Komodo monitor lizards: description and photo. Little dragons of our planet Huge monitor lizard from Komodo island

Indonesian Komodo island interesting not only for its nature, but also for its animals: among tropical jungle this island live real " dragons»…

Such " the Dragon"reaches a length of 4-5 meters, its weight ranges from 150 to 200 kilograms. These are the largest individuals. The Indonesians themselves call the "dragon" " land crocodile».

komodo dragon is a diurnal animal, it does not hunt at night. The monitor lizard is omnivorous, it can easily eat a gecko, bird eggs, a snake, catch a gaping bird. Local residents say that the monitor lizard drags sheep, attacks buffalo and wild pigs. Cases are known when komodo dragon attacked a victim weighing up to 750 kilograms. In order to eat such a huge animal, the “dragon” bit the tendons, thereby immobilizing the victim, and then chopped the unfortunate creature with its iron jaws. Once a monitor lizard swallowed a furiously squealing dog...


Here on Komodo island, nature dictates its own rules, dividing the year into dry and wet seasons. In the dry season, the monitor lizard has to adhere to the "fast", but in the rainy season, the "dragon" does not deny itself anything. komodo dragon does not tolerate heat well, his body does not have sweat glands. And if the temperature of the animal exceeds 42.7 degrees Celsius, the monitor lizard will die from heatstroke.


Long tongue endowed komodo dragon- This is a very important olfactory organ, like our nose. By sticking out its tongue, the monitor lizard picks up odors. The tactility of the monitor lizard's tongue is not inferior to the sensitivity of smell in dogs. Hungry "dragon" is able to track down the victim on a single trace left by the animal a few hours ago.

juveniles komodo dragon painted in dark grey. Orange-red stripes-rings are located throughout the body of the animal. With age, the color of the monitor lizard changes, " the Dragon» acquires an even dark color.

Young monitor lizards, up to a year old, are small: their length reaches one meter. By the end of the first year of life, the monitor lizard already begins to hunt. Kids train on chickens, rodents, frogs, grasshoppers, crabs and the most harmless - snails. The matured "dragon" begins to hunt larger prey: goats, horses, cows, sometimes people. The monitor lizard gets close to its prey and attacks with lightning speed. Then he knocks the animal to the ground and tries to stun it as quickly as possible. In the event of an attack on a person, the monitor lizard first bites off the legs, then tears the body apart.

adults komodo dragon they eat their prey in exactly the same way - spreading the victim to pieces. After the victim of the monitor lizard is killed, the "dragon" rips open the belly and within twenty-five minutes eats the insides of the animal. The monitor lizard eats meat in large pieces, swallowing it along with the bones. To quickly pass food, the monitor lizard constantly throws its head up.

Locals tell how one day, while eating a deer, a monitor lizard pushed the animal's leg down his throat until he felt that it was stuck. After that, the beast made a sound similar to a rumble and began to violently shake its head, while falling on its front paws. monitor lizard fought until the moment when the paw flew out of his mouth.


While eating an animal the Dragon stands on four outstretched legs. In the process of eating, you can see how the monitor lizard's stomach is filled and pulled to the ground. Having eaten, the monitor lizard goes into the shade of the trees to digest food in peace and quiet. If something is left of the victim, young monitor lizards are drawn to the carcass. During the hungry dry season, pangolins feed on their own fat. Average life expectancy komodo dragon is 40 years old.

Komodo dragons have long ceased to be a curiosity ... But one unresolved question remains: how did such interesting animals get to Komodo Island in our time?

The appearance of a huge lizard is shrouded in mystery. There is a version that the Komodo dragon is the progenitor of the modern crocodile. One thing is clear: the monitor lizard living on Komodo Island is the largest lizard in the world. Paleontologists put forward a version that about 5 - 10 million years ago, the ancestors Komodo lizard appeared in Australia. And this assumption is confirmed by one weighty fact: the bones of the only known representative of large reptiles were found in Pleistocene and Pliocene deposits. australia.


