Komodo Dragon - AP

The Komodo Dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands. It is a member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae) and is currently the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres and weighing up to approximately 70kg. However, don’t let its size fool you since when needed they can sprint at 20 km per hour, dive up to 15 ft when young and climb trees using their claws. If a prey is out of reach the Komodo Dragon can even stand on its hind legs while using its tail for support.

As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo Dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. It has been claimed that they have a venomous bite; there are two glands in the lower jaw which secrete several toxic proteins. The known functions of these proteins include inhibition of blood clotting, lowering of blood pressure, muscle paralysis, and the induction of hypothermia, leading to shock and loss of consciousness in prey. The claws on a Komodo Dragon also aid it to capture, hold down and tear apart its prey.

The Komodo Dragon is an ectotherm and usually stays in the heat all day and conserves this heat during the night. They heat their bodies by basking and absorbing energy from the sun or warm surfaces and cool themselves by seeking shade, or burrowing in self-dug dens. The body temperatures of individuals drop as low as 20 °C at night and can reach above 40 °C during the day. During times of extreme overheating "Gular fluttering" or "hyoid panting" is used. This is where the mouth is held open and the gular region of the throat is inflated with air and the air is expelled in a fluttering fashion. Mating season for the ectotherm occurs between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About 20 eggs are deposited in abandoned megapode (chicken like incubator birds) nests or in a self-dug nesting hole. The eggs are incubated for 7-8 months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo Dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. They take 8 to 9 years to mature, and are estimated to live up to 30 years.

The Komodo Dragon does not hibernate or migrate and is considered to be endangered. It is placed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and there are approximately 4000 – 5000 left in the wild, with only 350 breeding females. An interesting fact about the Komodo Dragon is that its stomach can expand up to 80% of its original size and also there is even an island named after them. The Komodo Island is where the majority live.