As darkness fell across the mountains of northeastern India, a “dragon”-like creature climbed onto a branch and fell asleep.

This story appears in the November 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. The Komodo dragon, the largest species of lizard now alive, can grow to 10 feet long and nearly 200 pounds.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is warming up to a new monitor lizard this winter, a young Komodo dragon named Onyx. Reptile keepers have been working with these lizards for decades, including ...