Were we to play the game ‘Word Association’, most of you would surely follow ‘sun’ with ‘moon’ and ‘cat’ with ‘dog’. If ‘Komodo’ was the first word chosen, it’s highly likely most of you would say ‘dragon’.
This enormous reptile, which takes its name from the island that Westerners first documented it to be on, has a celebrity status that stretches way beyond its incredibly restricted range within the Indonesian archipelago’s Lesser Sundas region, primarily due to its status as the world’s largest lizard.
- It has iron-coated razor-sharp teeth, weighs the same as a beer keg and delivers its deadly venom by raking its teeth through its prey’s flesh
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These fork-tongued leviathans can reach up to 3m in length, and after a large meal, could weigh in at close to 150kg. Possessing long, powerful tails, strong, agile necks and muscular limbs, the adults are a uniform stone colour, while the young tend to be brighter and more distinctly marked.
What do Komodos eat?
The region’s top predators, adult Komodos will eat anything, from scavenged carcasses to prey ranging from small rodents to Timor deer and even water buffalo. The species also has a penchant for cannibalism, meaning young Komodos usually spend their first few years up in the trees to stay out of reach.
How do they hunt?
Despite being able to hit speeds of up to 20kmh over short distances, the dragon’s main hunting strategy is to rely on strength and power. After spending hours patiently waiting out of sight, it will spring an attack on any unsuspecting victim passing by.
If the dragon is initially unsuccessful in overpowering its prey, it will quickly retreat rather than risking injury, knowing that any bites inflicted from its curved, serrated teeth will become instantly contaminated by the cocktail of bacteria and venom in its saliva.
With the prey now in shock from the resultant blood loss, and any infection quickly taking hold, it will usually die a few days later. All the Komodo then has to do is sniff out the body.
Since they frequently have to share large meals with other dragons in the vicinity, Komodos are capable of swallowing huge chunks of meat with astonishing rapidity. And during these ‘all you can eat buffets’, their stomachs quickly expand, allowing the adults to consume up to 80 per cent of their own bodyweight in a single sitting.
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How do Komodo dragons mate?
The Komodo mating season usually runs between late June and August, which also coincides with the driest part of the year across the Sundas.
While these monitor lizards are generally solitary by nature, a behavioural switch suddenly sees the males roaming away from their home range to search out receptive females. Since males outnumber the smaller, lighter females by a ratio of more than three to one, there are often dramatic clashes between evenly matched suitors.
Rearing up on their tails for support, the males then initiate an upright wrestling match, with the aim of throwing their opponent to the ground. The loser then either runs off, or admits defeat by lying in a prone and submissive position.
While blood is frequently drawn, the dragons’ apparent immunity to their injuries almost always sees them living to fight another day.
The triumphant male displays a more tender side while courting the female, with a combination of back scratches, chin rubs and licks. Once mated, the female lays up to 30 eggs in a depression she has dug, then spends much of the ensuing nine-month incubation period on the nest. Soon after hatching, the young find that the apron strings have already been severed, necessitating a quick shin-up a nearby tree.
What threats do they face?
As for threats to the species as a whole, human impact, including climate change, is the biggest problem these Endangered lizards face. Let’s just hope that the words ‘Komodo’ and ‘dragon’ don’t become associated with the same heartbreaking term as ‘Mauritius’ and ‘dodo’ have.
Where to see fighting Komodo dragons
Komodo Island, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia
Guided tours can be arranged from Labuan Bajo on Flores to Komodo, plus Rinca, Padar and other islands in Komodo National Park.
Rinca Island, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia
Rinca is easier to access from Labuan Bajo than Komodo, and is also thought to have more dragons
– perhaps as many as 1,500.
Nusa Kode Island, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia
This little island off the south coast of Rinca is thought to have a small but stable population of close to 100 individuals.
Gili Motang Island, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia
Fewer than 100 dragons are thought to survive on this small volcanic island that’s close to Flores.
Wae Wuul Nature Reserve, Flores, Indonesia
The density of dragons here is lower than on some of the other islands, but conservation work is ongoing to protect this genetically important subpopulation.
