The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard. Dragons of Komodo Island - how a hunting strategy helps you win a mortal fight Dragon animal lizard

Dragon from Komodo Island (lat. Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor lizard, also known as the giant Indonesian monitor lizard, is a lizard with the most impressive dimensions in the world.

flickr/Antoni Sesen

The average weight of the giant is 90 kg, and the body length is, accordingly, 2.5 m, while the tail occupies almost half of the body. And the length of the most powerful specimen, the parameters of which were officially recorded, exceeded 3 meters and weighed 160 kg.

The appearance of the Komodo dragon is most interesting - either a lizard, or a dragon, or a dinosaur. And the island aborigines believe that this creature is most similar to an alligator, and therefore they call it buaya darat, which translated from the local dialect means land crocodile. And although the Komodo dragon has only one head and does not spew out flames from its nostrils, there is undoubtedly something aggressive in the appearance of this reptile.

This impression is reinforced by the color of the monitor lizard - dark brown, with yellowish splashes, and (especially!) the appearance of the teeth - compressed from the sides, with cutting, jagged edges. A quick glance at this perfect arsenal, which is a “dragon” jaw, is enough to understand: the Komodo dragon is not to be trifled with. With more than 60 teeth and a jaw structure reminiscent of a shark's mouth, isn't this the perfect killing machine?

What makes up the diet of a giant reptile? No, no, monitor lizards have only external similarities with vegetarian dinosaurs: the gastronomic preferences of the Komodo dragon are strikingly different from the food preferences ancient ancestor. The lizard's tastes are distinguished by an enviable variety: it does not disdain carrion and readily absorbs any living creature - from insects and birds to horses, buffalo, deer and even its own brothers. Maybe it is for this reason that newborn lizards, having barely hatched, immediately leave their mother, hiding from her in the dense crown of trees?

Indeed, cannibalism is a quite common phenomenon among Komodo dragons: the lunch menu of adult monitor lizards often includes younger, smaller relatives. A hungry monitor lizard can also pose a threat to humans, and there are often cases when the prey matches the attacker in its weight category. How do lizards manage to defeat their prey? Monitor lizards stalk large prey from ambush, and at the moment of attack they either knock down the victim with a powerful blow of the tail, breaking its legs, or bite their teeth into the flesh of a wild boar or deer, inflicting a deadly laceration.

The chances of survival of a wounded animal are scanty, since during a bite dangerous bacteria from oral cavity lizard, as well as poison from the poisonous glands of the reptile's lower jaw. The inflammation develops at an accelerated pace, and the Komodo dragon can only wait for the victim to completely lose his strength and be unable to resist. He stubbornly follows the wounded prey, without letting it out of sight. Sometimes such tracking lasts up to three weeks - after that time, a buffalo bitten by a monitor lizard dies.

In the photo there is me, the dragon and a slightly excited Lera :)

Those wishing to see these handsome creatures in their natural habitat would have to go to the Indonesian islands, since Komodo dragons live there. However, daredevils who are planning such a trip should be as careful as possible: monitor lizards have a keen sense of smell, and even a tiny drop of blood from a minor scratch on the body can attract a lizard located at a distance of 5 km with its smell. There have been cases of attacks on tourists, so rangers accompanying tourist groups are usually armed with long, strong poles. Just in case.

Komodo dragon- one of the largest lizards in the world, belonging to the Varanova family, the Scaly order. In terms of size, it is comparable only to crocodiles, although it has no relationship with them. They live naturally on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Flores. Locals call this reptile the “Komodo Dragon”, “Land Crocodile”. According to research data, it historical homeland Australia is considered. Gradually he migrated to neighboring islands.

Monitor lizard: description, characteristics

There is no reliable information about the origin of the Komodo dragon. Only it was classified as an animal fossil. The approximate time when dragons appeared on Earth is 5–10 million years ago. This is due to the fact that paleontologists The remains of the first representative of this species were found in the ancient layers of the Australian Peninsula. It is unclear how he managed to move to another territory.

Appearance of a Komodo dragon

The size of these predatory reptiles is truly impressive. A wild Komodo dragon as an adult weighs about 75–90 kg with an average length of 2.5–2.6 m. Males are much larger than females. According to statistical data Weight Limit females - 68–70 kg, with a length of 2.3 m. In an artificial habitat, the animal can reach more impressive dimensions. One such example is the pet of the zoo in St. Louis: weighing 166 kg, with a body length of 3.14 m.

Today the population large monitor lizards is declining, which is associated with degradation. And the reason for this is the poor nutritional diet in places natural habitat and mass poaching.

They have a squat, dense build with muscular limbs. The location on the sides and long claws contribute to convenient hunting and fast movement. These paws are also convenient for digging deep holes. They have a large tail, often comparable in size to the body. Unlike lizards, they do not throw it off when in danger, but begin to hit it to the sides. The head is flat, on a short massive neck. Looking at it from the front or in profile, associations with a snake appear.

