Komodo Dragons are Complicated Killers

Komodo Dragon 

 

Zoo Dragon 

Indonesia
Komodo

Komodo National Park in Indonesia Is One of the World's Finest Treasures

EDIRA PUTRI

19 JUNE 2017



Komodo National Park comprises three islands—Komodo Island, Padar Island, and Rinca Island—and numerous surrounding smaller islands.  

 

A beach at Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park is dedicated to providing a natural habitat for, and conservation of, the ancient and rare Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis). 

The park’s importance is acknowledged by global organizations such as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.  WWF and Conservation International have recognized the place as a global conservation priority area.  The park’s status as one of the 'New 7 Wonders of Nature' has established its global significance.

Komodo Dragons can only be found on five islands in the world, four of which are part of the national park, plus the nearby Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara. 

According to scientists, this particular species has managed to survive for millions of years, making it one of the oldest species that still exists today. 

Many scientists believe that the otherworldly Dragons are close relatives to the dinosaur, from the same era and showing similar bodily structure.  Thus, Komodo Dragons are often called “the last dinosaur in the world.” The species is the largest living species of lizard, with an average length of 2-3 meters.

The mighty Komodo Dragon

The national park's distinctive natural environment combines a nutrient-rich ocean water and volcanic elements, which have made it possible for thousands of different species to thrive in and around the islands. As many as 1,000 species of tropical fish, 260 species of coral, 70 species of sponge, as well as endemic species like the orange-footed scrub fowl, the Timor deer, Rinca rat, turtles, dolphins, and dugongs.

The blue sea of Komodo National Park, Indonesia

  

The view at Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Facts about the Komodo Dragon

•  They can run up to 20 kph. 

•  When a baby Komodo dragon hatches it burrows out of its dirt mound of a nest and makes for the nearest tree to stay until it grows up. It must make it to the tree before its mother sees it or she will eat it. Up in the tree it stays living on insects, lizards, birds and anything else that has the misfortune of landing there until it is too heavy to stay on a branch. They are camouflage grey/brown, so hard to see them in the trees, or on the ground.

•  There are over 2,200 dragons on the 390 sqm Komodo island and two other islands nearby.  They are also all micro-chipped. To do that risky job, one lures them into a cage with raw meat and jabs the chip in. 

•  Locals believe that it’s the toxic bacteria in Dragon saliva that kills, but a scientific study by the University of Melbourne in 2009 dispelled that and proved that there is venom in their saliva. If the prey manages to get away it soon collapses and dies and the dragon can feast on it later. It's hard to survive their sharp teeth and deadly claws.

Link: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/indonesia/articles/why-the-komodo-national-park-in-indonesia-is-one-of-the-worlds-finest-treasures/

  

Largest Lizard on Earth | The Komodo Dragon | Deadly 60 | Indonesia | Series 3 | BBC


Published on Feb 14, 2014


SUBSCRIBED 4.2M

Steve Backshall travels to Indonesia in search of reptiles to add to his list of 60 deadly predators. He and his crew have a nerve-racking close encounter with three metre long Komodo dragons, the world's largest venomous lizards!

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Komodo Dragons Kill With Venom, Researchers Find

BY CAROLYN BARRY


Dispelling what one expert calls a scientific fairy tale, a new study shows that the fierce lizards ooze venom, not toxic bacteria, into bites to help weaken and ultimately kill their prey.  

In the venom, some compounds that reduce blood pressure are as potent as those found in the word's most venomous snake, western Australia's inland Taipan.

Komodo Combo Attack

While his colleagues expressed surprise at the findings, Fry said he wasn't so shocked.

His earlier research had shown that other lizard species—such as iguanas, legless lizards, and monitor lizards—are also venomous.

In fact, Fry estimates that close to a hundred of the more than 5,000 known lizard species use venom.

What is surprising, Fry said, is Komodo dragons' elaborate venom-delivery system.

"It's the most complex duct system described in reptiles to date," he said.

Snakes typically have a single venom duct that leads to their fangs. But Komodos have multiple ducts located between their teeth.

However, this means Komodo dragons don't deliver their venom as efficiently as snakes, Fry said.

Rather than injecting venom directly via a forceful bite, the dragons use a specialized bite-and-pull motion to ooze the toxin into wounds during a sustained, frenzied attack.

The combination of venom and multiple lacerations from the lizards' sharp, serrated teeth is what makes the dragons so deadly.

"They're not like the cobra, where venom is the only game in town. Komodos have a combined arsenal," Fry said.

The findings suggest that the Komodo's ancient relative, the Megalania, used a similar venom-plus-wounding approach.

The giant lizard, which roamed Australia about 40,000 years ago, measured about 13 feet (4 meters) long.

Fry's work, published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could mean that the Megalania was the largest venomous animal to have ever lived.

Link: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/komodo-dragon-venom/

Link: https://youtu.be/28FzV5OHqMU

 

Komodo dragons fight over a kill

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin

Link: https://youtu.be/28FzV5OHqMU