🦎 Komodo dragon vs Spotted hyena 🐾
The Komodo dragon is about twice as long as the spotted hyena. The spotted hyena is about 3 times as fast as the Komodo dragon. The Komodo dragon is a bit heavier than the spotted hyena.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦎 Komodo dragon | 🐾 Spotted hyena |
|---|---|---|
| Size The Komodo dragon is about twice as long as the spotted hyena. | 10 ft3.1 m1 | 4.1 to 6.1 ft1.3 to 1.9 m2 |
| Top speed The spotted hyena is about 3 times as fast as the Komodo dragon. | 9.9 to 12 mph16 to 20 km/h1 | 37 mph60 km/h2 |
| Weight The Komodo dragon is a bit heavier than the spotted hyena. | 154 lb70 kg1 | 99 to 154 lb45 to 70 kg2 |
| Lives The Komodo dragon usually lives about one and a half times as long as the spotted hyena. | 30 years30 years1 | 20 years20 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | deer, pigs and dead animals | land animals that have a backbone |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo | open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest |
Which one? Komodo dragon or spotted hyena
🏁 Who would win the race?
The spotted hyena gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 3 times as fast as the Komodo dragon.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
11 things to know about Komodo dragon vs Spotted hyena
- The Komodo dragon: The biggest lizard alive, with a forked tongue that tastes the air.
- The spotted hyena: A strong African animal with a spotted coat and a sloping back.
- They are different kinds of animal. The Komodo dragon is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the spotted hyena is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The Komodo dragon is about twice as long as the spotted hyena: 1 against 2.
- The Komodo dragon is a bit heavier than the spotted hyena. That is 1 for the Komodo dragon and 2 for the spotted hyena.
- The spotted hyena is about 3 times as fast as the Komodo dragon. Top speeds: 1 for the Komodo dragon and 2 for the spotted hyena.
- The Komodo dragon usually lives about one and a half times as long as the spotted hyena. Usual lifespans: 1 for the Komodo dragon and 2 for the spotted hyena.
- Both eat meat. The Komodo dragon eats deer, pigs and dead animals; the spotted hyena eats land animals that have a backbone.
- The Komodo dragon lives in a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo. The spotted hyena lives in open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The Komodo dragon: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The spotted hyena: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦎 Komodo dragon
- It smells with its tongue by flicking it in the air.
- Young Komodo dragons live in trees.
- A female can sometimes have babies with no father.
🐾 Spotted hyena
- A spotted hyena can run fast over a long way.
- It lives in savanna, semi-desert and mountain forest.
- It also cleans up what other animals leave.
Questions kids ask about Komodo dragon and Spotted hyena
Which is bigger, Komodo dragon or spotted hyena?
The Komodo dragon is about twice as long as the spotted hyena: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, Komodo dragon or spotted hyena?
The Komodo dragon is a bit heavier than the spotted hyena. That is 1 for the Komodo dragon and 2 for the spotted hyena.
Which is faster, Komodo dragon or spotted hyena?
The spotted hyena is about 3 times as fast as the Komodo dragon. Top speeds: 1 for the Komodo dragon and 2 for the spotted hyena.
Which lives longer, Komodo dragon or spotted hyena?
The Komodo dragon usually lives about one and a half times as long as the spotted hyena. Usual lifespans: 1 for the Komodo dragon and 2 for the spotted hyena.
What do Komodo dragon and spotted hyena eat?
Both eat meat. The Komodo dragon eats deer, pigs and dead animals; the spotted hyena eats land animals that have a backbone.
Where do Komodo dragon and spotted hyena live?
The Komodo dragon lives in a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo. The spotted hyena lives in open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do Komodo dragons eat spotted hyenas?
The Komodo dragon eats deer, pigs and dead animals. Spotted hyenas are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do spotted hyenas eat Komodo dragons?
The spotted hyena eats land animals that have a backbone. Komodo dragons are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the Komodo dragon is about twice as long as the spotted hyena.
Who would win, Komodo dragon or spotted hyena?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/komodo-dragon-vs-spotted-hyena
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Komodo dragon, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.