Female Komodo dragons pay a high price for investing a lot of energy into reproduction - they only live about half the average life span of their male counterparts.
Zoologists found that while males and females are the same size at birth, once they reach sexual maturity at around seven years of age, females grow slower.
Females trade off their growth and life span to invest in building nests, producing eggs and guarding them. During this time they do not feed regularly and lose body condition.
Read more at The University of Melbourne