The skin consists of two layers: scaly- basic, with the overlay of small ossified growths. Young representatives are brighter in color. Orange-yellowish spotting is observed along the entire outer length, ending with stripes on the neck and tail. In a mature state, the skin is transformed, repainted in a gray-brown color with small yellow speckles.

The teeth are like peaks, sharp and long, one side attached to the jaw bones. This is an ideal device for tearing prey apart. The tongue is very long, sinuous, with a fork at the end.

Where does the monitor lizard live and behavior in the wild?

Today, populations of monitor lizards are inhabited in five Indonesian regions. islands: Komodo, Gili Motang, Rindja, Padan and Flores. Selects land that is well heated by the sun's rays: savannas, plains, tropical forested areas. On hot days it moves closer to the water, with shady thickets.

The Komodo dragon is not used to grouping with its fellows and leads a separate life. They group only during the mating season or in search of food. Even then, they are constantly in compromise. They are active only during the daytime, and at night they sleep soundly in shelters, although there are exceptions to the rules.

Row features monitor lizards:

The bite of a monitor lizard can become tragic. This is caused by the presence in saliva of a large accumulation of diaphoretic bacteria that cause blood poisoning. It is believed that this is due to eating carrion. Recently, poisonous glands were discovered in the animal’s mouth. If they enter the human bloodstream, they can cause: dizziness, loss of consciousness, muscle paralysis.

In captivity, monitor lizards live much shorter, no more than 25 years. But in the wild areola - 35–60 years.

Lizard nutrition

Varan is the king and god in his domain, as he is able to cope with all large game. He does not give in to a gecko or a boa constrictor, but is not averse to feasting on small representatives. There are frequent cases of attacks by him: on horses, cows, buffaloes, deer, sheep. There were eyewitnesses who claimed that the predator easily coped with a mammal weighing 1200 kg. First, it bites through the tendons, immobilizing the victim, and then gradually begins to eat.

During dry periods he fasts, but during rainy periods he eats everything. This species has signs of cannibalism. This is especially evident when shortage food. Large individuals eat small fellows. He does not even disdain the remains washed ashore.

How does it reproduce

The mating season for monitor lizards begins in winter, during the dry period. Since the number of males predominates, there is a competitive struggle for each female. The fighters walk like a wall at each other, standing on their hind legs. They make a grab with their front ones. The strongest throws the opponent onto his back and begins to scratch him intensely. The defeated one has to retreat in disgrace. And the winner leaves with the female to mate.

These are quite passionate lovers who, at the moment of intimacy, begin to rub their partner’s head and scratch their back and tail. He must be on top. This is how he shows his superiority. After fertilized The lizard leaves to look for a place to lay eggs. Usually these are weed nests, leaves, compost heaps. Having dug a deep hole, it lays up to 20–25 eggs there, each weighing up to 200 g. After 8 months, the babies hatch. And all this time the mother serves as reliable protection. To avoid eating their young, lizards climb to the top of the tree. There they stay for the first 2 years, until the monitor lizards grow up.

In addition to sexual fertilization, they are characterized by parthenogenesis. Postponed unfertilized eggs from which only males hatch.

Predators do not pose a potential danger to an adult. However, there have been recorded cases of attacks by lizards when, due to some signs, they were confused with prey. Let's introduce some notable precedents, taking place:

• The bite of a Komodo dragon is not only painful and traumatic, but also causes toxic defeat blood. Without timely medical care it leads to death.
• During dry and hungry seasons, lizards become more aggressive. They are not afraid to approach human habitation; they are attracted by the smell food waste. In this state they can attack small children. Even local burials become a source of food for them. Therefore, the inhabitants of the islands began to cover the deceased with stone slabs.
• There have been cases when giants attacked groups of tourists. With their keen sense of smell, they could smell blood from a great distance.
• In moments of danger, they can empty the esophagus with lightning speed. This gives them mobility.

Due to the fact that these predatory reptiles are protected, killing them is prohibited. To get rid of aggressors, specially trained huntsmen conduct individual catches. Then the lizards are resettled in other, sparsely populated regions of the islands.

Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. These are unique animals: they are excellent swimmers, they can climb trees, they have an excellent sense of smell and, to top off the list, they are very poisonous. The bite of a monitor lizard can be fatal to humans.

The monitor lizard has many names - Komodo monitor lizard, Komodo dragon, and local residents call him ora or buaya darat(“land crocodile”).

These giants live only on a few islands located in the group of the Lesser Sunda Islands - about. Komodo, o. Rinka, o. Gili Motang and Fr. Flores.

Adult males reach 2.5 - 3 meters and weigh 70 kilograms. Although there is evidence that the largest specimen reached a length of 3.13 meters and weighed 166 kilograms. Females are smaller and reach a length of only 1.5 - 2 meters. The length of the monitor lizard's tail is approximately half the length of the body. The color is dark brown; young individuals have bright yellowish spots on their backs. The mouth is equipped with teeth with cutting edges, which are suitable for tearing meat into pieces.

