the dragon's limited distribution; there is little human habitation on the islands where it occurs, and Komodo Island, the dragon's stronghold, has been made a national park.
First recorded by Western scientists in 1910, their large size and fearsome reputation makes them immensely popular zoo exhibits. In recent times, their range has contracted due to human exposure and they have been listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. They are protected under Indonesian law, and a national park, Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.

Sources
wikipedia.org
komododragon.biz
discovery.com