You’ve probably heard of the Komodo Dragon, a giant lizard unique to the Komodo National Park in Flores, East Indonesia.
The dragons have been living here for thousands of years, and are probably the closest living relative to the now-extinct dinosaurs.
The Komodo Dragons are the heaviest lizards on earth, they weigh an average 300 pounds and can grow up to 10 feet long. Even so, they are incredibly fast, and can outrun many animals and definitely humans! They can run up to 20km per hour! They’re also fantastic swimmers and climbers – a victim of the Komodo Dragon doesn’t really have anywhere to escape.
Did you know that the Komodo Dragon will feast on anything that moves? This includes humans. When full, they appear docile, slow and lazy. Their long, flat heads, rounded snouts and bowed legs may add to this, but don’t let their appearance fool you. They also have thick scaly skin, sharp claws and a powerful tail that can bring down any prey.
In addition to strength and speed, the Komodo Dragon is also incredibly venomous. A single bite can render a victim helpless in minutes – even if it escapes the jaws of the dragons, the venom will travel through the bloodstream pretty quickly, prevent clotting and induce shock. With its keen sense of smell, the Komodo Dragon will follow its victims for miles before it feasts.
Usually, the Dragons feed on deers, pigs, water buffaloes, chickens and anything else that crosses its path. The Komodo Dragon doesn’t really hunt – it just stays quietly hidden until prey passes by. That’s when it will spring out and attack, pulling out whole chunks of flesh with its lacerated teeth and powerful neck muscles.
A Komodo Dragon can live up to 50 years. You can easily identify how old a Dragon is by counting the yellow dots near its eyes. The female lays eggs, and Komodo Dragon babies live on trees to avoid being eaten by prey.