Monitor lizards are diurnal animals. During the hottest time of the day they hide in the shade, and in the afternoon they go out hunting. At night they sleep soundly in their shelters. Young monitor lizards are excellent climbers and live in hollows for their own safety.

Komodo dragons are excellent swimmers. They can safely swim across small rivers, bays, or cover the distance to neighboring nearby islands. True, there is one “but” here. They cannot survive in water for more than 15 minutes. And if they don’t manage to get to land, they drown. Perhaps it was this factor that influenced the natural boundaries of the habitat of these animals.

Monitor lizards run fast; over short distances, their speed can reach 20 km/h. When necessary, they can stand on their hind legs, using their powerful tail as support.

They dont have natural enemies. They themselves will destroy anyone. But birds of prey and large snakes happily feed on young monitor lizards.

Komodo dragons are omnivores. They eat everyone from large insects and ending with horses, buffalos and other monitor lizards. Yes, yes, intraspecific cannibalism is common among these lizards. This is especially true during famine years. Adults often eat smaller relatives.

They wait in ambush for their prey. Sometimes they knock her down with a blow from her huge tail, breaking her legs. Large specimens prefer carrion, which they provide for themselves. The thing is that they cause a lacerated wound to the animal, which becomes infected. Inflammation of the wound and blood poisoning occurs. After some time the animal dies. The monitor lizard, thanks to its forked tongue, which is an organ of smell, finds the corpse of a victim even at a distance of several kilometers. Other monitor lizards also come running to the smell of carrion. A fight begins, the purpose of which is to establish dominance among the males.

The monitor lizard can swallow small prey whole, but tear large prey into pieces. Females and young animals mainly feed on what is left from dinner or on birds and small animals.

The breeding season for monitor lizards begins in winter, during the dry season. The number of males is 2 times greater than the number of females. Therefore, ritual battles for females take place at this time.

After mating, after 6-7 months, the female goes in search of places to lay eggs. Most often they become nests of weed chickens, large compost heaps or high piles of fallen leaves. She digs a deep hole there and lays 20 eggs, each weighing 200 grams. The female guards her nest for 8-8.5 months until the small monitor lizards hatch. Immediately after their appearance, their self-preservation instinct kicks in and before they are eaten, they climb the neighboring trees. They live there for the first 2 years.

Many have heard that a lizard bite can be fatal. It turns out that their saliva contains 57 different strains of bacteria that cause inflammation of the wound and blood poisoning. It is believed that these bacteria came from eating carrion. This is true, but here lies another secret.

More recently, in 2009, scientists at the University of Melbourne proved that monitor lizards have poisonous glands that are located on the lower jaw. They secrete a venom containing various toxic proteins that cause cessation of blood clotting, decreased blood pressure, muscle paralysis and loss of consciousness. The ducts of these glands are located at the base of the teeth, and the poison is mixed with saliva, which contains many bacteria.

Monitor lizards are dangerous to humans, especially with regard to their poisonous bites. If you don't apply for it in time medical care, then death cannot be avoided. They pose a particular danger to children. During famine years, there are recorded cases of children dying from these monsters. There are known cases of monitor lizards digging up corpses from graves.

It is forbidden to kill these animals. They are listed in the IUCN Red List. Especially for them, a national park.

Varanus komodoensis Ouwens,

Lifestyle

Komodo dragons lead a solitary lifestyle, uniting in variable groups during feeding and during the breeding season.

The Komodo dragon prefers dry, well-warmed areas by the sun, and, as a rule, lives on arid plains, savannas and dry tropical forests, at low altitude. In the hot season (May-October) it sticks to dry river beds with jungle-covered banks. Often comes to the coast in search of carrion washed ashore. Willingly enters sea ​​water, swims well and can even swim to the neighboring island, covering a considerable distance.

When running over short distances, the monitor lizard can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h. To reach food located at a height (for example, on a tree), it can stand on its hind legs, using its tail as a support. Young animals climb well and spend a lot of time in trees.

As shelters, monitor lizards use holes 1-5 m long, which they dig with the help of strong paws with long, curved and sharp claws. Tree hollows serve as a refuge for young monitor lizards.

IN wildlife Adults have no natural enemies. Young monitor lizards are eaten by snakes, civets and birds of prey.

The natural lifespan of monitor lizards in the wild is probably around 50 years. In captivity, there have not yet been any cases of the Komodo dragon living more than 25 years.

Nutrition

Young Komodo dragon near the carcass of an Asian water buffalo

Monitor lizards feed on a wide variety of animals - both vertebrates and invertebrates. They may eat insects (mostly Orthoptera), crabs, fish, sea turtles, lizards, snakes, birds, mice and rats, civet cats, deer, wild boar, feral dogs, goats, buffalo and horses.

