Life is like an adventure. Komodo dragons - how a hunting strategy wins a deadly fight Unusual dragon hunting strategy

website - Let's dream together, today it will surprise you with facts about the most ancient pangolin on the planet. Dragon from Komodo Island, have you heard of this? If not, then the films have been seen for sure.

It was these reptiles that became the prototype of the protagonist in horror films. They inspired the directors to the most incredible stories.

Giant monitor lizards actually exist: they are lizards from Komodo Island.

Where do dragons live and how did they appear on the islands of Indonesia

There is such a term: island gigantism. This is such a phenomenon of nature: in a closed and isolated space, from generation to generation, animals increase in size.

Almost like in the movie "Jurassic Park", but there scientists have created suitable conditions. And in Indonesia, everything happened naturally. Although the theory is quite controversial.

A long time ago in Australia (an isolated continent) and on the island of Java, huge predators lived and lived - giant monitor lizards. This is the home of dragons. The oldest fossilized remains of them date back almost 4 million years ago. The extinction that befell many animal species during the Pleistocene era did not affect Komodo dragons.

How did the lizards survive?

They changed their location in a timely manner and took root on the islands of Indonesia closest to the continent. The ocean went up and down. Continents moved, and they calmly waited on the islands. This helped save the lizards from extinction. So they ended up on the island of Flores and nearby.

The giant monitor lizard lives only on five Indonesian islands - Komodo, Rinka, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar.

What do lizards look like

They are really terrible both in appearance, and in scaly skin, and in a forked tongue, like that of a snake. They can reach up to 80, and sometimes up to 100 kilograms. Possess venomous bites, allowing them to hunt and kill large animals and sometimes even humans. But first things first.

Dark terracotta skin has many protective lamellar ossifications. This is a kind of armor of the "ground crocodile". The average pangolin is not too huge: the weight is only 50 kilograms and up to 3 meters in length. Sometimes there are instances that want to get into the book of records and much more.

Komodo dragons have no direct predators.

Singles for life

Komodo dragons are solitary predators. They gather in groups only for the period of mating games and during big hunts (there are some).

They live in deep burrows up to 4-5 meters or in hollows of trees (mainly young people). Everything is like people. Life expectancy up to 45-50 years. Young monitor lizards easily climb trees.

Only large crocodiles and people can pose a direct threat to their lives.

Sprinters in the jungle

Despite the outward sluggishness, these are capable of a lightning attack from an ambush. Do not underestimate their abilities. In terms of speed of movement, he can compete with a sprinter over short distances. Develops speed up to 20 km / h.

A special hole under the tongue allows him to move and breathe at the same time while running. The pump pumps air and does not take strength in the pursuit, increasing endurance and chances of winning.

What do Komodo lizards eat?

Lizard predators. The favorite meal is meat. And it doesn't really matter whose. Large or small animal, fish, turtle or large insect. They can also eat a relative for lunch. They do not disdain their own holes with cubs to tear and feast on. In the video below, you can see how he feasts on snake eggs.

Often, during the hungry period, fresh and not very graves are torn open and corpses are eaten. Therefore, the inhabitants of the islands (Indonesians) bury their inhabitants, covering the graves with cement slabs.

Rules of the hunt - the victim has no chance

Like crocodiles, giant monitor lizards severely injure their prey with their first bite. Tearing out huge chunks of muscle, breaking bones and tearing arteries. Therefore, the mortality rate from their bites is 99%. The victims have virtually no chance of survival.

In addition to severe injury, monitor lizards contain poison in their saliva, which quickly causes sepsis. In the lower jaw of a mammal there are 2 poisonous glands through which the poison enters.

Photos of the Komodo dragon only confirm the speculation about extinct dinosaurs.

Sharp teeth rip open prey like a can opener

Unusual ability to reproduce without fertilization

The lizard population is 3:1, there are many times more males than females. Which makes the battle for the female a deadly tournament of the strongest.

They lay up to 20 eggs in deep burrows. For the whole 9 months, the female guards the nest with offspring. Up to 2 years, young individuals live in the crowns of trees.

These reptiles have an ability: parthenogenesis. Reproduction is sexual and non-sexual. Oocytes develop easily even without direct fertilization.

In case of storms and earthquakes. Females can reproduce without males.