It is believed that after the volcanic islands formed and cooled down, the lizard settled on them, in particular on Komodo island. But here again the question arises: how did the lizard get to the island, located 500 miles from Australia? The answer has not yet been found, but to this day, fishermen are afraid to go sailing near Komodo islands. Let's think that the "dragon" was helped by the sea current. If the version put forward is correct, then what did the lizards eat all the time when there were no buffaloes, no deer, no horses, no cows and pigs on the island ... After all, cattle was brought to the islands by man much later than voracious lizards appeared on them.
Scientists say that in those days giant turtles, elephants, whose height reached one and a half meters, lived on the island. It turns out that the ancestors of modern Komodo lizards hunted elephants, however, dwarf ones.
Anyway, but komodo dragons are "living fossils".

The largest monitor lizard in the world lives on the Indonesian island of Komodo. This large lizard was nicknamed by the locals "the last dragon" or "buaya darat", i.e. "crocodile crawling on the ground." There are not many Komodo dragons left in Indonesia, so since 1980 this animal has been listed in the IUCN.

What does a Komodo dragon look like?

The appearance of the most gigantic lizard of the planet is very interesting - the head is like that of a lizard, the tail and paws are like those of an alligator, the muzzle is very reminiscent of a fairy-tale dragon, except that fire does not erupt from a huge mouth, but there is something bewitching and terrible in this animal. An adult monitor lizard from Komodo weighs over a hundred kilograms, and its length can reach three meters. There are cases when zoologists came across very large and powerful Komodo monitor lizards, weighing one hundred and sixty kilograms.

The skin of monitor lizards is mostly gray color with light spots. There are individuals with a black color of the skin and with yellow small drops. At Komodo lizard- strong, "dragon" teeth and all with serrations. Only once, looking at this reptile, you can be seriously scared, as its formidable appearance directly “screams” to grab or kill. It's no joke, the Komodo dragon has sixty teeth.

It is interesting! If you catch a Komodo giant, the animal will get very excited. From before, at first glance, a cute reptile, a monitor lizard can turn into an angry monster. He can easily, with the help, knock down the enemy who grabbed him, and then mercilessly injure him. So it's not worth the risk.

If you look at the Komodo monitor lizard and its small legs, we can assume that it moves slowly. However, if the Komodo monitor lizard feels danger, or if he spotted a worthy victim in front of him, he will immediately try in a few seconds to accelerate to a speed of twenty-five kilometers per hour. One thing can save the victim, a quick run, since monitor lizards cannot move quickly for a long time, they run out of breath.

It is interesting! The news has repeatedly mentioned Komodo killer lizards that attacked a person, being very hungry. There was a case when large monitor lizards entered villages, and noticing children running away from them, they caught up and tore them apart. There was also such a story when the monitor lizard attacked the hunters, who shot the deer and carried the prey on their shoulders. One of them was bitten by a monitor lizard to take away the desired prey.

Komodo dragons are excellent swimmers. There are eyewitnesses who claim that the lizard was able to swim across the raging sea from one huge island to another within a few minutes. However, for this, the monitor lizard needed to stop for about twenty minutes and rest, as it is known that monitor lizards quickly get tired

Origin story

They started talking about Komodo monitor lizards at a time when, at the beginning of the 20th century, on about. Java (Holland) sent a telegram to the manager that huge dragons or lizards live in the Lesser Sunda Archipelago, which scientific researchers have not yet heard of. Van Stein from Flores wrote about this, that near the island of Flores and on Komodo lives an "earth crocodile" still incomprehensible to science.

The locals told Van Stein that monsters inhabit the entire island, they are very ferocious, and they are feared. In length, such monsters can reach 7 meters, but four-meter Komodo dragons are more common. Scientists from the zoological museum of the island of Java decided to ask Van Stein to collect people from the island and get a lizard that European science did not yet know about.

