Authored by Rodney Southern in Nature and Wildlife
Published on 09-26-2009
The Komodo dragon is quite simply put the most incredible lizard left on the earth. Right along side the crocodiles and alligators, the Komodo dragon is one of the few dinosaurs that still walk the earth. The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world, and they rule the food chain anywhere that they exist.
Indonesia is the home of these supreme reptiles, and the various islands are all potential homes to the Komodo dragon. They are found on Komodo Island, Flores Island, and any other small islands found in Indonesia.
The Komodo dragon is immense as lizards go, growing up to ten feet in length and weighing in at a healthy 150+ pounds. The incredible thing about this real life dragon is the fact that they can throw that weight around in a very agile way. Not only are they huge, they are quick and agile to boot. This can be a deadly combination for any prey items that happen to stroll into the Komodo dragon’s domain.
The Komodo has many weapons at their disposal. The primary weapon for the Komodo dragon is their deadly spit. They tend to eat plenty of carrion in their diet, and so their mouths are a literal cess pool of bacteria. Because of this, the Komodo has a bite that if you are lucky enough to get away, you will die a slow agonizing death anyway. This is very much in line with the Komodo dragon’s hunting style.
The Komodo dragon will hide and wait for a prey item to come into a pre-selected area. When the prey comes into that area, the Komodo will charge and bite in the deadliest available spot. Most often this is the stomach or the neck. Then the prey will sometimes run away and begin to slowly die. The Komodo dragon then follows the scent of the dying animal and waits for it to finally die. Then it will eat the prey in large chunks, using their huge claws to rip and tear at the flesh.
Given the above information, it is easy to see why the Komodo dragon is a very dangerous reptile to humans. The Komodo is very capable of killing and consuming a human, and it has happened in the past.
The Komodo dragon will dig out a burrow with their long claws so that they can sleep and ambush prey from inside. These burrows are often very well hidden and can surprise prey animals very quickly. Though the Komodo is a huge lizard, they are incredibly fast over short distances. They can move at close to 13 mph over a short burst, and this is often more than enough for it to deliver it’s deadly bite.