Cannibalism is common among Komodo dragons, especially in hungry years: adult individuals often eat young and smaller monitor lizards.

On the islands where Komodo dragons live, there are no predators larger than them, so adult dragons are at the top of the food chain. They hunt relatively large prey from ambush, sometimes knocking the victim down with blows from their powerful tail, often breaking the victim's legs in the process. Large adult Komodo dragons feed mainly on carrion, but they often receive this carrion in an unusual way. So, having tracked a deer, wild boar or buffalo in the bushes, the monitor lizard attacks and seeks to inflict a lacerated wound on the animal, into which poison and many bacteria from the monitor lizard’s oral cavity are introduced. Even the largest male monitor lizards do not have enough strength to immediately defeat a large ungulate animal, but as a result of such an attack, the victim’s wound becomes inflamed, blood poisoning occurs, the animal gradually weakens and after a while dies. The only thing left for the monitor lizards is to follow the victim until it dies. The time it takes for it to die varies depending on its size. In a buffalo, death occurs after 3 weeks. Monitor lizards have a good sense of smell and find corpses by smell using their long forked tongue. Monitor lizards from all over the island come running to the smell of carrion. In feeding areas, fights between males are frequent in order to establish and maintain a hierarchical order (usually non-lethal, although scars and traces of wounds are noticeable).

The Komodo dragon can swallow very large prey or large pieces of food, which is facilitated by the movable joint of the lower jaw bones and a capacious extensible stomach.

Females and juveniles hunt smaller animals. Cubs can even stand on their hind legs to reach small animals that are too high for adult relatives.

Currently, due to a sharp decline in the number of large wild ungulates on the islands due to poaching, even adult male monitor lizards are forced to switch to smaller prey. Because of this, the average size of monitor lizards is gradually decreasing and is now about 75% of the average size of a mature individual 10 years ago. Hunger sometimes causes the death of monitor lizards.

Reproduction

Animals of this species reach sexual maturity approximately in the tenth year of life, to which only a small part of the born monitor lizards survive. The population sex ratio is approximately 3.4:1 in favor of males. Perhaps this is a mechanism for regulating the number of the species in island habitat conditions. Since the number of females is much smaller than the number of males, during the breeding season ritual fights for the female occur between males. At the same time, monitor lizards stand on their hind legs and, clasping their opponent with their forelimbs, try to knock him down. In such fights, mature mature individuals usually win, young animals and very old males retreat. The winning male pins his opponent to the ground and scratches him with his claws for some time, after which the loser leaves.

Male Komodo dragons are much larger and more powerful than females. During mating, the male twitches his head, rubs his lower jaw against her neck and scratches the female's back and tail with his claws.

Mating occurs in winter, during the dry season. After mating, the female searches for a place to lay eggs. They are often nests of weedy chickens that build compost heaps - natural incubators from fallen leaves for thermoregulation of the development of their eggs. Having found a heap, the female monitor lizard digs a deep hole in it, and often several, in order to divert the attention of wild boars and other predators eating the eggs. Egg laying occurs in July-August, the average clutch size of the Komodo dragon is about 20 eggs. The eggs reach a length of 10 cm and a diameter of 6 cm, weighing up to 200 g. The female guards the nest for 8-8.5 months until the cubs hatch. Young lizards appear in April-May. Having been born, they leave their mother and immediately climb the neighboring trees. To avoid potentially dangerous encounters with adult monitor lizards, young monitor lizards spend the first two years of their lives in treetops, where they are inaccessible to adults.

Parthenogenesis has been found in Komodo dragons. In the absence of males, the female may lay unfertilized eggs, as observed in the Chester and London Zoos in England. Since male monitor lizards have two identical chromosomes, and females, on the contrary, are different, and the combination of identical ones is viable, all cubs will be male. Each egg laid contains either a W or a Z chromosome (in Komodo dragons, ZZ is male and WZ is female), then gene duplication occurs. The resulting diploid cells with two W chromosomes die, and with two Z chromosomes they develop into new lizards. The ability for sexual and asexual reproduction in these reptiles is probably associated with the isolation of their habitat - this allows them to found new colonies if, as a result of a storm, females without males are thrown onto neighboring islands.

I

Traditionally, it was believed that the consequences of Komodo dragon bites (serious inflammation at the site of the bite, sepsis, etc.) are caused by bacteria living in the mouth of the monitor lizard. Auffenberg pointed out the presence of pathogenic microflora in the saliva of the Komodo dragon, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp., Providencia sp., Proteus morgani And Proteus mirabilis. It was suggested that the bacteria enter the body of the lizards when feeding on carrion, as well as when sharing food with other monitor lizards. But in oral samples taken from fresh-fed zoo monitor lizards, scientists at the University of Texas found 57 different strains of bacteria found in wild monitor lizards, including Pasteurella multocida. Besides, Pasteurella multocida from monitor lizard saliva demonstrated much more intensive growth on nutrient media than that obtained from other sources.