And the expedition managed to catch a Komodo monitor lizard, but it was only 220 cm tall. Therefore, the seekers decided, by all means, to get giant reptiles. And they eventually managed to bring 4 large Komodo crocodiles, each three meters long, to the zoological museum.

Later, in 1912, everyone already knew about the existence of a giant reptile from the published almanac, in which a photograph of a huge lizard was printed with the caption "Komodo monitor lizard". After this article, in the vicinity of Indonesia, Komodo dragons also began to be found on several islands. However, only after the Sultan's archives were studied in detail, it became known that giant foot-and-mouth disease was known as early as 1840.

It so happened that in 1914, when the World War, a group of scientists had to temporarily close research and the capture of Komodo monitor lizards. However, 12 years later, Komodo monitor lizards were already talked about in America and they were nicknamed “dragon comodo” in their native language.

Habitat and life of the Komodo monitor lizard

For over two hundred years, scientists have been studying the life and habits of the Komodo dragon, as well as studying in detail what and how these giant lizards eat. It turned out that cold-blooded reptiles do nothing during the day, they become active from the very morning, until the sun rises, and only from five in the evening they begin to look for their prey. Monitor lizards from Komodo do not like moisture, they mainly settle where the dry plains or live in the rainforest.

The giant Komodo reptile is only initially clumsy, but can develop unprecedented speed, up to twenty kilometers. So even alligators do not move quickly. They are also easily given food if it is at a height. They calmly rise on their hind legs and, leaning on their strong and powerful tail, get food. They can smell their future victim very far away. They can also smell blood at a distance of eleven kilometers and notice the victim far away, since their hearing, sight, and sense of smell are at their best!

Monitor lizards love to treat any tasty meat. They won't give up on one. large rodent or a few, and even insects and larvae will be eaten. When all the fish and crabs are thrown ashore by a storm, they are already scurrying back and forth along the coast to be the first to eat the “seafood”. Monitor lizards feed mainly on carrion, but there have been cases when dragons attacked wild sheep, water buffaloes, dogs and feral goats.

Komodo dragons do not like to prepare in advance for the hunt, they sneak up on the victim, grab it and quickly drag it to their shelter.

Breeding monitor lizards

Monitor lizards mate predominantly warm summer, in the middle of July. Initially, the female is looking for a place where she could safely lay her eggs. She does not choose any special places, can take advantage of the nests of wild chickens living on the island. By smell, as soon as the female Komodo dragon finds a nest, she buries her eggs so that no one will find them. Especially greedy for dragon eggs nimble wild boars who are used to destroying bird nests. From the beginning of August, one female monitor lizard can lay more than 25 eggs. The weight of the eggs is two hundred grams with ten or six centimeters in length. As soon as the female monitor lizard lays her eggs, he does not leave them, but waits until her cubs hatch.

Just imagine, all eight months the female is waiting for the cubs to be born. Small dragon lizards are born at the end of March, and can reach a length of 28 cm. Small lizards do not live with their mother. They settle down to live on tall trees and there they eat what they can. Cubs are afraid of adult alien monitor lizards. Those who survived and did not fall into the tenacious paws of hawks and snakes teeming on a tree, begin to independently search for food on the ground after 2 years, as they grow up and get stronger.

Keeping monitor lizards in captivity

It is rare that giant Komodo dragons are tamed and settled in zoos. But, surprisingly, monitor lizards quickly get used to a person, they can even be tamed. One of the representatives of monitor lizards lived in the London Zoo, freely ate from the hands of the beholder and even followed him everywhere.

Nowadays, Komodo dragons live in national parks Rinja and Komodo islands. They are listed in the Red Book, so hunting for these lizards is prohibited by law, and according to the decision of the Indonesian committee, catching monitor lizards is carried out only with special permission.

