Imagine trying to survive in a few hot, dry islands in Indonesia. For many animals, a habitat like this would be impossible. Yet the Komodo dragon, a reptile up to 3 meters long, thrives there, thanks to features that scientists call adaptations: traits that help a living thing survive in its environment.
Consider a forked tongue: this adaptation picks up scents from several kilometers away. Equally important is scaly skin with tiny bones inside, which acts like armor. Without these traits, the Komodo dragon would struggle to last a single season.
As a carnivore, the Komodo dragon is an animal that eats other animals; it depends on deer, pigs and water buffalo. Its behavior matters as much as its body: it lies in wait beside trails and ambushes animals that pass by. Behaviors like this are adaptations too, even though you cannot see them in a photograph.
The next generation faces the same challenges. Young Komodo dragons, called hatchlings, depend on their surroundings and on adult care. Hatchlings live in trees for their first few years to stay safe from larger Komodo dragons.
Perhaps most remarkable of all: the Komodo dragon is the largest lizard alive today. Facts like this remind us that every animal's body tells a story about the place it lives.