Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Varanidae
Genus & Species: Varanus komodoensis
APPEARANCE
The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard alive today, being exceeded in
length only by an extinct monitor species that used to live in Australia and
the 50 ft mosasaurs of long ago. The males reach an average length of 10 ft
(3 m), and an average weight of 220-300 lbs (97-133 kg). The largest
Komodo dragon known to science was 10 ft 2.5 in long, although there have
been reports by locals of dragons anywhere from 11-30 ft (3.3-9 m) in
length. The females are slightly smaller than the males. Komodo dragons
have a stout, flattened body with a thick tail that accounts for half of its
length. The legs are short and squat and the feet end in long, powerful claws.
The skin is very leathery and is a grey-brown in colour with red circles
spotted here and there. The young are easily identifiable with vertical bands
of green and black that circle around their neck and disappear with age.
Komodo dragons have a life span of 20 years and can run up to speeds of 15
mph (37.5 km/h).
HABITAT
Komodo dragons are found on several small, mostly uninhabited
Indonesian islands, including Komodo, Padar, Flores, Rintja, Gili Mota,
and Owadi Sami. Komodo Island is the largest of these, and yet is only 20
mi x 20 mi (50 km x 30 km) in area. Komodo dragons are found mostly in
the open savannas of the islands, but will sometimes stray into the
rainforests. They are relatively strong swimmers and are said to be able to
swim to other islands during fires. The young are also able to climb trees.
During the night Komodo dragons sleep in caves or between tree roots, and
will come out at 8:30 a.m. to feed. They are solitary animals, and only come
together to mate or feed on carrion.
FOOD
Komodo dragons are carnivores and will eat most anything. They prey
mainly upon pigs, deer, goats, and monkeys, but have been known to attack
and kill humans. They are gluttons, and will sometimes eat an entire deer at
one time, after which they sleep for a week in order for it to digest. The
young are fed insects, lizards, rodents, and ground-nesting birds. The a dults
will also feed on carrion.
The teeth of a Komodo dragon's mouth are arranged in such a way that
they enable the largest portion of flesh possible to be bitten off. The jaws are
hinged like that of an egg-eating snake's to further aide with this. If prey is
bitten but manages to escape, they will likely bleed to death. If that doesn't
happen they will then succumb to one of the four species of bacteria that
flourish in the dragon's saliva. There is no known antidote for these
bacterium.
ENEMIES
Komodo dragons are at the top of the food chain and therefore have no
enemies as a dults. Feral dogs and pigs sometimes dig up and eat Komodo
dragon eggs, and birds and even a dult dragons will eat the young. Man
doesn't pose a great threat, as Komodo dragons bring in many tourists for
Komodo village and therefore are not hunted. At one time the Dutch would
come down and kill up to 600 a dults a year, until a law was passed allowing
a quota of no more than 5. For a very short period they were also killed to
be turned into handbags, but the skin would crack when dried. Today, there
are approximately 3000 Komodo dragons left, which is a decent number
considering the size of the islands.
BREEDING
Sexual maturity is reached at 6 years, and Komodo dragons mate during
June or July. The female lays up to 12 four inch long eggs in a hole in the
earth. The eggs hatch after an incubation period of 8-10 months.
HISTORY
The island of Komodo was an uninhabited island for many years, until the
sultan of nearby island Sumbawa started to deport criminal there. Rumors
quickly began to fly about a 23 ft long land crocodile that was terribly
ferocious. In 1910, the Governor of Flores looked into the matter and
published the first scientific description of the "land crocodiles" in 1912.
WWI then broke out, and the "new" lizard was forgotten until 1923, when a
keen explorer brought back four skins of the lizard islanders called the ora.
RELATIVES
The Komodo dragon is a monitor lizard and is related to the other monitor
species, including the extinct Australian giant known as Megalania.
RESOURCES CITED
1. home.rmi.net/~shasta/komodos.htm
2. Komodo Dragon, Funk & Wagnalls Wildlife Encyclopedia, BPC Pub Ltd,
USA, 1974, pg 1221, vol 10.
3. Komodo Dragon, Wildlife Fact File, IM Pub, USA
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