{"id":25960,"date":"2023-03-20T14:10:47","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T13:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=75523"},"modified":"2023-03-20T14:35:41","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T13:35:41","slug":"komodo-dragon-guide-what-they-are-what-they-eat-and-just-how-venomous-are-they","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/komodo-dragon-guide-what-they-are-what-they-eat-and-just-how-venomous-are-they\/","title":{"rendered":"Komodo dragon guide: what they are, what they eat \u2013 and just how venomous are they?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Komodo dragons have inspired myths and legends for centuries. We take a look at the fearsome predator <\/p>

By BBC Wildlife Magazine\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 20 March 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

What are Komodo dragons?<\/h2>\n
The Komodo dragon is the world\u2019s largest living lizard and is endemic to Indonesia, in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores, where it is an apex predator<\/a><\/strong>. It is a member of the monitor lizard family<\/p>\n

How big are Komodo dragons?<\/h2>\n
Closely related to the water monitor, Komodo dragons\u00a0 are an impressive size: adults can be 3m long with a powerful tail and weigh 70kg.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<h2>Komodo dragon teeth<\/h2>\n<p class=\""p1"\"><span class=\""s1"\">The dragon has what would appear to be the perfect tools for predation: 60 serrated, shark-like teeth. Yet its skull and the musculature of its jaws don\u2019t seem up to the task; its bite is just one-sixth as powerful as that of a saltwater crocodile of the same size.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s1"\">Scientists used to believe that the dragon made up for this with oral bacteria. A Komodo dragon\u2019s mouth provides ideal conditions for up to 57 varieties of potent bacteria, such as <i>Staphylococcus<\/i> and <i>Escherichia coli<\/i>, commonly known as E. coli. Until recently, experts assumed that even a slight nick from those teeth would cause a wound that rapidly went gangrenous. T<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s1"\">he victim might stagger on for several days before succumbing, but a hungry dragon, tasting the air with its long, forked tongue, could pick up the whiff of death and decomposition to locate prey that perished long after the first bite.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Komodo dragon venom<\/h2>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s1"\">But Dr Bryan Fry, a venom specialist at the University of Melbourne, dissected two dragon heads and found a pair of venom glands in their lower jaws, containing poison as potent as that of the deadliest terrestrial snakes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s1"\"> Fry suggested that the dragon is armed with one of the most complex venom-delivery systems of any reptile. Though snakes can strike faster, the dragon distributes its venom by raking its teeth through its prey\u2019s flesh. The poison lowers blood pressure and impairs coagulation, leading to blood loss and shock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What do Komodo dragons eat?<\/h2>\n<p>Komodo dragons eat a variety of prey, from small reptiles, birds and insects when they are young to larger animals, from deer to horses, even \u00a0water buffalo, when they are mature.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\""p2"\">Do Komodo dragons really eat each other?<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s1"\">To sustain their bulk, Komodo dragons need substantial amounts of food. Meals can be limited on their island home, but the solution is obvious: eat each other. The smaller, more agile youngsters often climb trees to avoid being cannibalised.<\/span><\/p>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> \n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/cannibal-animals-creatures-that-eat-their-own-kind\/"\">Cannibal animals: 10 creatures that eat their own kind<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h2>How do komodo dragons reproduce?<\/h2>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s1"\">\u00a0As well as mating with males the species is also <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/parthenogenesis-facts-meaning\/"\">parthenogenetic<\/a><\/strong>: the females can lay fertile eggs without any input from males. This will only reproduce identical young, however. For the species to continue to adapt, it needs to mate.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How long do Komodo dragons live for?<\/h2>\n<p>It us thought\u00a0 the Komodo dragon\u2019s lifespan is about 30 years<\/p>\n<h2>Are Komodo dragons endangered?<\/h2>\n<p>In 2021 the <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/news\/komodo-dragon-classified-as-endangered\/"\">Komodo dragon was reclassified from Vulnerable to Endangered<\/a><\/strong> on the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/people\/the-iucn-red-list-what-it-is-how-it-works\/"\">IUCN Red List,<\/a> due to the impacts of climate change and habitat loss due to human activities.<\/p>\n<p>Rising global temperatures due to climate change will result in higher sea levels, and modelling has predicted that the suitable habitat for the Komodo dragon will decrease by 30% in the next 45 years.<\/p>\n<h2>How many Komodo dragons are left in the world?<\/h2>\n<p>In 2021 the total adult population was thought to be no more than 1,400 individuals, split into eight subpopulations with the largest subpopulation containing no more than 500 individuals.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Main image \u00a9 Getty Images<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Komodo dragons have inspired myths and legends for centuries. 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What are Komodo dragons?<\/h2>\nThe Komodo dragon is the world\u2019s largest living lizard and is endemic to Indonesia, in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores, where it is an apex predator<\/a><\/strong>. It is a member of the monitor lizard family<\/p>\n

What are Komodo dragons?<\/h2>\n
The Komodo dragon is the world\u2019s largest living lizard and is endemic to Indonesia, in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores, where it is an apex predator<\/a><\/strong>. It is a member of the monitor lizard family<\/p>\n