However, recently Australian scientists working with related species of monitor lizards have determined that at least some species of monitor lizards are themselves poisonous. In late 2005, a group of scientists from the University of Melbourne suggested that big monitor lizard (Varanus giganteus), other species of monitor lizards, as well as agamas, may have toxic saliva, and that the consequences of the bites of these lizards were caused by mild intoxication. Studies have shown the toxic effects of the saliva of several species of monitor lizards (particularly the mottled monitor lizard ( Varanus varius) And Varanus scalaris), as well as some agama lizards - in particular, the bearded dragon ( Pogona barbata). Prior to this study, there was conflicting evidence regarding the toxic effect of the saliva of some monitor lizards, such as the gray monitor lizard ( Varanus griseus).

In 2009, the same researchers published further evidence that Komodo dragons have poisonous bite. An MRI scan showed the presence of two poisonous glands in the lower jaw. They removed one of these glands from a terminally ill monitor lizard at the Singapore Zoo and found that it secreted a venom containing various toxic proteins. The functions of these proteins include inhibition of blood clotting, lowering blood pressure, muscle paralysis and the development of hypothermia, leading to shock and loss of consciousness in the bitten victim.

Some scientists have proposed a hypothetical unranked group to unite snakes, monitor lizards, serpentines, spindles and iguanas Toxicofera. The association is based on the presence of toxic components in saliva and assumes the presence of one ancestor for all “poisonous” groups (which is not indisputable).

The venom gland of monitor lizards is more primitive than that of poisonous snakes. The gland is located on the lower jaw directly under the salivary glands, its ducts open at the base of the teeth, and do not exit through special channels in the poisonous teeth, like in snakes. In the oral cavity, poison and saliva mix with decaying food debris, forming a mixture in which many different bacteria multiply.

Danger to humans

Komodo dragons are one of the species potentially dangerous to humans, although they are less dangerous than crocodiles or sharks and do not pose a direct danger to adults. Nevertheless, there are several known cases of monitor lizards attacking people, when the monitor lizards, due to some smell, mistook a person for food familiar to the monitor lizard (carrion, birds, etc.). Komodo dragon bites are extremely dangerous. After being bitten, you should consult a doctor immediately. The number of deaths due to untimely provision of medical care (and, as a result, blood poisoning) reaches 99%. Children are especially vulnerable. Monitor lizards may well kill a child under 10 years of age or cause serious injury. There are documented cases of children dying from monitor lizard attacks. Human settlements on the islands are few, but they exist and their population is growing rapidly (800 people according to 2008 data). As a rule, these are poor, fishing villages. In hungry years, especially during drought, monitor lizards come close to settlements. Their smell is especially attractive human excrement, fish, etc. Cases of monitor lizards digging up human corpses from shallow graves are well known. IN Lately However, Muslim Indonesians living on the islands bury their dead, covering them with dense cast cement slabs, inaccessible to monitor lizards. Gamekeepers usually catch individuals and move them to other areas of the island. Killing monitor lizards is prohibited by law.

Since adult monitor lizards have a very good sense of smell, they can locate the source of the smell of blood up to 5 km away. There have been several documented cases of Komodo dragons attempting to attack tourists with minor open wounds or scratches. A similar danger threatens women who visit the islands where Komodo dragons live while in their menstrual cycle. Tourists are usually warned by rangers about potential danger; all groups of tourists are usually accompanied by rangers, armed with long poles with a forked end for defense against possible attacks.

Komodo dragon on an Indonesian coin

Security status

The Komodo dragon is a narrow-ranging species that is endangered due to economic activity person. Listed in the IUCN Red List and Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Species CITES. In 1980, Komodo National Park was established to protect the species from extinction, and excursion, environmental and adventure tours are now regularly organized.

see also

Notes

1. Ananyeva N. B., Borkin L. Ya., Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of academician. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. lang., 1988. - P. 269. - 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X
2. A. G. Bannikov, I. S. Darevsky, M. N. Denisova Life of animals. Amphibians. Reptiles / ed. V. E. Sokolova. - 2nd ed. - M.: Education, 1985. - T. 5. - P. 245. - 300,000 copies.
3. Ciofi, Claudia The Komodo Dragon (English) . Scientific American (March 1999). Archived
4. Dragon's Paradise Lost: Palaeobiogeography, Evolution and Extinction of the Largest-Ever Terrestrial Lizards (Varanidae). ploson. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
5. Komodo dragons have proven to be poisonous. Living water. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
6. BBC Life. Reptiles and amphibians. seasonvar (2009). Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.

