What are the closest living relatives of the family of lizards that includes the species Varanus komodoensis?
Varanidae The Varanidae (varans) are a family of lizards of the superfamily Varanoidea. The family, a group of carnivorous and frugivorous lizards, includes the extinct Megalania (the largest known lizard), the Komodo dragon (the largest living lizard), and the crocodile monitor. The Varanidae contain the living genus "Varanus" and a number of extinct taxa. Their closest living relatives are the anguid and helodermatid lizards.
Brookesia Brookesia is a genus of chameleons, endemic to Madagascar, that range from small to very small in size, and are known collectively as leaf chameleons (though this name also commonly is used for species in the genera "Rieppeleon" and "Rhampholeon"). "Brookesia" includes species considered to be the world's smallest chameleons, and are also among the smallest reptiles. Members of the genus "Brookesia" are largely brown and most are essentially terrestrial. A significant percentage of the species in the genus were only identified to science within the last three decades, and a number of species that still have not received a scientific name are known to exist. Most inhabit very small ranges in areas that are difficult to access, and due to their small size and secretive nature, they have been relatively poorly studied compared to their larger relatives.