Toxic monitor lizard saliva

The venom slows down the victim's blood clotting, causes muscle paralysis, sharply lowers blood pressure and causes hypothermia, followed by shock and loss of consciousness. This allows the predator to easily finish off and eat the unfortunate.

The toxicity of saliva helps the predators themselves digest food faster.

Thanks to a good sense of smell and smell, the direction to the victim is easily determined by the smell of blood within a radius of 5-9 kilometers. The forked tongue also contributes to this.

For one lunch, they can eat meat up to 85% of their own body weight. The stomach tends to stretch a lot.

The high immunity of Komodo monitor lizards allows them to survive in adverse conditions with minimal losses.

Way to have a quick lunch

For faster swallowing of prey, they invented an unusual method.

They rest the victim against a tree or a large stone and pull their body against it, fixing themselves with their paws.

They react sharply even to the faint smell of blood. There are known cases of attacks on tourists with minor scratches on the arms or legs.

The high immunity of Komodo monitor lizards allows them to survive in adverse conditions with minimal losses.

For a long time it was assumed that in the saliva of lizards there are a large number of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. Until 2009, it was thought so, until studies by Brian Fry proved that the venom of lizards is not as toxic and poisonous as that of snakes.

React sharply even to the slightest smell of blood

Unusual strategy in dragon hunting

The jaws of the lizard are not as strong as those of the closest relative of the crocodile. And noticeably lose in newtons. 2600 N against almost 7,000 N of a crocodile. The monitor lizard has a much weaker grip, so an unusual attack strategy is used.

As we already wrote in the article, they tear their prey by making chaotic head movements. Waving in all directions, finishing off the unfortunate and dragging him into the water.

The lizards have a different tactic: having tightly grabbed the animal, they begin to pull it in their direction, resting on powerful paws and helping with long claws.

Sharp teeth rip open prey like a can opener. They tear off pieces of flesh and inflict mortal wounds. Furious jerks and neck rotations allow inflicting wounds incompatible with life.
In such a fight, there is only one winner - a monitor lizard from Komodo Island.

Video: 8 facts about the Komodo dragon

They do not have direct predators (by the way, humans also do not), and now they feel quite at ease. As if they are waiting for the right moment to lead the hierarchy. True, they do not increase in size. Maybe it's for now?

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Where is Komodo National Park located?

Founded in 1980, Komodo National Park is located in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago. The park is spread over 600 sq. km of land and 1.2 sq. km of sea waters. It includes three main islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as many smaller islands.

Komodo Island

All of them are part of the Lesser Sunda Islands and are located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, the Indonesian archipelago. The largest of them is Komodo. Its population is 2 thousand people. The inhabitants of the island are the descendants of former prisoners who were marooned on the island and who subsequently mixed with the Boogie tribe from the island of Sulawesi.

Are Komodo dragons an endangered species?

Komodo dragons are in the status of vulnerable animals. Experts estimate the population size at 4,000 - 5,000 individuals. However, some scientists fear that among them there are only 350 females of reproductive age. All of them are listed in the IUCN Red List. Especially for them, a national park was organized on Komodo Island.

Any hunting of these lizards is prohibited by law, and catching can only be done for zoos with special permission from the Committee for Nature Conservation under the Government of Indonesia.

How much does a Komodo dragon weigh?

Komodo dragon can reach a length of 2.5-3 m, its weight ranges from 50 to 70 kg. Females are smaller and reach a length of only 1.5-2 m. The length of the monitor lizard's tail is about half the length of the body.

How fast does a Komodo dragon run?

The Komodo monitor lizard is quite fast and can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h. In principle, a Komodo monitor lizard can catch up with a person, although much depends on the person himself - how fast he runs. Having no natural opponents, in addition to carrion, he hunts almost all large living creatures that can be found on the island - deer, buffalo, wild boars and their smaller relatives.

Hiding quietly in the bushes or any other shelter, the Komodo monitor lizard waits for its prey and then attacks. The mortal danger lies both in sharp teeth and in 50 strains of various pathogenic bacteria that cause blood poisoning and death of the victim, as a rule, in 24 hours.

Feature article Mad Zoologist about komodo dragons:

The Komodo dragon is sometimes called the Komodo dragon, and for good reason. This prehistoric predator with its appearance and size really reminds us of mythical dragons. The Komodo dragon is one of the largest living reptiles and is the largest modern lizard. The massive body of this monster can reach more than 3 meters, but most often its length is 2-3 meters. These monitor lizards usually weigh about 80 kg, but can be much heavier - about 165 kg.