Komodo dragon(also called Komodo dragon, giant Indonesian monitor lizard) is the largest reptile in the world, as well as one of the most effective “killers” in the animal kingdom. The homeland of these largest lizards is Australia, but the name was attached to them because of the Komodo Island, where they were probably first discovered; now about 1,600 individuals live there. These animals have also been spotted on nearby islands from Komodo Island. These Indonesian islands include: Gili Motang Island, Flores Island, Rinca Island. Total number There are approximately 5,000 Komodo dragons.

Physical Description of the Komodo Dragon
Komodo dragons have long tails, strong and agile necks, and strong limbs. Adult Komodo dragons are almost stone-colored. Growing monitor lizards may have brighter colors. Their tongues are yellow and forked, befitting their draconian name.

The monitor lizard's jaw and throat muscles allow it to swallow huge pieces of meat with amazing speed. Several movable joints, such as the intramandibular loop, allow the lower jaw to open unusually wide. The stomach expands easily, allowing adults to consume up to 80 percent of their body weight in a single meal, which likely explains some exaggerated claims of the enormous weight of animals ingested. When a Komodo dragon feels threatened, it may empty the contents of its stomach to reduce its weight and escape.

Although males tend to grow larger and more massive than females, there are no obvious morphological differences between the sexes. However, there does exist one small difference: a slight difference in weight distribution just at the front of the cloaca. Komodo dragon mating remains a challenge for researchers, as the dragons themselves seem to have some trouble figuring out which is which.

Dimensions
The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard living on Earth. Some recorded specimens reached a length of 3.13 meters (10.3 ft) and weighed 166 kg (366 lb). The largest wild Komodo dragons typically weigh around 70 kg (154 lb).

Habitat
The habitat of Komodo dragons is limited to several Indonesian islands, the Lesser Sunda Islands, including Rinca, Padar and Flores, and, of course, Komodo Island. They live in tropical savannah forests but are widely found on islands, from the beach to the mountain tops.

Eating habits
Their eyes can see objects very far away, up to 300 meters (985 feet), so vision does play an important role in their hunting, especially since their eyes are more focused on movement than on a variety of stationary objects. Their retinas contain only cones, so they are able to see colors but have poor vision in dim light. They have a much smaller hearing range than humans. As a result, the animal cannot hear sounds such as low-pitched voices and high-pitched squeals.

Vision and hearing are useful, but for the Komodo dragon, smell is its main food detector. The monitor lizard touches in the same way as a snake does. It uses its long, yellow, forked tongue to sample the air, after which it sticks the two tips of its tongue into the roof of its mouth, where it contacts the Jacobson's organ. Chemical “odor” analyzers recognize molecules present in the air. If there is a higher concentration on the left side of the tip of the tongue than on the right, the Komodo dragon knows that prey is approaching from the left. This system, along with a rocking gait where the head swings from side to side, helps the monitor lizard sense the presence and direction of scented carrion, up to 4 km (2.5 miles) away when there is wind.

When the Komodo dragon hunts and catches its prey, such as a deer, it attacks the legs first, throwing the deer off balance. When dealing with smaller prey, it can pounce directly on the neck. The monitor lizard's basic strategy is simple: try to take its prey to the ground and tear it to pieces. Strong muscles and powerful claws help him in this, but the teeth of the Komodo dragon are his most dangerous weapon. They are large, curved and jagged, and are capable of tearing flesh with great efficiency. If the deer cannot escape immediately, the Komodo dragon will continue to tear it apart. Having made sure that its prey is incapacitated, the monitor lizard temporarily short rest may stop his attack. At this time, the deer will be seriously injured and in shock. The monitor lizard then delivers the final blow, an attack on the stomach. The deer quickly bleeds to death and the Komodo dragon begins to eat it.

Pieces of meat, either fresh prey or carrion, will be stuck in the jagged teeth from the last meal. This protein-rich residue supports life large quantity bacteria. About 50 different bacterial strains have been found, at least seven of which are similar to septic tank. If the victim somehow escapes and avoids his death upon first encounter, there is a chance that his escape will be short-lived. The infections transmitted by a Komodo dragon bite will kill the victim in less than a week. In addition to bacteria in their saliva, researchers recently documented that Komodo dragons do have venom glands in their lower jaws. In addition to causing harm by the bacteria present in their saliva, their venom prevents the blood from clotting.

Video. How does a Komodo dragon hunt?

The dragon's bite is not fatal to other Komodo dragons. It is believed that monitor lizards, wounded by their comrades in battle, are not affected by deadly bacteria and poison. Scientists are looking for antibodies in the blood of Komodo dragons that could help save the life of an infected victim.

Large carnivorous mammals such as lions typically leave 25 to 30 percent of a carcass uneaten: intestinal contents, skinned skeleton and hooves. Komodo dragons eat much more efficiently, leaving only about 12 percent of their prey. They eat bones, hooves and even skin. They also eat intestines, but only after vigorously tearing them open to disembowel the contents.