Komodo monitor lizard (giant Indonesian monitor lizard, Komodo monitor lizard) ( Varanus komodoensis) is the largest in the world. The predatory reptile belongs to the order of scaly, the superfamily of monitor lizards, the family of monitor lizards, the genus of monitor lizards. The Komodo monitor lizard, which is also called the "dragon of Komodo Island", got its name from one of its habitats.

Seasoned and strong monitor lizards easily cope with more impressive prey: wild boars, buffaloes, and goats. Often, livestock gets into the teeth of adult Komodo monitor lizards, and those who came to water bodies to drink or accidentally met this dangerous lizard on the way.

Monitor lizard from Komodo Island is also dangerous for humans, there are known cases of these predators attacking people. If there is not enough food, large monitor lizards can attack smaller relatives. When eating food, the Komodo dragon can swallow very large pieces due to the movable connection of the bones of the lower jaw and a capacious stomach, which tends to stretch.

Komodo dragon hunting

The principle of hunting the Komodo monitor lizard is quite cruel. Sometimes a large predatory lizard attacks its prey from an ambush, suddenly knocking down its “future dinner” with a powerful and sharp blow of the tail. At the same time, the impact force is so great that often potential prey gets leg fractures. 12 out of 17 deer die on the spot in a fight with a lizard. However, sometimes the victim manages to escape, though she can get severe injuries in the form of torn tendons or lacerations in the abdomen or neck area, which leads to inevitable death. The poison of the monitor lizard and the bacteria that are contained in the saliva of the reptile weaken the victim. In large prey, such as a buffalo, death can occur only 3 weeks after a fight with a monitor lizard. Some sources indicate that the giant Komodo monitor lizard will catch up with its prey by the smell and traces of blood to the point of complete exhaustion. Some animals manage to escape and heal their wounds, other animals fall into the clutches of predators, and others die from wounds inflicted by monitor lizard. An excellent sense of smell allows the Komodo dragon to smell food and the smell of blood at a distance of up to 9.5 km. And when the victim still dies, monitor lizards run to the smell of carrion to eat the dead animal.

Komodo dragon venom

Previously, it was believed that the saliva of the Komodo monitor lizard contains only a harmful "cocktail" of pathogenic bacteria, to which the predatory lizard is immune. However, relatively recently, scientists have determined that the monitor lizard has a pair of poisonous glands located on the lower jaw and producing special toxic proteins that cause a bitten victim to reduce blood clotting, hypothermia, paralysis, lower blood pressure and loss of consciousness. The glands have a primitive structure: they do not have channels in the teeth, as, for example, in snakes, but open at the base of the teeth with ducts. Thus, the bite of a Komodo monitor lizard is poisonous.

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

The monitor lizard has many names - the monitor lizard of Komodo Island, the dragon of Komodo Island, and locals call him ora or buaya darat("terrestrial crocodile").

These giants live only on a few islands located in the group of the Lesser Sunda Islands - about. Komodo, oh Rinka, oh. Jili Mothang 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 about half the length of the body. The coloration is dark brown, juveniles 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. In the hottest time of the day, they hide in the shade, and in the afternoon they go hunting. At night they sleep soundly in their shelters. Young monitor lizards are excellent tree climbers and live in hollows for their own safety.

Komodo dragons are excellent swimmers. They can easily swim across small rivers, bays or overcome the distance to neighboring nearby islands. True, there is one "but". They cannot stay in the water for more than 15 minutes. And if they do not have time 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, at short distances its speed can reach 20 km / h. In cases of need, they can stand up on their hind legs, using their powerful tail as a support.

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

Komodo dragons are omnivores. They eat everything from large insects to horses, buffaloes and other monitor lizards. Yes, yes, intraspecific cannibalism is common among these lizards. This is especially pronounced in the famine years. Adults often eat smaller relatives.

