Komodo dragon hunt in the afternoon, but stay in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Because of their large size and habit of sleeping in these burrows, these lizards are able to conserve body heat throughout the night and minimize their basking period the morning after. These holes can measure from 1 to 3 m (3.3 to 9.8 ft) wide. For shelter, Komodo dragons dig holes with their powerful forelimbs and claws. As they mature, their claws are used primarily as weapons, as their great size makes climbing impractical. To catch out-of-reach prey, Komodo dragons may stand on their hind legs and use their tail as a support. These lizards are capable of running rapidly in brief sprints up to 20 km/h (12 mph), diving up to 4.5 m (15 ft), and climbing trees proficiently when young through use of their strong claws.

They are solitary and come together only to breed and eat. There's a much smaller monitor that preys on Nile crocodiles, using patience, tactics, and wits, but that's another story.Komodo dragons are most active in the day, although they exhibit some nocturnal activity. This would not at all be a straight up fight, but a patient monitor would eventually triumph. If the komodo gets impatient, it dies.but when the bite wounds fester, other komodos will be drawn from miles away.

The monitor would be using strike and fade tactics to test the gator and tire it out to attempt to envenomate it, but the venom would work with agonizing slowness on the slow reptile. The gator would be out of it's element on land, and no match for the speed of the monitor. They are incredibly patient ambush predators. The komodo is also vastly more intelligent and venomous. The komodo has a huge metabolic advantage here, and can match a mammalian predator for speed. The alligator has a vast size advantage and the komodo's jaws are not meant for crushing like the gator's, they're meant for lacerating and envenomating. An adult male American alligator would be around 12 feet and 700 pounds, an adult komodo would be several feet shorter and less than a third of the weight.

Comodo dragon vs crocodile fight