Komodo Dragon is the largest type of lizards that lived on Komodo National Park, Indonesia. We can find this gianta lizard in two main island in this region, namely: Rinca Island and Komodo Island. But before, dragons can be found in a few scattered around the island of Komodo National Park. Among them: Padar, Gili Motang, even the island of Flores. But because due to several factors including a lack of food stocks with human settlement on the island of Flores, causing the disappearance of these animals in some of these places.
The length of the Komodo dragon can reach 2.5 – 3 meters. With a body weight ranging from 68-91 kilograms. The giant size of komodo dragon is associated with symptoms of island gigantism, which is the tendency of the giant body of certain animals that live on a small island, linked to the absence of carnivorous mammals on the island where Komodo dragon live. Beside that it is also because the small rate of komodo’s metabolism. Because of his huge body, these animals became top predators in the place where it lives.
Komodo uses its tongue to detect taste. With the help of the wind and the habit of moving his head to the left and to the right when walking, dragons able to smell the carcass as far as 4 – 9 kilometers. Komodo like heat and an open area that is located in the lowlands. They are active during the day.
These large reptiles can sprint up to 20 kilometers per hour in short distances. Can swim very well and were able to dive as deep as 4.5 meters. Good at climbing trees using their strong claws, Komodo can also stand as a human by using its tail to support the body. Komodo Adults often make use of their claws as weapons, since weight is not able to climb trees. Usually dragons hunt during the day and rest at night in holes in the ground.
Komodo Dragon is a carnivorous animals that eat meat, though most food in the form carcass. In search of prey, they often approach their prey by means settles and immediately pounce. In other cases, dragons just bite the prey’s body parts, then let his prey ran and die slowly because of toxins from saliva. This is due to saliva dragons have millions of toxins and bacteria that live in the mouth of this giant lizard. Causing infections in wounds caused by the bite.
Komodo’s mating season occurs between May to August, and the eggs laid in September. During the mating season, there are some male dragons are fighting for the female dragon. And the fight is also quite fair because the loser will be ducked and let the win get the females. Komodo female will lay her eggs in the nests underground hole. And on avarage they will lay about 20 eggs that will hatch during 7-8 months. Komodo female will lay on top of these eggs to incubate and protect the eggs until they hatch on April or May.
Young Komodo dragons spend their first few years in trees, where they are relatively safe from predators, including cannibalistic of adult Komodo Dragon, which is about 10% of food is a juvenile dragons that successfully hunted. Komodo requires three to five years to mature and can live more than 50 years.
The evolutionary development of the Komodo dragon started with the Varanus genus, which emerged in Asia about 40 million years ago and then migrated to Australia. About 15 million years ago, meeting the continental shelf of Australia and Southeast Asia allowed the lizards move towards the area known as Indonesia now. Komodo is believed to have evolved from the ancestors of Australian at around 4 million years ago, and expand the area spreading to eastern Indonesia. Changes in sea levels since the ice age has made Shareable komodo limited to an area that is now spreading.