Under the tongue and near the throat lies an opening connected to the lungs. The tongue is long, yellow and forked and is connected to a Jacobsen’s organ on the roof of the mouth. Further rows of replacement teeth lie behind. The mouth reveals powerful, laterally flattened, serrated, rootless teeth set into sockets, approximately 60 in number. The ears have no external structure and are seen as holes behind the eyes. The eyes are placed to the side of the skull and above the hinge of the jaws their pupils are circular. The head is tapered and flat on top the snout and nostrils are round. As well, the males are larger and bulkier. The scales around the anus are spiny and their arrangement is helpful in identifying male from female. Those on the nape of the neck are raised and bony on the ridge and along the length of the tail, they form a short, spiky fringe. The head and the tail are blackish-grey the belly exhibits hard bony scales and is also grey. The skin beneath is a multi-coloured mixture of brown, yellow, greyish-red and black and is clearly visible between the scales. These scales are a drab greyish-black colour. The Komodo dragon is the largest and heaviest of the lizards, well muscled, and covered with non-overlapping scales that give its surface a granular effect.
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