The Komodo dragon is mainly found on the island of Komodo in the Indonesian archipelago and was only discovered in 1910. This is partly because they live on small, remote and isolated islands. Because the Komodo dragons can swim well, they have been able to spread over a few islands. Because Komodo dragons are so large, they can eat other large animals, such as deer and boar.
Description of the appearance
Komodo dragons have a long body, strong short legs with long nails and a robust head, the body ends in a long tail. It used to be thought that Komodo dragons would be deaf. This is not the case, they just don’t hear very well. On the other hand, their eyes and smell are very well developed. They even have a special organ to smell better called Jacobson’s organ. Komodo dragons are not the only animals with such an organ, snakes and other types of lizards also have this. Jacobson’s organ is a type of cavity in the roof of the mouth above the tongue. Komodo dragons have a long split tongue, by sticking it out over and over again, they collect odor particles at the two split tips. The collected odor particles are analyzed in the Jacobson organ. Because the scent particles come from two sides, the monitor lizard can accurately assess which side is prey or danger.
Although Komodo dragons are true lizards, they also share some traits with crocodiles, although they are not related to each other. Like crocodiles, Komodo dragons have thickened areas of skin called osteodemas. These hard bumps are made of the same material as hair and nails: keratin. These hard parts offer good protection to the body. The bodies of crocodiles and Komodo dragons also show some similarities, such as the long body. Both types have a very strong stomach acid that can digest bones, horns and hooves.
Komodo dragons are social animals, which is remarkable for reptiles. If there is a prey, they will certainly come here for several monitor lizards, after which they will eat together. The larger monitor lizards do get more food and there is a clear hierarchy. Monitor lizards do not eat calmly, they are known for their gluttony. They can eat enormous amounts in a very short time and also leave almost nothing of prey. In a meal they can gobble up 80% of their own body weight.
Fertilization
Komodo dragons mainly live on the ground. They don’t do this all their lives, when they are young they live in trees. After about three years they become too big for this and they also start living on the ground. Komodo dragons can reach an age of 50 years and are sexually mature from about their 9th or 10th year of life. The mating season is in the summer, from May to about the end of August. Males fight over a female. This can be very rough and the males can seriously injure each other. Although their bite is deadly to other animals, Komodo dragons are immune to mutual bites and the sometimes enormous dwellings also heal wonderfully quickly. Their immune system is therefore very good. When one of the dragons flees, the fight is over and the winning male is allowed to mate with the female. Before the monitor lizards mate, there is a foreplay in which the couple licks each other. When a pair is ready, the male will lift the female’s tail and fertilize her. This is not always easy because the large tail can get in the way. Fortunately, there is a biological solution for this. Like other lizards and snakes, Komodo dragons also have a hemipenis. These are actually two penises, so that the male can fertilize the female from both the left and the right side.
Komodo dragons lay eggs and the female takes the seasons into account when laying the eggs. For example, if she is fertilized early in the Easter season, she will carry the eggs herself for some time. The eggs are laid in September in a dug hole or an abandoned bird’s nest on the ground. By not laying the eggs until September, the female prevents the eggs from hatching in a season when it is too hot and too dry, and so there could be too little food for the newly hatched varieties. A clutch usually consists of about thirty eggs. When the female has laid the eggs and has slightly covered the nest again, she will lie down on the nest to guard the eggs. It takes about seven to eight months for them to hatch and the mother stays with them all the while. By the way, this is the only thing the mother does for her offspring, because once the eggs hatch, the young have to sort it out for themselves. Right out of the egg it is very dangerous for the little ones. Strangely enough, the greatest danger is their own kind. Part of the new generation is usually eaten directly by the older conspecifics. Their body is only about 40cm, so a lot smaller. To avoid being eaten, the little ones live in trees for the first three years of their lives. Here they also have to watch out for birds and other small predators, because they also pose a danger.
Special reproduction!
In addition to the regular fertilization method, there is something special about the Komodo dragon female. She can also reproduce on her own. This is especially useful if a female has landed on an island where there are no Komodo dragons. This way she can still provide offspring and males to mate with. This is a form of inbreeding, but it is better than extinction. A female alone can only produce males. This is because of their sex chromosomes. In humans this is X and Y, in monitor lizards W and Z. Females have as sex chromosomes WZ and males ZZ, the combination of WW is not viable. So if the female produces offspring herself, this will always result in one in the combinations WW and ZZ, or not viable or a male.
Food
When the Komodo dragons are small, they live on insects and other animals. As they get bigger, they also start eating more and more things that they have to look for on the floor more and more often. Like larger monitor lizards, they go to cadavers. The dangerous thing about this is that they can easily be eaten. To prevent this, they first roll themselves all the way through feces, because although a Komodo dragon is not at all picky about food, feces even go too far for a monitor lizard. It’s a bit of a dirty story, but this protection allows the fry to eat and grow undisturbed without being attacked or eaten.
Komodo dragons are generally scavengers, but they can certainly hunt too. Because they often hunt animals larger than themselves, attacking isn’t always easy. Biting an animal to death usually does not work. However, there are so many bacteria in the mouth of a Komodo dragon that a bite is almost always fatal. If an animal is bitten, the wound will infect as soon as the animal dies. In fact, Komodo dragons can create their own bait this way.
Komodo dragons are not an endangered species, but they are protected and closely monitored. They occur in a small and specific area, and do not reproduce very quickly. Since their discovery in 1910, they have been protected almost immediately, because even then it was clear that it is a rare. Keeping them in captivity and setting up a breeding program is not easy. In captivity they usually do not survive long because they succumb to parasites, which somehow do not bother them in the wild. That is why it is important to protect these special animals in their own environment.
Taxonomic Classification:
- Empire: Animalia (animals)
- Tribe: Chordata (vertebrates)
- Class: Reptilia (reptiles)
- Order: Squamata (scale reptiles)
- Suborder: Sauria (lizards)
- Infraorder: Platynota (monitor lizards)
- Family: Varanidae (monitor lizards)
- Genus: Varanus
- Species: Varanus komodoensis