11 Interesting Facts About Indonesia's National Animal, the Komodo Dragon

 

The world's most giant reptiles, Indonesia's Komodo dragons, have inspired stories and mythology, but little was known about them. These ancient monsters, which can only be found on Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara, have long inspired awe and curiosity in those who encounter them. We've recently realized the reality about Komodo dragons after dispelling some myths about them. Truth surprises us because it's stranger than our wildest imaginations could have hoped for.

The Komodo dragon is evil.

A 2009 study discovered that Komodo dragons expel venom through ducts in their mouth into the wounds they have caused in the flesh of their victim, rather than their saliva, which had previously been thought to be the source of their lethal and distinctive toxins. A single day is all it takes for the venom to kill its victims, even if they manage to flee.

The tongues of Komodo dragons are used to "hunt."

Komodo dragons may detect even the tiniest particles because their taste senses are perfectly adapted. If they can't see or smell well, their split, forked tongues can track their prey or carrion up to 9 kilometres away.

Cannibalism is a regular part of human culture.

Komodo dragons are notoriously cannibalistic, even eating their own young. Komodo dragons are known for their fearlessness in protecting their young from predators like their moms and other Komodos. For the first four years of their life, they can stay in the trees, but after returning to the ground, they can live for the next 30 years or more.

Their smaller size disguises the smell of young Komodos.

Additionally, juvenile Komodo dragons have been known to wrap themselves in dead animal dung and intestines to avoid cannibalistic adults. A practical method of avoiding being eaten by a Komodo dragon is using your senses of taste and scent.

They're grave robbers.

Many people believe that Komodo dragons will dig up human graves and eat the dead bodies within. To keep Komodo tomb raiders at bay, residents cover the graves of their deceased loved ones with rocks.

They are capable of giving birth to a virginal child.

Female Komodo dragons can conceive without male sperm, making them parthenogenetic. They can instead fertilize each other, as has been the case with Komodo dragons in captivity, where they are kept. Komodos, on the other hand, can procreate sexually. Asexual or sexual reproduction is a matter of personal preference, depending on the individual's circumstances.

They eat a goat.

Komodo dragons are entirely carnivorous and can consume up to 80% of their body weight in meat. A goat's carcass was rammed against a tree to help them finish it, and they've been observed doing so in one sitting. Even though Komodo dragons can eat a lot, their metabolism is slow. This permits them to live on as few as 12 meals a year, but they are substantial ones at that!

Giantism is a characteristic of Komodo dragons.

As of right now, they're the giant lizards on the planet. When it was measured, the longest and heaviest Komodo measured over three meters (ten feet) in length and 166 kilograms (366 lb). Females are typically 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall, while males are 8 to 9 feet (2.4 to 2.7 meters) on average. Because they are atop the island food chain, there are no other predators for them to worry about.

The Komodo dragons love to swim.

A predatory advantage that Komodo dragons have developed over time is the ability to swim, climb, and run as fast as humans. They can readily swim across the islands of East Nusa Tenggara, particularly those of Flores, Rinca, Padar and Gili Motang, while searching for food or mates.

The Komodo dragon is an old species.

For a long time, they have been a part of our culture. The Komodo dragon is considered a 900,000-year-old relic of Flores' enormous lizard past, even though Europeans first discovered it in 1910. There are also fossils of Komodo dragons that date back 3.8 million years.

Komodos are also capable of being amusing.

Kraken, an adult Komodo dragon at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., began showing symptoms of playfulness with various things and with its carers. Playing tug-of-war and tugging on objects like shoelaces, Frisbees, boxes, and blankets, Kraken showed no aggressiveness or need for food.

They've earned their status as real-life dragons, whether they're fiction or fact. Who knows what else we'll learn about the Komodo in the future?

Article source : https://theculturetrip.com/asia/indonesia/articles/11-facts-komodo-dragon-indonesias-national-animal/

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/naga-komodo-reptil-besar-berbahaya-82445/

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