This dinosaur of our days is armed very impressively. Its skull is on average about 21 cm long, and in its huge mouth are many large teeth with jagged edges that are flattened laterally and curved back. Each tooth is a kind of carving knife. With such teeth, the animal can easily pull out pieces of meat from its prey. The monitor lizard does not have chewing teeth, all its teeth are of the same conical shape, so it practically does not chew, and tearing off pieces of meat, it simply swallows them. The structure of the skull and pharynx allows this reptile to swallow very large pieces.

In addition to terrifying teeth, the Komodo monitor lizard is armed with long hook-shaped claws and a truly terrible tail. A blow from such a tail can knock an adult off his feet and inflict severe injuries on him. When monitor lizards fight among themselves, for example, because of prey or a female, they stand on their hind legs, clasping each other with their paws and inflicting bites on each other, while trying to overcome the opponent. Although, I must say that they rarely fight over prey. On Komodo Island, monitor lizards are specially fed for the amusement of tourists. A few monitor lizards can safely devour a deer carcass. These huge lizards do not attack people, but they potentially pose a serious danger. Reliable cases of attacks of these reptiles on humans are known. Not only is the bite of a Komodo monitor lizard extremely dangerous in itself, it has a lot of microbes in its mouth that can cause blood poisoning.

In addition to the Komodo Island itself, which is lost among the many islands of the Indonesian archipelago, the Komodo monitor lizard lives on the islands of Flores, Rinja and Padar. All these islands are quite small, hardly visible on the map. And the Komodo monitor lizard is not found anywhere else in the world, so this species is protected by law. It would be a real crime if this reptile, which has come down to us from the depths of many millions of years, disappears from the face of the earth now, in the 21st century of our era.

Throughout its habitat, the Komodo monitor lizard is the dominant predator. None of the animals living side by side with him can compare with him in strength. The basis of the diet of the giant monitor lizard is deer and wild pigs. In addition, he eats other, smaller animals, as well as carrion.

Monitor lizards search for prey with the help of vision, as well as their unusual language. With its forked tongue, the monitor lizard perceives the smallest odor particles left by the victim, and analyzes them with the help of the Jacobson organ, which communicates with the oral cavity. Having found its prey, the monitor lizard sneaks up to it at a suitable distance, and then makes a swift throw. Despite its clumsy appearance, the Komodo monitor lizard is able to develop unexpected speed for such a huge lizard. In principle, a Komodo monitor lizard can catch up with a person, although much depends on the person himself - how fast he runs.

Mating of Komodo monitor lizards occurs, as a rule, in July and is accompanied by fierce battles between males. In August, the female lays more than two dozen eggs, which are usually buried in the ground, or hidden in a hole. After about 8-8.5 months, babies hatch from the eggs, which grow very quickly. They are very shy and flee at the slightest danger. Unlike adults, lizards are great at climbing trees and escaping, often climbing them. Young monitor lizards are colored brighter than adults. Over the years, they acquire a darker, greenish-brown color. The life expectancy of the Komodo dragon is about 50 years.

In captivity, Komodo monitor lizards quite easily get used to humans and become tame. It seems to me that monitor lizards are the most highly developed reptiles, after crocodiles. There are cases when tame monitor lizards responded to their nickname.

Today, only a few large reptiles remain on Earth, the most terrible of which is the Komodo dragon living in. Cold-blooded and not too smart, this predator, however, has a chilling goal setting, ”the famous astrophysicist Carl Sagan described the Komodo monitor lizards.

THE PIONEER OF THE KOMODOS LIMITS

The plane's engine sneezed hard and worked intermittently; fortunately, an island appeared directly ahead, and the Dutch pilot Hendrik Van Bosse did his best to reach the saving land. The plane literally plowed a small beach on its belly and stuck its nose into the dense vegetation of the tropical forest. The pilot hurriedly got out of the cockpit and, limping, ran away from the plane, and half-dressed natives were already hurrying towards him, shouting excitedly. I will disappoint the most bloodthirsty readers: the pilot was not eaten, he was very cordially received by the inhabitants of the small island of Komodo, which is part of the Sunda archipelago.

