Giant lizards. The largest lizard in the world. How they hunt and what they eat

komodo dragon - one of the most amazing reptiles on the planet. A strong, unusually mobile giant lizard is also called the Komodo dragon. External similarity With mythical creature the monitor lizard is provided huge body, a long tail and powerful bent paws.

A strong neck, massive shoulders, a small head give the lizard a militant look. Powerful muscles are covered with rough scaly skin. A huge tail serves as a weapon and support during the hunt and showdown with rivals.

Origin of the species and description

Varanus komodoensis is a chordate of the reptile class. Belongs to the squamous order. Family and genus - monitor lizards. The only one of its kind is the Komodo dragon. First described in 1912. The giant Indonesian monitor lizard is a representative of a relict population of very large monitor lizards. They also inhabited during the Pliocene period. Their age is 3.8 million years.

Traffic earth's crust 15 million years ago caused the influx of Australia into Southeast Asia. The transformation of the landmass allowed the large Waranids to return to the territory of the Indonesian archipelago. This theory was proved by the discovery of fossils similar to the bones of V. komodoensis. The Komodo monitor lizard really comes from Australia, and the largest extinct lizard megalania is its closest relative.

The development of the modern Komodo dragon began in Asia with the genus Varanus. 40 million years ago, giant lizards migrated to Australia, where they developed into the Pleistocene monitor lizard - Megalania. Such an impressive size of megalania was achieved in a non-competitive food environment.

In Eurasia, the remains of extinct Pliocene species of lizards, similar in size to modern Komodo dragons - Varanus sivalensis, have also been found. This proves that giant lizards feel good even in conditions where there is high food competition from carnivores.

Appearance and features

The Indonesian monitor lizard resembles extinct ankylosaurs in body and skeleton structure. A long squat body, elongated parallel to the ground. Strong curved paws do not give the lizard grace when running, but do not slow it down either. Lizards can run, maneuver, jump, climb trees and even stand on their hind legs.

Komodo lizards are capable of accelerating up to 40 km per hour. Sometimes they compete in speed with deer and antelopes. There are many videos on the network where a hunting monitor stalks and overtakes ungulate mammals.

Komodo dragon has a complex coloration. The main tone of the scales is brown with polysyllabic inclusions and transitions from gray-blue to red-yellow. By color, you can determine which age group refers to the lizard. In young individuals, the color is brighter, in adults it is calmer.

Video: Komodo dragon

Small in comparison with the body, the head resembles a cross between the head of a crocodile and a turtle. There are small eyes on the head. A forked tongue protrudes from a wide mouth. The ears are hidden in the folds of the skin.

A long, powerful neck passes into the body and ends with a strong tail. An adult male can reach 3 meters, females -2.5. Weight from 80 to 190 kg. The female is lighter -70 to 120 kg. Monitor lizards move on four legs. During the hunt and showdown for the possession of females and territory, they are able to stand on their hind legs. A clinch between two males can last up to 30 minutes.

Monitor lizards are hermits. They live separately and unite only during the mating season. Life expectancy in nature is up to 50 years. Puberty in the Komodo dragon occurs at 7-9 years. Females do not groom or care for offspring. Them maternal instinct enough to protect the laid eggs for 8 weeks. After the appearance of offspring, the mother begins to hunt for newborns.

Where does the Komodo dragon live?

The Komodo dragon has an isolated distribution in only one part of the world, making it especially susceptible to natural disasters. The area of ​​​​the range is small and amounts to several hundred square kilometers.

Adult Komodo dragons live mainly in tropical forests. They prefer open flat areas with tall herbs and scrub, but also found in other habitats such as beaches, ridge tops, and dry riverbeds. Young Komodo dragons live in forested areas until they are eight months old.

This species is found only in South-East Asia on the scattered islands of the Lesser Sunda archipelago. The most densely populated monitor lizards are Komodo, Flores, Gili Motang, Rincha and Padar and a few other tiny islands in the vicinity. Europeans saw the first giant pangolin on the island of Komodo. The discoverers of the Komodo dragon were shocked by its size and believed that the creature could fly. Hearing stories of living dragons, hunters and adventurers rushed to the island.

An armed group of people landed on the island and managed to get one monitor lizard. It turned out that this big lizard over 2 meters in length. The next mined specimens reached 3 meters or more. The research results were published two years later. They refuted the speculation that the animal could fly or breathe fire. The lizard was given the name Varanus komodoensis. However, another name was assigned to it - the Komodo dragon.

The Komodo dragon has become something of a living legend. In the decades since the discovery of Komodo, various scientific expeditions from a number of countries have been conducting field research on dragons on Komodo Island. Monitor lizards did not go unnoticed by hunters, who gradually reduced the population to a critical minimum.

What does the Komodo dragon eat?

Komodo dragons are carnivores. It was believed that they eat mostly carrion. In fact, they often and actively hunt. They ambush large animals. Waiting for the victim takes a long time. Komodos track prey over long distances. There are cases when Komodo dragons knocked down large ones with their tails. A keen sense of smell allows you to find food at a distance of several kilometers.

Monitor lizards eat prey by tearing large pieces of meat and swallowing them whole, while holding the carcass with their front paws. Loosely articulated jaws and expanding stomachs allow them to swallow prey whole. After digestion, the Komodo dragon regurgitates bones, horns, hair, and teeth from its stomach. After cleansing the stomach, monitor lizards clean their muzzle on grasses, bushes or dirt.

The Komodo dragon's diet is varied and includes invertebrates, other reptiles, and smaller species. Monitor lizards eat birds, their eggs, small mammals. Among their victims are wild boars,. Large animals such as deer, horses and are also eaten. Young monitor lizards feed on insects, eggs of birds and other reptiles. Their diet also includes small mammals.

