Komodo Dragon Facts

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Komodo Dragons
Large dragons usually weigh up to 90 kg. The largest Komodo dragon ever measured weighed 165.9 kg. Komodo Dragons remain large because there are no other large predators to compete with.

It is difficult to tell the difference between male and females without checking for a special scale pattern that males have on their underside at the base of their tail. The males tend to grow larger than the females; this is one way to tell the difference in fully grown animals.

The largest recorded Komodo dragon length is 3.13 meters. The females however, rarely grow over 2.5 meters.

Scientists believe that Komodo Dragons can live up to 50 years, maybe longer.

Komodo Dragons can run up to 18 km/h over short distances. Usually, they run at a slower pace of 8-10 km/h.

Komodo Dragons can swim at least 500 meters. Although not for extended periods as the water cools their body temperature down. However, they are naturally lazy creatures and will only swim if desperate.

Young dragons spend most of their time in the trees but dragons over 1.5 meters long cannot climb well. Once they grow to around two meters in length they become too heavy to climb trees.

Because Komodo Dragons are cold-blooded, they are constantly regulating their body temperature. In the early morning, they must warm up their bodies in the sun. If their body temperature drops too low, the food in their stomach can rot and cause regurgitation or even death. However, the Komodo dragon’s body temperature must not exceed 42 degrees Celsius. When temperatures rise, they must rest and seek shade to prevent their body from over-heating.

Dragons are most active from 6 to 10am in the morning and again from 3 to 5pm in the afternoon. During the rainy season, Komodo Dragons stay in burrows if they are too cold.
Komodo Dragons sleep at night because being cold blooded it is usually too cool for them to be active. They will sleep where they will not loose too much body heat. They sleep at the edge of the savanna and monsoon forest, or in burrows.

The average sleeping burrow is only 75cm to 1.25m in length. The Komodo Dragons will use the burrows of rodents, palm civets, wild board, porcupine (on Flores) and those made by other Komodo Dragons. Nesting burrows, on the other hand, are about two meters long.

Population and Habitat
Komodo Dragons are only found in Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang, and a small part of northern and western Flores. They are recently extinct in Padar. These animals do not exist anywhere else on earth. Komodo Dragons need protection as they are considered endangered due to their extremely limited range.

Komodo Dragons are thought to have lived over a larger area but may have been forced out of other islands due to human population pressures. As well, the formations of the islands are always changing over time.

Dragons can be found almost anywhere on Komodo and Rinca. They can be found in the monsoon forest, in the savanna, on the beach, in the mangrove swamps and in the burrows. Sometimes the younger ones are found in the trees. The Komodo dragon’s range is mostly from sea level to 450m above sea level.

Komodo dragon surveys taken in the year 2000 account for 1,009 Komodo Dragons in Komodo and 1,001 Komodo Dragons in Rinca. A recent decline in population seems to be in the young and juvenile categories.

For every female, there are around three males. A small percentage of females is a possible natural response to keep the Komodo dragon population from growing too quickly.

Origins
Komodo Dragons are one of the oldest living lizards. Direct ancestors of the Komodo dragon (Varanidae family) lived 50 million years ago. Komodo Dragons may have descended from a larger lizard from Java or from Australia (Megalania prisca), which existed 30,000 years ago.

Komodo Dragons could be from Asia or Australia. One theory is that dragons island-hopped from Java to Komodo. Another theory is that they swam from Australia to Timor until they reached Flores. About 18,000 years ago the sea level was approximately 85 meters lower than it is today. Because the shallower shelves of the islands were exposed as dry land, the Komodo Dragons might have been able to easily make their way from Flores to Rinca and Komodo Island.

Reproduction
Female dragons start mating when they are seven years old and male dragons start mating when they are eight years old. The mating season of the Komodo dragon is normally from July to August although mating behaviors have been observed during other months as well, but generally during the dry season.

Female dragons lay 15 to 30 eggs at a time. The average number of eggs is about 18 per clutch, one clutch per year. Female Komodo Dragons often lay their eggs in a burrow. Sometimes they use the mound of scrub fowl. The female dragons dig several false tunnels to deceive predators.

The eggs incubate for eight to nine months, usually hatching in March or April. The average size of Komodo dragon eggs is 8.6 cm long, with a diameter of 5.9 cm and a weight of 105 grams. The eggs are about the size of swan eggs, with shells that are soft and leathery.

Juvenile Dragons
When dragons are born they average 30.4 cm in length and the average weight is 80.3 grams. Young dragons look very similar to small monitor lizards. They have yellow spots and dark markings that eventually disappear as they grow older. The markings on their bodies make excellent camouflage against tree trunks and leaves.