The mountainous island, 30 km long and 20 km wide, was covered with a tropical forest, in which, according to the locals, "buayadarat", or "earth crocodiles" lived. According to them, crocodiles reached 6-7 meters in length and calmly hunted deer and even attacked buffaloes. During one of the walks, the pilot himself was able to verify the veracity of their stories, when the "log" lying in front of him suddenly came to life, rose on four powerful legs and waddled away in a dense bush.

According to another scenario, the pilot did not meet anyone after the plane crash and lived for almost a year as Robinson in a remote part of the island. He had a firearm with him, so he did not starve, but he could not get used to the presence of living "dragons" on the island. Fearing that these creatures would eat him alive, he slept in the trees. The long-awaited ship did not come, and he, like the hero of the popular film "Outcast", made a desperate decision to embark on a risky voyage on a raft he built. After a 57-day voyage full of hardships and dangers, the exhausted pilot reached the island of Timor.

When Hendrik Van Bosse ended up in Europe, literally a few people believed his stories about huge Komodo dragons, and those were his closest relatives and friends. For some time, Komodo dragons became a real curse for Van Bosse, mocking articles were written about him, he was called a liar, they said that he had lost his mind due to a plane crash. Finally, an English officer who ventured out to hunt dinosaurs in the footsteps of a "crazy pilot" discovered to his great surprise that he was telling the truth.

With the discovery of living "dragons", the torment of their discoverer Hendrik Van Bosse ended, now no one called him a liar or crazy, but the months of persecution were not in vain for him. It is curious that Van Bosse retired from aviation and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Komodo lizards. He died in 1938. An inscription is carved on his grave: “Hendrik Arthur Maria Van Bosse, aviator - from an irrepressible thirst for knowledge; a lone navigator - by misfortune; the discoverer of monitor lizards of Komodo Island - also by misfortune; zoologist, doctor of natural sciences - as a result of deceit, so as not to be known as a deceiver.

SENSATION IN ZOOLOGY OF THE XX CENTURY

Komodo dragons turned out to be a large, previously unknown variety of monitor lizard. The discovery of Komodo monitor lizards was one of the largest discoveries in zoology at the beginning of the 20th century. Alas, Chinese hunters and merchants immediately rushed to the island: in the cult of the dragon, various drugs from the “dragon bones” were always in demand and valued very dearly. Skins of Komodo "dragons" and medicines from their fat and bones were in great demand.

Scientists got down to business, in 1938 on the islands (in addition to Komodo monitor lizards were found on neighboring islands - Rinja, Flores, Padar, Oveda, Sami and Gili Motang) they created a reserve, at the moment the "varanya" islands have the status of a national park. In 2013, the total number of monitor lizards was estimated at 3222 individuals, in 2015 it decreased to 3014 individuals, but in principle it remains quite stable. Alas, monitor lizards died out on Padar, it is believed that this happened due to the extermination of other animals on the island by poachers, the “dragons” were simply left without prey and died of starvation.

A TERRIBLE AND VRUSHANT PREDATOR

When they first arrived at Komodo, scientists did not find the 7-meter monitor lizards that the locals were talking about, but 3-3.5-meter animals weighing from 130 to 160 kg came across quite often. Komodo monitor lizards attacked pigs, goats, deer. Of course, they were not able to catch up with them, monitor lizards just slowly sneaked up, often freezing in the most ridiculous poses, to grazing animals, and then knocked them down with a powerful throw or a strong blow of their tail. A case is known when a Komodo monitor lizard managed to kill a powerful Indian buffalo weighing 500 kg.

The monitor lizard usually grabs the prey that has come across to it by the head or neck, then it makes a sharp movement, shaking the victim with such force that it breaks its vertebrae. First of all, a predatory reptile rips open the stomach of a killed animal and eats its insides with pleasure, only after that it is taken for the skin, meat and bones. Scientists recorded the time and found that the Komodo monitor lizard is able to completely eat a 20-kilogram pig in 30 minutes. In a matter of hours, 3-4 adult monitor lizards ate a large deer weighing 100 kg.

Such a rate of food absorption is not surprising, because monitor lizards have 26 powerful sharp teeth 4 cm long, in addition, they are able to swallow impressive pieces of meat. Great was the surprise of scientists when in the opened stomach of one of the reptiles they saw ... half a wild boar. It is amazing that, when eating a deer, monitor lizards even eat his horns and hooves. Young monitor lizards usually only fuss around feasting parents; scientists believe that under a hot hand (sorry, paw!) large individuals may well have a bite to eat with their smaller relatives.