Komodo dragons eat almost any type of meat. They rummage through rotten carcasses and hunt animals ranging in size from small rodents to large buffalos. The young mainly feed on small lizards, geckos and insects. They are tertiary predators (the predator at the top of the food chain) and cannibals. They can detect carrion from a considerable distance, about 4 km (2.5 mi), and actively search for it. When hunting, the Komodo dragon stays close to the trails, where it waits for a deer or wild boar to pass by. It then attacks the prey, most attempts being unsuccessful, causing the animal to escape. However, if the monitor lizard manages to bite its prey, the toxic bacteria and venom in the saliva will kill the prey within the next few days. After the prey dies, it can take up to four days for the animal to locate the dead body using its powerful sense of smell. As a rule, after a kill, many Komodo dragons come running for a feast and very little remains of the carcass of the killed animal.

At the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Komodo dragons are fed a weekly diet of rodents, chickens and rabbits. They get fish from time to time.

Social structure
Because large Komodo dragons eat young, the young often fall out in feces, thereby muffling odors so that large monitor lizards couldn't smell them.

Reproduction and development
Most matings occur from May to August. In a group gathered around carrion, an opportunity for courtship arises. Dominant males may be drawn into ritual fights in search of females. Using their tails for support, they fight in a vertical position, grabbing each other with their front legs, which they use to try to throw the opponent to the ground. Blood, as a rule, changes everything and the one who used it either continues to fight or remains submissive and motionless.

A female Komodo dragon lays about 30 eggs. Delaying styling can help avoid the dry season of the brutally hot months. In addition, unfertilized eggs may get a second chance in subsequent matings. The female lays her eggs in dug holes on mountain slopes or in the nests of greatfoots, chicken-like birds that make nests from soil mixed with twigs that can reach 1 meter (3 ft) high and 3 meters (10 ft) wide. During the maturation of the eggs (about nine months), females can lie on the nests, protecting their future offspring. There is no evidence, but the parents of hatched Komodo dragons are not involved in their care in any way.

The hatchlings weigh less than 100 g (3.5 oz) and average 40 centimeters (16 in) in length. Their first years are full of danger and they often fall prey to predators, including their own brothers. They feed on a varied diet of insects, small lizards, snakes and birds. If they reach five years of age, they can weigh 25 kg (55 lb) and reach a length of 2 meters (6.5 ft). By this time they move on to larger prey such as rodents, monkeys, goats, wild boars and the most popular food of Komodo dragons, deer. Slow growth continues throughout their life, which can last more than 30 years.

Rest habits
They escape the heat during the day and seek shelter at night in burrows that are slightly larger than them.

Lifespan
In the wild, Komodo dragons live for about 30 years, but scientists are still studying this.

Study reveals how Komodo dragon kills its prey

Researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia have discovered that the secret to predatory success lies in its amazing poison.

Until now, it was believed that the bite of the Komodo monster was contagious due to certain bacteria contained in its mouth. Due to the lightning-fast microbial attack spreading throughout the victim’s entire body, the bitten animal soon died and the monitor lizard could only wait and find the victim by its smell. Having waited until the animal died or the moment when it became very weak and could not defend itself, the monitor lizard began to eat.

But Brian Fry and his team refuted this hypothesis, discovering venomous glands in the animal's skull causing severe paralysis in those who received a reptile bite. After studying the venom, scientists found that it dilates blood vessels and prevents blood clotting, causing the victim to go into “shock.” The Komodo monster's bite is much weaker than that of a crocodile, but their prey soon dies due to blood loss caused by the lethal, powerful venom that prevents blood clotting.

Fry also studied the fossils of an extinct giant monitor lizard known as Megalania (Varanus prisca) to find out whether this species had poisonous glands. Their results, published in March 2009 in the American journal PNAS (English Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Russian Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), showed that this lizard, reaching a length of seven meters, was one of the largest poisonous animals, existing on Earth.

Photo portrait of a Komodo dragon

Mouth of a Komodo dragon

Monitor lizard next to its victim

Latest known cases of Komodo dragon attacks on humans
In 2007, an eight-year-old boy was killed by a Komodo dragon, the first recorded fatal attack over the past 30 years. The attack occurred in March during the dry season, so keepers speculate that the lizard may have been particularly hungry given that the water bodies have dried up and the prey that gathers there has stopped coming to them. A Komodo dragon attacked the boy when he went into the bushes to relieve himself, local media reported.

The boy's uncle came running and began throwing stones at the lizard until it let go of his nephew. Either way, the boy died from heavy bleeding from his torso; his uncle described the boy as having two visible bite marks.

In 2008, three Britons, Kathleen Mitchinson, Charlotte Allyn and James Manning, were forced to throw stones to ward off Komodo dragons when they became stranded on the uninhabited island of Rinca in eastern Indonesia. They managed to induce fear in animals. But Anwar was not so lucky.

