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Komodo DragonThe Komodo dragon is a carnivorous lizard living only on the islands Komodo, Rinca and various smaller islands in Indonesia. Therefore the population of around 6.000 mature Komodo dragons is very vulnerable and on the IUCN Red List, but under its scientific name Varanus komodoensis. Reaching a weight up to 300 pounds (160 kg) and a length of 10 feet (3 meters), it is the largest documented lizard in the world but not the biggest living reptile which is alligators and crocodiles.
The alligators and crocodiles are also more closely related to the dinosaurs than the Komodo dragon. It does look fearsome and although it might look a bit clumsy the Komodo dragon can sprint as fast as a dog for a short period of time. |
The Komodo dragon lives alone except when mating and defend vast territories as their own. It might seem that the Komodo dragon is a scavenger because it often eats already killed animals. This is a common misunderstanding. The Komodo dragon is actually a predator that through stealth attacks its prey with sharp claws and a powerful bite. Usually, the Komodo dragon then lets go of the prey and after a week the pray will be die due to blood poisoning. This has brought the assumption that the Komodo dragon is venomous but it is a bit more complicated than that. Although it is proven by the University of Melbourne that the Komodo dragon has, like many other lizards, venom-producing genes, it is actually something else that kills their prey. Always drooling, the Komodo dragon’s saliva contains lots of bacteria that instantaneous infects the bite from a Komodo dragon. It is therefore actually not the Komodo dragon that kills but the infectious bite caused by the Komodo dragon that does.
While the Komodo dragon usually eats wild goats and pigs, it is also known to eat animals as big as water buffalos and, on occasion, even human beings. The Komodo dragons tongue is forked, much like a snake’s and it uses the tongue to scent the air. The amazing taste and scent detecting abilities of the tongue of the Komodo dragon is what helps it stalk its prey, detect eventual dangers and find its way on the island it inhabits.
The mating of the Komodo dragons takes place between May and August. Like most other reptiles the Komodo dragon lays eggs and this usually happens in the month of September. The female Komodo dragon usually lays around 20 eggs in a hollow tree or in a hole in the ground to secure some protection for her future offspring. After 7 months the eggs hatch and the new-born Komodo dragons take their refuge into the trees.
Not only are they endangered by other predators but also by the mature Komodo dragons that wouldn’t think twice about eating their young. During this time of their lifecycle the Komodo dragon actually is a scavenger, living of the corpses of animals killed by others or of natural causes. After around five years the baby-Komodo dragon has become mature and can start living life as an adult-Komodo dragon.
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