Monitor lizards do not disdain carrion, bird eggs and even insects. Sometimes a monitor lizard bursts into a flock of monkeys descended from a tree and, taking advantage of the fact that the poor monkeys are literally numb from shock, grabs one of them and literally swallows it alive. Often, monitor lizards roam the coast, looking for carrion thrown by the waves. They are good swimmers and can cover considerable distances in water, controlling their tail like a rudder.

Visited Komodo in the early 60s and our expedition. Here is how I. Darevsky, by the way, the largest Soviet herpetologist, very colorfully described the meeting of scientists with the Komodo dragon: “A monitor lizard calmly emerged from the thickets and, not paying any attention to us, slowly wandered along the path after the wild boars. At the same time, he did not drag his body along the ground, like many other lizards, but held it on outstretched paws, high above the ground. This spectacle completely shocked us: the huge lizard, illuminated by the evening sun, looked like a prehistoric monster, reminiscent of a giant dinosaur that had long disappeared from the Earth. A snake-like head with black shining eyes and gaping ear cavities, large hanging folds of orange-brown skin on the neck gave the animal a frightening and some kind of fabulous look.

Female monitor lizards lay up to 25 eggs, the size of which reaches a length of up to 10 centimeters. Until the very hatching of small monitor lizards, the female guards the masonry. The babies that were born immediately climb the trees so that they are not bitten by taller relatives. The life expectancy of Komodo monitor lizards is about 50-60 years, in zoos it is halved. They live in deep burrows or in crevices among rocks. Young monitor lizards often use hollow trees as shelter.

"DRAGONS" AND PEOPLE

It is believed that Komodo monitor lizards are not dangerous to humans, but such an opinion cannot be considered unambiguous. There was a case when a monitor lizard attacked children and as a result one boy died. In another case, a man was wounded, who did not share a deer he had shot with a monitor lizard. Scientists view these incidents as unfortunate accidents. In the first case, the monitor lizard could take the child for a large monkey, and in the second, he was misled by the smell of a deer.

The last victim of Komodo monitor lizards in 1978 was a Swiss naturalist. He had long dreamed of seeing these exotic reptiles and specially went to Indonesia to look at monitor lizards and get acquainted with their habits and life. During his stay on the island, the naturalist lagged behind the group, apparently deciding to do independent research. Nobody saw him again. The undertaken searches yielded practically nothing, they managed to find only glasses and a naturalist's camera. Without a doubt, this man was eaten by monitor lizards. After this tragic incident, the huntsmen now do not leave tourists, scientists, and journalists arriving on the island for a moment.

Monitor lizards have an excellent sense of smell, they find graves and, if they are shallow, tear them up and eat corpses, this, of course, causes great discontent among the locals. True, in recent years the graves have been covered with massive slabs and their destruction by monitor lizards has ceased. The sense of smell helps monitor lizards to find carrion on the shore or a wounded animal at a very considerable distance.

Tourists with small wounds and scratches, and even women on so-called difficult days, can arouse the increased interest of monitor lizards and provoke them to attack.

The bites of monitor lizards are very dangerous. Due to the fact that they feed on carrion, there are a lot of pathogenic microbes in their mouths, the bite of a reptile threatens with blood poisoning, loss of a limb or death. In addition, scientists have established the presence of a poisonous gland in monitor lizards. It turns out that they are also poisonous. That is why these reptiles should not be considered safe. At the same time, monitor lizards in zoos usually do not cause any complaints from the staff, they are obedient, peaceful and picky about food.

Monitor lizards from Komodo Island are the largest lizards in the world.

Komodo monitor lizard, or giant Indonesian monitor lizard, or Komodo monitor lizard (lat. Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard from the monitor lizard family.

The species is distributed on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Jili Motang. The natives of the islands call it ora or buaya darat ("ground crocodile").

This is the largest living lizard in the world, individual representatives of this species can grow more than 3 meters in length and weigh more than 100 kilograms.

The unique Komodo National Park is world famous, protected by UNESCO and includes a group of islands with adjacent warm waters and coral reefs with an area of ​​more than 170 thousand hectares.

The islands of Komodo and Rinca are the largest in the reserve. Their main attraction is "dragons", giant monitor lizards, found nowhere else on the planet.