In 2008, a group of scuba divers on a boat were pushed far from their original dive point by the strong Flores Current. After spending 10 hours spinning at high tide, the group reached a beach around midnight on what appeared to be an uninhabited island, about 25 miles from where they began. ordeal. However, their troubles did not end there. They ended up on the island of Rinca, where an estimated 1,300 Komodo dragons live.

The attacks began almost immediately. The merciless lizard repeatedly attacked the Swede and bit the diver’s belt. She chewed on her belt while other divers threw rocks at her head. For two days and nights, the injured divers battled monitor lizards and tropical heat as they scraped preserved shellfish from rocks and ate them raw. Finally, the Indonesian rescue crew spotted a spotted orange emergency diver buoy placed on the rocks. Although the group of divers were in shock and recovering at a local hospital on the island of Flores, they celebrated their survival at a town bar.

In March 2009, police sergeant Cosmas Jalang reported that 31-year-old apple picker Muhamad Anwar suffered "terrible injuries" on Komodo Island. "He was working on a tree when he slipped and fell," Sergeant Jalang said. He was immobilized, lying on the ground for a short time, and then two monitor lizards attacked him. "They're opportunistic predators and he didn't stand a chance."

Miss Teresia Tawa, who worked nearby and dealt with shock after seeing the attack, said: “He was bleeding all over his body. When he fell, barely a minute had passed before the monitor lizards were on him. They just bit and bit and bit, it was terrible. They bit his arms, torso, legs and neck."

A speedboat took Anwar to nearby Flores Island, but doctors at a clinic on Flores Island were unable to save Anwar's life.

Attacks on humans by Komodo dragons, of which there are fewer than 4,000 in the wild, are extremely rare, but keepers say the number of such incidents appears to be similar. last years has increased.

In 2017, giant monitor lizards practically ate the body of a tourist in Thailand. At the end of April, an investigation was launched into the death of 30-year-old Belgian tourist Elisa Dallemange, whose remains were discovered on the island of Tau on April 28. The police told the victim's relatives that she had committed suicide, but Eliza's family did not believe it.

The girl's body was so badly torn apart by giant monitor lizards (not Komodo monitor lizards, giant monitor lizards are the third largest in size after Komodo dragons and striped monitors) that it could only be identified through a dental examination. The girl's parents reported that recent months she often traveled the world, practiced meditation and studied yoga. IN last time(April 17), when the Belgian woman contacted her relatives via Skype a few days before her death, the girl was in high spirits and said that she was very happy to exist in unity with nature on the “paradise island.”

Her mother said: “There are too many things that show us that someone is involved. The police told us that Elise hanged herself in the jungle. I cannot accept that my daughter killed herself." Perhaps Eliza's parents' suspicions may make sense, since no suicide note was found near the girl's body. Journalists believe that the Thai police will not reveal the real reason the death of a foreigner, so as not to scare away tourists. From 2014 to 2017, seven people died on Koh Tao. All of them became victims of lizards, which can reach three meters in length. Their bite is toxic and often fatal.

Below is a case where a monitor lizard attacked a girl. It was not a Komodo dragon, which emphasizes that even a not so frightening monitor lizard is capable of inflicting wounds on a person.

Goanna clutches the leg of an 8-year-old girl
On January 24, 2019, a young girl was rushed to hospital after a huge goanna bit her on a Queensland beach. An eight-year-old girl was left with a “frightening” wound to her leg after it took two people to free her from the jaws of a lizard at a campsite on South Stradbroke Island.

Photo. Snake catcher Tony Harrison with a goanna that attacked an 8-year-old girl

"This was a very disturbing incident," Queensland Ambulance Service Chief Inspector Janey Shearman told reporters. “While walking around the campsite she was attacked by a goanna which caused quite a nasty cut. It was quite difficult to get the goanna off the baby and it took a couple of people to get it off the leg.”

When the girl was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital for treatment of a deep wound to her leg, Shearman described the attack as “savage”.

Experts say goanna bites can be dangerous because the carnivores feed on carrion and toxic bacteria in the mouth can cause pain, swelling and prolonged bleeding caused by the bites.

Below you can see documentary about the investigation of attacks of Komodo dragons on people called: “In the mouth of the dragon.” The film examines a case in which a boy named Mansur was attacked by a Komodo dragon on Komodo Island. It was only thanks to the quick reaction of his uncle Jafar that the Komodo dragon abandoned its prey and disappeared from sight, but the worst was only yet to come. The boy died from loss of blood just 30 minutes later. The film also mentions an incident that occurred in 1974 with the famous German hunter, Baron Rudolf von Reding, who was eaten by a Komodo dragon during a walk. There is also a story from the head of the marina, Yvon Pariman, who was attacked by a monitor lizard when he lay down to rest on his bed with socks in his house (the Komodo monitor lizard grabbed his leg with socks). Yvon was lucky, despite his wounds and fever, he survived.