The female dragons only guard their nest during the incubation period for about three months. The young dragons must fend for themselves after they are born. Young dragons that are up to two years in age spend most of their time in the trees to protect themselves from being eaten by larger dragons or other predators such as wild board and feral dogs.

The young dragons usually eat other small lizards, eggs, rats, snakes, and insects that live in trees, stumps and logs.

Senses
Komodo Dragons can see reasonably well, but they rely more on smell than sight. Komodo Dragons use their tongues to detect scents and smells. They use their tongue to pick up chemical particles in the air and ground, then put them in their Jacobson’s organs located on the roof of their mouth. Jacobson’s organs are a kind of “super nose”.

Dragons can detect scents up to five kilometers away. However, they can smell up to 11 km away depending on the direction of the wind.

Hunting and feeding
Komodo Dragons are carnivorous, they strictly reject all plant matter and eat meat in any form. The adults mainly prey on deer and wild boar and sometimes other Komodo Dragons. If they can, they will hunt water buffalo, palm civets, rats, and birds. They will also eat domestic animals like dogs, chickens and goats. Occasionally they will eat snakes, sea turtles eggs and monkeys. Komodo Dragons prefer to eat animals which are already dead. 

Komodo Dragons usually attack sleeping animals or wait in ambush. If they cannot kill prey immediately they will try to bite the animal on the leg or on the throat. Later, they will follow and wait for the animal to weaken and die before eating it.

Komodo Dragons kill using a one-two punch of sharp teeth and a venomous bite, scientists have confirmed for the first time. 

It is a common belief that toxic bacteria in the Komodos' mouths are responsible for ultimately killing the dragons' prey.

An animal that escapes a Komodo's initial attack soon weakens and dies. The fierce carnivore tracks the wounded creature and dines at its leisure once the prey collapses.

Researchers have long thought that the Komodo dragon, kills via blood poisoning caused by the multiple strains of bacteria in the dragon's saliva.

But "that whole bacteria stuff has been a scientific fairy tale," said Bryan Fry, a venom researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Fry and colleagues studied the biochemistry of Komodo venom after they had the rare opportunity to examine two dragons from zoos that both had to be put down due to terminal illnesses.

The team found that the dragon's venom rapidly decreases blood pressure, expedites blood loss, and sends a victim into shock, rendering it too weak to fight.

In the venom, some compounds that reduce blood pressure are as potent as those found in the word's most venomous snake, Western Australia's inland Taipan.

"It's the most complex duct system described in reptiles to date," he said.

Snakes typically have a single venom duct that leads to their fangs. But Komodos have multiple ducts located between their teeth.

However, this means Komodo Dragons don't deliver their venom as efficiently as snakes, Fry said.

Rather than injecting venom directly via a forceful bite, the dragons use a specialized bite-and-pull motion to ooze the toxin into wounds during a sustained, frenzied attack.

The combination of venom and multiple lacerations from the lizards' sharp, serrated teeth is what makes the dragons so deadly.

"They're not like the cobra, where venom is the only game in town. Komodos have a combined arsenal," Fry said.

A Komodo dragon can eat up to 80% of its body weight at one time. Dragons eat almost everything, leaving behind only 8-13% of the carcass. They will eat whenever there is an opportunity. If there is no prey, they will scavenge. They can go without eating for several weeks. Usually eating or making a kill about once a month.

Komodo Dragons need to drink water, but not often. They drink a lot when it is available. They drink very little in the dry season from April to November. Dragons can get 70% of their water requirement from their prey.

People and Dragons
Komodo Dragons have no natural predators but deer poachers are their biggest threat. Timor deer are an essential part of the dragon’s diet and the prey/predator balance is critical for the Komodo dragon to survive. The Komodo Dragons are no longer fed so that they can resume their natural activities. By feeding the dragons, they were relying too heavily on humans and their food.

At least eight people are thought to have been attacked by dragons, and one tourist is thought to have been eaten by dragons in the 1970’s.

Komodo Dragons are opportunistic scavengers. They come to the ranger stations because of the smell of food. They are still wild animals and are not tame. Their behavior is unpredictable. If a Komodo dragon approaches the best thing to do is to get out of the way. If you run, the dragon may follow. Climbing a tree is an option if the pursuing dragon is too large to climb the tree itself. Komodo National Park Requires that all visitors be accompanied by a ranger for safety reasons. The rangers have experience in dealing with dragons and carry a stick to stop the dragons from approaching.

The people of Komodo Island revere the Komodo dragon and a mystical ancestor and treat the dragons with respect.