Until recently, Komodo Dragons were
believed to hunt with a "bite and wait" strategy - using toxic
bacteria in their saliva to weaken or kill their prey before descending in
numbers to feast.
But recent research found that the
dragons' jaws have highly sophisticated poison glands that can cause paralysis,
spasms and shock through haemorrhaging.
They are native to several
Indonesian islands and are considered a vulnerable species, with only a few
thousand left in the world. Their normal diet consists of large mammals,
reptiles and birds.
Komodos, the world's largest monitor
lizards, can grow up to three metres and typically weigh to 70 kilograms.
Earlier this month one attacked two
park employees, leaving them hospitalised with serious injuries.
In that attack, a 50-year-old park
ranger was sitting at his desk at the Rinca island front office, where tourists
usually check in, when the two-metre-long lizard sneaked into his room.
Another employee, aged 35, heard the
ranger scream and quickly ran to his aid but the lizard also attacked him too,
biting his leg.
The Komodo
dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor,
is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian
islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores,
Gili Motang,
and Padar. A member of the monitor
lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard,
growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft) in rare cases and weighing
up to approximately 70 kilograms (150 lb).
Their unusually
large size has been attributed to island
gigantism, since no other carnivorous animals fill the niche
on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests the large
size of Komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relict
population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and
Australia, most of which, along with other mega fauna, died out after the Pleistocene. Fossils very similar to
V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8
million years ago, and its body size remained stable on Flores,
one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, over the
last 900,000 years, "a time marked by major faunal turnovers, extinction
of the island's mega fauna, and the
arrival of early hominids by 880 ka."
As a result of
their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems
in which they live
Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates,
birds,
and mammals.
It has been claimed that they have a venomous bite; there are two glands in the
lower jaw which secrete several different toxic proteins, however, the
biological significance of these is disputed. Their group behavior in hunting
is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of big Komodo dragons mainly
consists of deer, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion.
Komodo dragons also occasionally attack humans in the area of West Manggarai Regency where they live in
Indonesia.
Mating begins
between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About 20 eggs are
deposited in abandoned megapode nests or in a self-dug nesting hole. The eggs are
incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most
plentiful. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in trees,
safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. They take about
eight to 9 years to mature, and are estimated to live up to 30 years.
Komodo dragons
were first recorded by Western scientists in 1910. Their large size and
fearsome reputation make them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild, their range
has contracted due to human activities, and they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. They are protected
under Indonesian law, and a national park,
Komodo National Park,was founded to aid
protection efforts.
For more information visit us:
Email: info@komodomegatours.com & tour@komodomegatours.com
Tel/Fax: +62(0) 385 41577
Mobile: +62(0) 813 393 124 58