Appearance

Wild adult Komodo dragons are usually 2.25 to 2.6 m long and weigh about 47 kg, males are larger than females and in some cases can reach a length of 3 meters and weigh about 70 kg.

However, in captivity, these lizards reach even larger sizes - the largest known specimen for which there is reliable data was kept at the St. Louis Zoo and had a length of 3.13 m and weighed 166 kg.

The tail length is about half of the total body length.

Currently, due to a sharp decline in the number of large wild ungulates on the islands due to poaching, even adult male monitor lizards are forced to switch to smaller prey.

Because of this, the average size of monitor lizards is gradually decreasing and now is about 75% of the average size of a mature individual 10 years ago.

Hunger sometimes causes the death of monitor lizards.

The color of adult monitor lizards is dark brown, usually with small yellowish spots and speckles. Young animals are more brightly colored; reddish-orange and yellowish eye spots are arranged in rows on their backs, merging into stripes on the neck and tail.

The teeth of the Komodo dragon are compressed laterally and have serrated cutting edges. Such teeth are well suited for opening and tearing large prey into pieces of meat.

Spreading

Komodo monitor lizards live on several islands of Indonesia - Komodo (1700 individuals), Rinka (1300 individuals), Jili Motang (100 individuals) and Flores (about 2000 individuals pushed closer to the coast by human activity), located in the Lesser Sunda Islands group.

According to researchers, Australia should be considered the birthplace of Komodo monitor lizards, where, probably, this species developed, after which it moved to the nearby islands about 900 thousand years ago.

From the history of discovery

In 1912, one pilot made an emergency landing on Komodo, an island 30 km long and 20 km wide, located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, which are part of the Sunda archipelago.

Komodo is almost entirely covered with mountains and dense tropical vegetation, and its only inhabitants were exiles, once subjects of the Sumbawa Raja.

The pilot told amazing things about his stay in this tiny exotic world: he saw huge, terrible four-meter-long dragons there, which, according to local residents, devour pigs, goats and deer, and sometimes attack horses.

Of course, no one believed a single word he said.

However, some time later Major P.-A. Owens, director of the Butensorg Botanical Gardens, proved that these giant reptiles do exist. In December 1918, Owens, determined to learn the secret of the Komodo monsters, wrote to Flores Island's civil administrator, van Stein.

The inhabitants of the island told that in the vicinity of Labuan Badio, as well as on the nearby island of Komodo, “buaya-darat”, that is, “earth crocodile”, lives.

Van Stein became interested in their message and was determined to find out as much as possible about this curious animal, and if he was lucky, then get one individual. When the affairs of the service brought him to Komodo, he received the information he was interested in from two local pearl divers - Kok and Aldegon.

They both claimed that among the giant lizards there were instances of six or even seven meters in length, and one of them even boasted that he personally killed several of these lizards.

During his stay on Komodo, van Stein was not as lucky as his new acquaintances. Nevertheless, he managed to get a specimen 2 m 20 cm long, the skin and photograph of which he sent to Major Owens.

In a cover letter, he said that he would try to catch a larger specimen, although this would not be easy: the natives were afraid, like death, of the teeth of these monsters, as well as the blows of their terrible tails.

Then the Butensorg Zoological Museum hastily sent him a Malay specialist in trapping animals to help him. However, van Stein was soon transferred to Timor, and he could not participate in the hunt for the mysterious dragon, which this time ended successfully.

The Raja Ritara placed hunters and dogs at the disposal of the Malay, and he was fortunate enough to catch four "earth crocodiles" alive, two of which turned out to be quite good specimens: their length was a little less than three meters.

And some time later, according to van Stein, some Sergeant Becker shot a four-meter-long specimen.

In these monsters, witnesses of past epochs, Owens easily recognized monitor lizards of a large variety. He described this species in the Bulletin of the Butensorg Botanical Garden, calling it Varanus komodensis.

Later it turned out that this huge dragon is also found on the tiny islands of Ritya and Padar, lying to the west of Flores. Finally, it became known that this animal was mentioned in the Bim archives dating back to about 1840.

