🦎 Gila monster vs Komodo dragon 🦎
The Komodo dragon is about 6 times as long as the gila monster. The Komodo dragon is about 8 times as fast as the gila monster. The Komodo dragon weighs about 150 times as much as the gila monster.
| Row | 🦎 Gila monster | 🦎 Komodo dragon |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed The Komodo dragon is about 8 times as fast as the gila monster. | 1.5 mph2.4 km/h1 | 9.9 to 12 mph16 to 20 km/h2 |
| Weight The Komodo dragon weighs about 150 times as much as the gila monster. | 16 oz450 g3 | 154 lb70 kg2 |
| Lives The Komodo dragon usually lives about one and a half times as long as the gila monster. | 20 years20 years1 | 30 years30 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | bird and reptile eggs, and small animals from nests and burrows | deer, pigs and dead animals |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico | a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo |
Which one? Gila monster or Komodo dragon
🏁 Who would win the race?
The Komodo dragon gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 8 times as fast as the gila monster. It isn't quite fair: the gila monster is crawling and the Komodo dragon is running.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
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The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/gila-monster-vs-komodo-dragon
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, checked 30 October 2026.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Komodo dragon, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Saguaro National Park, checked 30 October 2026.