Facts about Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon is in fact a species of lizard. Komodo dragons exhibit a very interesting phenomenon called Parthenogenesis. This means that the female Komodo dragons can produce without a male. It is the largest living species of lizard. Because the Komodo dragon does not have a diaphragm, it cannot suck water when drinking, nor can it lap water with its tongue. Instead, it drinks by taking a mouthful of water, lifting its head, and letting the water run down its throat. It inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang in Indonesia. In the wild, there are about 4 times as many male Komodos as females. A Komodo will go through about 4 or 5 sets of teeth in his life. Females Komodo dragons are antagonistic and resist with their claws and teeth during the early phases of courtship. Their clutch contain 20 eggs on the average. The dragon is able to eat about 80% of its weight in one meal. Young Komodo Dragons are able to climb trees, to help protect them, and to feed. The Komodo dragon has an average length of 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and weighing around 70 kilograms (150 lb). After feasting the Komodo settles down in a nice sunny spot to aid digestion – then regurgitates a pile of horn, hair and teeth (known as a gastric pellet) covered in a foul-smelling mucus. The Komodo dragon flicks is tongue in the air to catch its prey's scent. Their unusual size is attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live, and also to the Komodo dragon's low metabolic rate. They have toxic saliva. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodos sometimes eat their own young. To avoid being eaten, baby Komodos often roll in faecal matter to assume a scent their elders avoid. Male dragons fight over females and territory by grappling with one another upon their hind legs with the loser eventually being pinned to the ground. These males may vomit or defecate when preparing for the fight. The winner of the fight will then flick his long tongue at the female to gain information about her receptivity. The Komodo dragon typically hunts in the afternoon, but stays in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Komodo dragons are carnivores. The Komodo dragon has been observed intentionally startling a pregnant deer in the hopes of a miscarriage whose remains they can eat, a technique that has also been observed in large African predators. Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. The evolutionary development of the Komodo dragon started with the Varanus genus, which originated in Asia about 40 million years ago and migrated to Australia. Around 15 million years ago, a collision between Australia and Southeast Asia allowed the varanids to move into what is now the Indonesian archipelago. They are capable of running rapidly in brief sprints up to 20 kilometres per hour (12.4 mph), diving up to 4.5 metres (15 ft), and climbing trees proficiently when young through use of their strong claws. They may live more than 30 years in the wild. The Komodo dragon has about 60 frequently-replaced serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in length. The largest verified wild specimen was 3.13 metres (10.3 ft) long and weighed 166 kilograms (370 lb), including undigested food. It also has a long, yellow, deeply-forked tongue. In the wild, an adult Komodo dragon usually weighs around 70 kilograms (150 lb), although captive specimens often weigh more. The Komodo dragon uses its tongue to detect, taste, and smell stimuli, as with many other reptiles, with the vomeronasal sense using a Jacobson's organ, a sense that aids navigation in the dark. With the help of a favorable wind and its habit of swinging its head from side to side as it walks, Komodo dragons may be able to detect carrion from 4–9.5 kilometres (2.5–6 mi) away. Outsiders found out about the Komodo dragons after WW1 when a report came from a downed aircraft and the surviving pilot swam to Komodo Island. To the natives of Komodo Island, it is referred to as ora, buaya darat (land crocodile) or biawak raksasa (giant monitor). The Komodo dragon is also known as the Komodo monitor or the Komodo Island monitor in scientific literature, although this is not very common. Their hatchlings average 40 centimeters in length and weigh 100 grams. It is able to see as far away as 300 metres (980 ft), but because its retinas only contain cones, it is thought to have poor night vision. It only has a few taste buds in the back of its throat. Its scales, some of which are reinforced with bone, have sensory plaques connected to nerves that facilitate its sense of touch. The scales around the ears, lips, chin, and soles of the feet may have three or more sensory plaques. For shelter, the Komodo dragon digs holes that can measure from 1–3 metres (3–10 ft) wide with its powerful forelimbs and claws. Because of its large size and habit of sleeping in these burrows, it is able to conserve body heat throughout the night and minimize its basking period the morning after. The Komodo dragon does not have a particularly acute sense of hearing, despite its visible earholes, and is only able to hear sounds between 400 and 2000 hertz. Its saliva is frequently blood-tinged, because its teeth are almost completely covered by gingival tissue that is naturally lacerated during feeding. The Komodo dragon is able to see in color, but has poor visual discrimination of stationary objects. The Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body. It is most active in the day. Komodo dragons are largely solitary, coming together only to breed and eat. To catch prey that is out of reach, the Komodo dragon may stand on its hind legs and use its tail as a support. As the Komodo dragon matures, its claws are used primarily as weapons, as its great size makes climbing impractical. The Komodo dragon was formerly thought to be deaf when a study reported no agitation in wild Komodo dragons in response to whispers, raised voices, or shouts. This was disputed when London Zoological Garden employee Joan Proctor trained a captive specimen to come out to feed at the sound of her voice, even when she could not be seen. These lizards have an incubation period of 7-8 months. The Komodo dragon prefers hot and dry places, and typically lives in dry open grassland, savanna, and tropical forest at low elevations. |
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