Komodo Dragon - Varanus komodoensis
Type Of Animal: Reptile
Common Name: Komodo Dragon
Scientific Name: Varanus Komodoensis
Komodo Dragons are carnivorous reptiles. They are the largest an heaviest lizards on earth and are dominant predators on the Indonesian Islands of Komodo, Gila Montang, Rinca and Flores. They have a keen sense of smell, camouflage well and are patient hunters that can spend hours in one spot waiting for food. They also can move very fast running up to 180km per hour in short bursts.
Characteristics And Features Of Komodo Dragons
Appearance
Size: Up to 3m in length
Weight: Up to 150kg
Komodo Dragons are black, brown and greenish blue in colour. They have long flat heads with rounded snouts, long bodies with armoured scales, a rugged hide four powerful bowed legs with feet that have very sharp claws. Their huge muscular tails, are as long as their body. Komodo Dragons have 60 serrate shark like teeth to tear apart prey which are about 2.5cm in length and are often replaced. They have a long, yellow deeply forked tongue which is used to detect, taste and smell prey and poisonous bacterial saliva that kills any prey that escapes.
Type Of Animal: Reptile
Common Name: Komodo Dragon
Scientific Name: Varanus Komodoensis
Komodo Dragons are carnivorous reptiles. They are the largest an heaviest lizards on earth and are dominant predators on the Indonesian Islands of Komodo, Gila Montang, Rinca and Flores. They have a keen sense of smell, camouflage well and are patient hunters that can spend hours in one spot waiting for food. They also can move very fast running up to 180km per hour in short bursts.
Characteristics And Features Of Komodo Dragons
Appearance
Size: Up to 3m in length
Weight: Up to 150kg
Komodo Dragons are black, brown and greenish blue in colour. They have long flat heads with rounded snouts, long bodies with armoured scales, a rugged hide four powerful bowed legs with feet that have very sharp claws. Their huge muscular tails, are as long as their body. Komodo Dragons have 60 serrate shark like teeth to tear apart prey which are about 2.5cm in length and are often replaced. They have a long, yellow deeply forked tongue which is used to detect, taste and smell prey and poisonous bacterial saliva that kills any prey that escapes.
Habitat
Komodo Dragons live in open grassy savannahs and hot dry monsoonal forests. They are most active during the day. They sleep in burrows that they dig with their powerful feet.
Breeding
Male and female Komodo Dragons breed between May to August. Females lay up to 20 eggs in dug out nesting holes which incubate for 7 to 8 months. They have an overage life span of 30 years.
Diet
Komodo Dragons eat carrion, deer, pigs, smaller dragons, birds, water buffalo, wild boars, goats, rabbits, rats and even humans. They eat 80% of their body weight in a single feeding.
Predators
The main predators of Komodo Dragons are humans who have encroached on their habitats and poached them. Natural disasters have also caused problems to numbers.
Conservation Status
Komodo Dragons are currently an endangered species.
Enclosure Description Of Komodo Dragons
Taronga Zoo's Komodo Dragons can be seen in an outdoor and an indoor enclosure in Reptile World. The outdoor enclosure is a large open spaced area surrounded by a wall. Inside the enclosure is one Komodo Dragon. Its enclosure is designed to be as close to its habitat in the wild. It has a few large trees, bushes and grasses in it. There are also large mossy rocks to climb on and a stone cave for shelter and protection. The ground is covered in dirt and sand with small pebbles. At the front of the enclosure there is a small pool of water made out of rocks and stone that the Komodo Dragon can drink and bathe in. Behind the enclosure is a small rock cave where the Komodo Dragons can rest out of the sun. Another similar outdoor enclosure can be found a short distance away with another single Komodo Dragon in it. The indoor enclosure is a much smaller area, housing one Komodo Dragon. It is a small rectangular room with a painted mountain backdrop scene. It has two lights hanging from the ceiling offering light to a sandy soil ground with tree logs and branches scattered around and two large rocks for the Komodo Dragon to climb on. The front of the indoor enclosure is covered by clear glass for people to observe the Komodo Dragon.