Indonesian Komodo island is interesting not only for its nature, but also for its animals: among the tropical jungle of this island, real " dragons»…

Such " the Dragon"reaches a length of 4-5 meters, its weight ranges from 150 to 200 kilograms. These are the largest individuals. The Indonesians themselves call the "dragon" " land crocodile».

komodo dragon is a diurnal animal, it does not hunt at night. The monitor lizard is omnivorous, it can easily eat a gecko, bird eggs, a snake, catch a gaping bird. Local residents say that the monitor lizard drags sheep, attacks buffalo and wild pigs. Cases are known when komodo dragon attacked a victim weighing up to 750 kilograms. In order to eat such a huge animal, the “dragon” bit through the tendons, thereby immobilizing the victim, and then shredded the unfortunate creature with its iron jaws. Once a monitor lizard swallowed a furiously squealing dog...


Here on Komodo island, nature dictates its own rules, dividing the year into dry and wet seasons. In the dry season, the monitor lizard has to adhere to the "fast", but in the rainy season, the "dragon" does not deny itself anything. komodo dragon does not tolerate heat well, his body does not have sweat glands. And if the temperature of the animal exceeds 42.7 degrees Celsius, the monitor lizard will die from heatstroke.


Long tongue endowed komodo dragon- This is a very important olfactory organ, like our nose. By sticking out its tongue, the monitor lizard catches odors. The tactility of the monitor lizard's tongue is not inferior to the sensitivity of smell in dogs. Hungry "dragon" is able to track down the victim on a single trace left by the animal a few hours ago.

juveniles komodo dragon painted in dark grey. Orange-red stripes-rings are located throughout the body of the animal. With age, the color of the monitor lizard changes, " the Dragon» acquires an even dark color.

Young monitor lizards, up to a year old, are small: their length reaches one meter. By the end of the first year of life, the monitor lizard already begins to hunt. Kids train on chickens, rodents, frogs, grasshoppers, crabs and the most harmless - snails. The matured "dragon" begins to hunt larger prey: goats, horses, cows, sometimes people. The monitor lizard gets close to its prey and attacks with lightning speed. Then he knocks the animal to the ground and tries to stun it as quickly as possible. In the event of an attack on a person, the monitor lizard first bites off the legs, then tears the body apart.

adults komodo dragon they eat their prey in exactly the same way - spreading the victim to pieces. After the victim of the monitor lizard is killed, the "dragon" rips open the belly and within twenty-five minutes eats the insides of the animal. The monitor lizard eats meat in large pieces, swallowing it along with the bones. To quickly pass food, the monitor lizard constantly throws its head up.

Locals tell how one day, while eating a deer, a monitor lizard pushed the animal's leg down his throat until he felt that it was stuck. After that, the beast made a sound similar to a rumble and began to violently shake its head, while falling on its front paws. monitor lizard fought until the moment when the paw flew out of his mouth.


While eating an animal the Dragon stands on four outstretched legs. In the process of eating, you can see how the monitor lizard's stomach is filled and pulled to the ground. Having eaten, the monitor lizard goes into the shade of the trees to digest food in peace and quiet. If something is left of the victim, young monitor lizards are drawn to the carcass. During the hungry dry season, pangolins feed on their own fat. Average life expectancy komodo dragon is 40 years old.

Komodo dragons have long ceased to be a curiosity ... But one unresolved question remains: how did such interesting animals get to Komodo Island in our time?

The appearance of a huge lizard is shrouded in mystery. There is a version that the Komodo dragon is the progenitor of the modern crocodile. One thing is clear: the monitor lizard living on Komodo Island is the largest lizard in the world. Paleontologists put forward a version that about 5 - 10 million years ago, the ancestors Komodo lizard appeared in Australia. And this assumption is confirmed by one weighty fact: the bones of the only known representative of large reptiles were found in Pleistocene and Pliocene deposits. australia.


It is believed that after the volcanic islands formed and cooled down, the lizard settled on them, in particular on Komodo island. But here again the question arises: how did the lizard get to the island, located 500 miles from Australia? The answer has not yet been found, but to this day, fishermen are afraid to go sailing near Komodo islands. Let's think that the "dragon" was helped by the sea current. If the version put forward is correct, then what did the lizards eat all the time when there were no buffaloes, no deer, no horses, no cows and pigs on the island ... After all, cattle was brought to the islands by man much later than voracious lizards appeared on them.
Scientists say that in those days giant turtles, elephants, whose height reached one and a half meters, lived on the island. It turns out that the ancestors of modern Komodo lizards hunted elephants, however, dwarf ones.
Anyway, but komodo dragons are "living fossils".