Komodo

Declared in 1980 specifically to protect the Komodo dragon, the largest living lizard in the world at up to 3 metres, first described scientifically in 1912 after rumours of a land crocodile reached Dutch colonial ears. Endemic to a handful of islands in the region, the Komodo dragon is an apex predator able to bring down prey far larger than itself with a venomous bite; its populations, isolated on islands with no rival predators, are a classic study in island gigantism. The park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, and its surrounding waters — fed by currents that mix cold and warm water from the Pacific and Indian Oceans — also support an exceptional marine biodiversity, with giant manta rays resident all year round.