Komodo dragon : Things you might not know about this ancient creature

The glimpses of ancient animals nowadays are very rare in the wild. But there are some animals which are living on a the planet earth since a long time and are constantly evolving and adapting themselves according to the present day ecosystem. Today we got one of these ancient creatures here, both by looks and name as well as origin. The Komodo dragon, or sometimes called the Komodo monitor is one of those ancient creatures that we can observe and study nowadays. So let's get started.

Varanus komodoensis (Komodo dragon)

General Info

Komodo dragons are, like other reptiles, are cold blooded heavy and big sized lizards which are mainly found on the islands of Indonesia like Rinca and Komodo. These creature usually prefers spending most of their time inside the tropical rain forests of the islands but can also be found wandering around the shore sides of the islands. These large lizards prey on all medium sized and some large sized animals and are very ruthless predators. These animals are known for their big sized body and different kind of venom (which is present in their saliva).

These creature came into existence nearly 4 million years ago. They were first discovered by and studied by western scientists in 1910. 

These creatures can live up to 30 years. They are also known by the name of "Komoda monitor". When they were first discovered, they were referred as "land crocodile". Their name, Komodo dragons is given to them as they are native to Komodo islands in Indonesia. In the present time, their population is estimated to be around 6000 distributed around the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang.

Physical Characteristics

Komodo dragons are the largest lizards on the planet. The male komodo dragons can grow up to 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) and can acquire a weight between  174.16 to 200 pounds (79 to 91 Kg) whereas the females can grow up to 7.5 (2.3 meters) feet in length and weigh between 150 to 161 pounds (68 to 73 Kg). In some rare cases, they can also grow more than 10 feet (3 meters) and can weigh more than 300 pounds (~ 136 Kg). Matter of fact, the largest known specimen of komodo dragon is measured to be 10.3 feet (3.14 meters) in length and 366 pounds (166 Kg) weight. 

Depending upon the location, they can be black to yellowish-grey in color. Their skin is covered with bony scales called osteoderms. These scales provide protection from scratches or injury on it's body. The skin become hard overtime as a result of competing in fights with other komodo dragons. Speaking of the body, they have a massive body size (for a lizard) with a muscular tail ,strong claws, rounded snouts spread-bowed legs and flat head.

Behavior and lifestyle

These carnivore reptiles are fairly aggressive and can attack if they are spooked or if they smell blood as they have keen sense of smell. They can chase you with the speed of 10 to 13 miles per hour (16 to 20 kmph).The fastest man on the planet Usain bolt was recorded for attaining a speed of 27.8 mph (44.6 Kmph), so you see, you might barely escape after getting chased by a komodo dragon, which is clearly not a good thing to happen. Also if you are wandering that they can climb or not, then you might make a mistake because these creatures can climb the trees with the help of their strong claws and leg muscles despite of their big body structure. Also they can swim with a speed of 6 to 10 mph (9.6 to 16 Kmph). Therefore the conclusion is, do not get fooled by their big body or their lazy ass looks because they can chase you almost everywhere.

They remain active mostly during the day and prefer living in dry areas, open grass lands and low altitude tropical forests. As for their shelters, they live and burrows. They make it by digging a hole which can be 3.3 to 10 feet (~ 1 to 3 meters) in width. These burrows are normally located near narrow sea breeze flowing location and have limited vegetation around them. They also use this location as a hunting ground and setup ambush against nearby animals. They usually do not chase after their prey as they injure it's target with some brutal strikes avoiding the main fleshy part so that the prey gets tired and ultimately die of blood loss or poisoning.

As for their diet, they ca eat almost every medium sized and large sized animals like deers, pigs, monkeys, wild boars, other young komodo dragons and even a big animal like a buffalo. They do not eat their prey by cutting in small pieces, instead they directly swallow a big part of the prey's body with the help of their flexible jaws and 0.025 meter (1 inch) teeth. As their metabolism is slow, the food takes a lot of time to get digested, therefore they only require 10 to 12 meals in a year. The parts which could not get digested like fur, horns teeth or other plant parts are excreted after some time. After that the komodo dragons rubs their face and body in the dirt, trees or grass/bushes to get rid of the smell.  After that they drink water with the help of a quite unique method called buccal pumping in which they suck the water and lift up it's head and let the water to run down in to it's throat (this is actually a respiration process). 

Reproduction

The mating season for komodo dragons starts around in the month of May or August. During these months, the males fight with other male komodo dragons to decide who should with the female. The one who gets pinned down or gets injured will loose. After that the dominant male approaches the females very carefully and tries to get a control over her as the females can be quite aggressive and can severely injure the male.

The gestation period is of 7 to 8 months. After the gestation period is over , the eggs are laid and the female protects the eggs for nearly 3 months until the eggs are finally hatched. The female komodo dragon can lay anywhere between 15 to 30 eggs, although the average count is around 20 eggs. The eggs are generally buried into the ground, some on the ground level and sometimes on the hilly areas.

After the eggs are hatched, the young komodo dragons analyse their surroundings by flicking their tongue. As small ones are very defenseless and vulnerable in there time, they usually live most of their life on trees so that they can be safe from predators and other komodo dragons. They can be approximately 0.465 meters (18.3 inches) in length and 0.231 pounds (0.1051 Kg) in weight. They reach physical, mental and sexual maturity at the age of 8 or 9 years.

And at last, Komodo dragons can asexually reproduce. The females don't require male sperm to fertilize the eggs. Since they have both male chromosomes, they can produce eggs with the help of a process called "Parthenogensis".

Biological Features

Saliva with poisoning properties (venom)

A komodo dragon's tongue contain various types of bacteria and other microorganisms. These bacteria produce several toxic proteins and enzymes in the saliva glands. In 2009, researchers at the University of Melbourne  provides their results and evidences to proof that komodo dragon's bite is poisonous. The bacteria mentioned are used by these creatures to take down their prey with bites. It is observed that a Komodo dragon can take down it's prey within 30 minutes with the help of their poisonous bite. This bite results the prey in suffering the symptoms of low blood pressure, blood clotting and restriction in muscle movement leading to paralyses and loss of consciousness and ultimately leading to death. 

Anti-bacterial properties in the immune system

Researches have found that the blood plasma of komodo dragons contains a strong anti-bacterial chained amino acids (peptides) that is responsible for the healing factor and resisting deadly infections in the body. It is found to consist a synthetic peptide named DRGN-1 which provide relief in bacterial strains and production of fungi on the body.

Facts and summary

• Komodo dragons are the biggest specie of lizard found on this planet.

• They are purely carnivores in terms of food consumptions.

• They have thick and hard skin to provide protection against injuries.

• They are quite good runners, swimmers and climbers.

• They can asexually reproduce with the help of a process called "Parthenogensis".

• They have venomous bite.

• They have powerful immune system but slow metabolism.

• Although their mouth is contains several bacteria, they are surely look after there mouth's hygiene by licking there lips and sometimes dipping their mouth in water to get rid of the extra flesh remaining in their mouth.

• In native areas like Komodo islands they are also referred as "oras" which means land crocodile.

• They can consume up to 80% of their total body weight.

• Despite being native to Indonesian islands like Komodo, they actually came from Australia (as their origin).

• They can take down a big sized animal like a wilder beast or a buffalo.

• They have a sharp and keen sense of smell.

• They can smell a dead flesh from nearly 5 miles away (8 Km).

• They rub their body on feces, rotten flesh or poop and sometimes climb a tree to avoid getting eaten by other animals or by their own kind.

• Being a dominant and ferocious predator in their ecosystem, they can also be quite playful if they are treated with proper care in captivity, away from all the dangers.

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