They lie in wait for their prey. Sometimes they knock her down with a blow of a huge tail, breaking her legs. Large specimens prefer carrion, which they provide for themselves. The thing is that they inflict a lacerated wound on the animal, into which the infection enters. There is inflammation of the wound and infection of the blood. After a while, the animal dies. The monitor lizard, thanks to its forked tongue, which is the organ of smell, finds the corpse of the victim even at a distance of several kilometers. Other monitor lizards run to the smell of carrion. A fight begins, the purpose of which is to establish dominance among the males.

Small prey can be swallowed whole, while large prey can be torn to pieces. Females and juveniles mainly feed on what is left of lunch or on birds and small animals.

The breeding season for monitor lizards occurs in winter, during the dry season. The number of males is 2 times higher than the number of females. Therefore, ritual fights 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 are nests of weed chickens, large compost heaps or tall piles of fallen leaves. She digs a deep mink there and lays 20 eggs, weighing 200 grams each. The female guards her nest for 8-8.5 months, until small lizards hatch into the light. Immediately after the appearance, the instinct of self-preservation is triggered in them, and until they are eaten, they climb neighboring trees. They live there for the first 2 years.

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

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

Monitor lizards are dangerous to humans, to a greater extent this applies to his poisonous bites. If you do not apply in time medical care, then fatality can't be avoided. They pose a particular danger to children. In famine years, there are recorded cases of death of children from these monsters. Cases of monitor lizards digging up corpses from graves are known.

These animals are not allowed to be killed. They are listed in the IUCN Red List. Especially for them, a national park was organized on Komodo Island.

website - Let's dream together, today it will surprise you with facts about ancient lizard planets. Dragon from Komodo Island, have you heard of this? If not, then the films have been seen for sure.

It was these reptiles that became the prototype of the protagonist in horror films. They inspired directors for the most incredible stories.

Giant monitor lizards actually exist: they are lizards from Komodo Island.

Where do dragons live and how did they appear on the islands of Indonesia

There is such a term: island gigantism. This is such a phenomenon of nature: in a closed and isolated space, from generation to generation, animals increase in size.

Almost like in the movie "Jurassic Park", but there scientists have created suitable conditions. And in Indonesia, everything happened naturally. Although the theory is quite controversial.

A long time ago in Australia (an isolated continent) and on the island of Java, huge predators lived and lived - giant monitor lizards. This is the home of dragons. The oldest fossilized remains of them date back almost 4 million years ago. The extinction that befell many animal species during the Pleistocene era did not affect Komodo dragons.

How did the lizards survive?

They changed their location in a timely manner and took root on the islands of Indonesia closest to the continent. The ocean went up and down. Continents moved, and they calmly waited on the islands. This helped save the lizards from extinction. So they ended up on the island of Flores and nearby.

The giant monitor lizard lives only on five Indonesian islands - Komodo, Rinka, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar.

What do lizards look like

They are really scary and appearance, and scaly skin, and a tongue forked like a snake's. They can reach up to 80, and sometimes up to 100 kilograms. Possess venomous bites, allowing them to hunt and kill large animals and sometimes even humans. But first things first.

Dark terracotta skin has many protective lamellar ossifications. It's a kind of armor ground crocodile". The average pangolin is not too huge: the weight is only 50 kilograms and up to 3 meters in length. Sometimes there are instances that want to get into the book of records and much more.

Komodo dragons have no direct predators.

Singles for life

Komodo dragons are solitary predators. They gather in groups only for the period of mating games and during big hunts (there are some).

They live in deep burrows up to 4-5 meters or in hollows of trees (mainly young people). Everything is like people. Life expectancy up to 45-50 years. Young monitor lizards easily climb trees.

Only large crocodiles and people can pose a direct threat to their lives.

Sprinters in the jungle

Despite the outward sluggishness, these are capable of a lightning attack from an ambush. Do not underestimate their abilities. In terms of speed of movement, he can compete with a sprinter over short distances. Develops speed up to 20 km / h.

A special hole under the tongue allows him to move and breathe at the same time while running. The pump pumps air and does not take strength in the pursuit, increasing endurance and chances of winning.

