Komodo Dragon

About the Komodo Dragon

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili Motang. The largest extant population lives within the Komodo National Park in Eastern Indonesia. It is the largest extant species of lizard, with the males growing to a maximum length of 3 m (10 ft) and weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb).

As a result of their size, which is exceptional among reptiles, Komodo dragons are apex predators, dominating the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey; juveniles take small prey like invertebrates or birds, and adults favour larger mammals, occasionally even attacking humans. The diet of adult Komodo dragons mainly consists of Javan rusa and feral pigs, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion.

Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and dwell in trees to avoid predators, including cannibalistic adults, which young Komodo dragons also try to repel by rolling in feces. They take 8 to 11 years to mature and are estimated to live up to 30 years (or by some estimates as much as 62 years). Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September; as many as 20 eggs are deposited at a time in an abandoned megapode nest or in a self-dug nesting hole. The eggs are incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful.

Western scientists first recorded Komodo dragons in 1910. Their large size and fearsome reputation make them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild, their range has been reduced by human encroachment and is likely to contract further from the effects of climate change; hence, they are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. They are protected under Indonesian law, and the Komodo National Park was founded in 1980 to aid protection efforts.

In the Komodo language, the dragons are called sebae 'twins' out of a traditional belief by the Komodo people that they share the same spiritual mother as the dragons. Meanwhile, the Baar people, who speak the Baar dialect of Riung language, call the Komodo dragon mbau. Wikipedia →