Komodo Dragon - The Real Giant Reptil in the World
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 Gili Dasami.
A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum of length 3 metres (9.8 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to around 70 kilograms (150 lb).
Their unusual size has been attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live.
However, recent research suggests that 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 megafauna,
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 megafauna, 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.
Their
group behaviour 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.
Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September.
About twenty 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 nine years to mature, and are estimated to live for 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.
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