What do Komodo lizards eat?

Lizard predators. The favorite meal is meat. And it doesn't really matter whose. Large or small animal, fish, turtle or large insect. They can also eat a relative for lunch. They do not disdain their own holes with cubs to tear and feast on. In the video below, you can see how he feasts on snake eggs.

Often, during the hungry period, fresh and not very graves are torn open and corpses are eaten. Therefore, the inhabitants of the islands (Indonesians) bury their inhabitants, covering the graves with cement slabs.

Rules of the hunt - the victim has no chance

Like crocodiles, giant monitor lizards severely injure their prey with their first bite. Tearing out huge chunks of muscle, breaking bones and tearing arteries. Therefore, the mortality rate from their bites is 99%. The victims have virtually no chance of survival.

In addition to severe injury, monitor lizards contain poison in their saliva, which quickly causes sepsis. In the lower jaw of a mammal there are 2 poisonous glands through which the poison enters.

Photos of the Komodo dragon only confirm the speculation about extinct dinosaurs.

Sharp teeth rip open prey like a can opener

Unusual ability to reproduce without fertilization

The lizard population is 3:1, there are many times more males than females. Which makes the battle for the female a deadly tournament of the strongest.

They lay up to 20 eggs in deep burrows. For the whole 9 months, the female guards the nest with offspring. Up to 2 years, young individuals live in the crowns of trees.

These reptiles have an ability: parthenogenesis. Reproduction is sexual and non-sexual. Oocytes develop easily even without direct fertilization.

In case of storms and earthquakes. Females can reproduce without males.

Toxic monitor lizard saliva

The venom slows down the victim's blood clotting, causes muscle paralysis, sharply lowers blood pressure and causes hypothermia, followed by shock and loss of consciousness. This allows the predator to easily finish off and eat the unfortunate.

The toxicity of saliva helps the predators themselves digest food faster.

Thanks to a good sense of smell and smell, the direction to the victim is easily determined by the smell of blood within a radius of 5-9 kilometers. The forked tongue also contributes to this.

For one lunch they can eat meat up to 85% of their weight own body. The stomach tends to stretch a lot.

The high immunity of Komodo monitor lizards allows them to survive in adverse conditions with minimal losses.

Way to have a quick lunch

For faster swallowing of prey, they invented an unusual method.

They rest the victim against a tree or a large stone and pull their body against it, fixing themselves with their paws.

They react sharply even to the faint smell of blood. There are known cases of attacks on tourists with minor scratches on the arms or legs.

The high immunity of Komodo monitor lizards allows them to survive in adverse conditions with minimal losses.

For a long time it was assumed that the saliva of lizards contains a large number of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. Until 2009, it was thought so, until studies by Brian Fry proved that the venom of lizards is not as toxic and poisonous as that of snakes.

React sharply even to the slightest smell of blood

Unusual strategy in dragon hunting

The jaws of the lizard are not as strong as those of the closest relative of the crocodile. And noticeably lose in newtons. 2600 N against almost 7,000 N of a crocodile. The monitor lizard has a much weaker grip, so an unusual attack strategy is used.

As we already wrote in the article, they tear their prey by making chaotic head movements. Waving in all directions, finishing off the unfortunate and dragging him into the water.

The lizards have a different tactic: having tightly grabbed the animal, they begin to pull it in their direction, resting on powerful paws and helping with long claws.

Sharp teeth rip open prey like a can opener. They tear off pieces of flesh and inflict mortal wounds. Furious jerks and neck rotations allow inflicting wounds incompatible with life.
In such a fight, there is only one winner - a monitor lizard from Komodo Island.

Video: 8 facts about the Komodo dragon

They do not have direct predators (by the way, humans also do not), and now they feel quite at ease. As if they are waiting for the right moment to lead the hierarchy. True, they do not increase in size. Maybe it's for now?

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