These large lizards start out as hatchlings only a foot long. Young dragons live in the trees for protection from larger predators and adult Komodo monitors. Their diets consist of insects and small lizards. When they reach adolescence their diets may consist of rodents, birds, and large mammals occasionally. When large mammals are not available adult monitors will scavenge or eat rodents.
Monitors tend to rely on the element of surprise in order to catch a meal.
They will lie and wait in heavy brush waiting for some unsuspecting deer or wild boar to cross their path. Large prey usually will be struck at the ankles causing them to fall to the ground where they will be finished off by the monitor's powerful jaws. Their deadly saliva causes serious infections with no known cure. Even if the prey manages to escape the initial strike, they inevitably will die from an infection or bleed to death . They will eat everything from the bones to the hooves.