Sometimes monitor lizards attack and bite people. There are cases when they eat human corpses, digging up bodies from shallow graves. This habit of raiding graves caused the people of Komodo to move the graves from sandy to clay soil and lay stones on top of them to keep the lizards away.

Features of character and lifestyle

Despite the huge growth and a large mass body, the Komodo dragon is a rather secretive animal. Avoids meeting people. In captivity, it does not become attached to people and demonstrates independence.

The Komodo dragon is a solitary animal. Does not form groups. Zealously guards its territory. Does not educate and does not protect its offspring. At the first opportunity, he is ready to feast on a cub. Prefers hot and dry places. Usually lives in open plains, savannahs and rainforests at low altitudes.

It is most active during the day, although it shows some nocturnal activity. Komodo dragons are solitary, coming together only to mate and eat. They are capable of running fast and adept at climbing trees when young. To catch unreachable prey, the Komodo monitor lizard can stand on its hind legs and use its tail as a support. Uses claws as weapons.

For shelter, it digs holes from 1 to 3 m wide using powerful front paws and claws. because of big size and the habit of sleeping in burrows is able to conserve body heat during the night and minimize its loss. He knows how to disguise himself well. Patient. Able to spend hours in ambush waiting for their prey.

The Komodo dragon hunts during the day but stays in the shade during the hottest part of the day. These resting places, usually located on ridges with a cool sea breeze, are marked with droppings and cleared of vegetation. They also serve as strategic ambush sites for deer.

Social structure and reproduction

Komodo dragons do not form pairs, do not live in groups and do not form communities. They prefer an exclusively isolated lifestyle. Carefully protect their territory from relatives. Other members of their species are seen as enemies.

Mating in this species of lizards occurs in summer time. From May to August, males fight for females and territory. Violent fights sometimes end in the death of one of the opponents. An opponent who is pinned to the ground is considered defeated. The fight takes place on the hind legs.

During battle, monitor lizards can purge their stomachs and defecate to lighten their bodies and improve their agility. This lizard technique is also used when running away from danger. The winner starts courting the female. In September, the females are ready to lay their eggs. However, in order to have offspring, females do not have to have a male.

Komodo dragons are parthenogenesis. Females can lay unfertilized eggs without the participation of males. They develop exclusively male cubs. Scientists suggest that this is how new colonies appear on previously monitor-free islands. After tsunamis and storms, females thrown by waves onto deserted islands begin to lay eggs at total absence males.

Females of the Komodo monitor lizard choose bushes, sand and caves for laying. They camouflage their nests from predators ready to feast on monitor lizard eggs, and monitor lizards themselves. Incubation period masonry is 7-8 months. Young reptiles spend most time in trees, where they are relatively protected from predators, including adult monitor lizards.

Natural enemies of Komodo dragons

In the natural environment, the monitor lizard has no enemies and competitors. The length and weight of the lizard makes it almost invulnerable. The only and unsurpassed enemy of a monitor lizard can only be another monitor lizard.

Cannibal lizards. As observations of the life of a reptile have shown, 10% of the diet of the Komodo monitor lizard is its relatives. A giant lizard doesn't need a reason to kill to eat its own kind. Fights between goannas are not uncommon. They can start because of territorial claims, because of the female, and simply because the monitor lizard has not obtained other food. All clarification of relationships within the species ends in a bloody drama.

As a rule, older and more experienced monitor lizards attack younger and weaker ones. The same thing happens with newborn lizards. Little lizards can become food for their mothers. However, nature took care of the protection of monitor lizard cubs. The first few years of life, juvenile monitor lizards spend on trees, hiding from their stronger and stronger counterparts in appearance.

In addition to the lizard itself, it is threatened by two more serious enemies: natural disasters and humans. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions seriously affect the population of the Komodo monitor lizard. A natural disaster can destroy the population of a small island in a matter of hours.

Man has been mercilessly exterminating the dragon for almost a century. People from all over the world flocked to hunt the giant reptile. As a result, the animal population has been brought to a critical point.

Population and species status

Information on the population size and distribution of Varanus komodoensis has until recently been limited to early reports or surveys conducted on only part of the species' range. The Komodo dragon is a vulnerable species. Listed in the Red Book. The vulnerability of the species is due to poaching and tourism. The commercial interest in animal skins has put the species at risk of extinction.

According to the World Wide Fund for Animals, the number of Komodo dragons in wild nature is 6000 lizards. The population is under protection and surveillance. To preserve the species on the Lesser Sunda Islands, a national park has been created. Park staff can tell exactly how many lizards are in this moment on each of the 26 islands.

The largest colonies live on:

• Komodo -1700;
• Rinche -1300;
• Gili Motange-1000;
• Flores - 2000.

But not only people affect the state of the species. The habitat itself is a serious threat. Volcanic activity, earthquakes, fires make the traditional habitat of the lizard uninhabitable. In 2013, the total population in the wild was estimated at 3,222 individuals, in 2014 - 3,092, 2015 - 3,014.

A number of measures taken to increase the population have increased the number of the species by almost 2 times, but according to experts, this figure is still critically small.

Protecting Komodo monitor lizards

People have taken a number of measures to protect and increase the species. It is legally prohibited to hunt the Komodo monitor lizard. Some islands are closed to the public. Territories protected from tourists are organized where Komodo lizards can live and breed in their natural habitat and atmosphere.

Understanding the importance of dragons and the state of the population as an endangered species, the Indonesian government issued a decree on the protection of lizards on Komodo Island in 1915. The Indonesian authorities have decided to close the island to the public.

The island is part national park. Measures to isolate it will help increase the population of the species. However, the final decision on stopping the access of tourists to Komodo must be taken by the governor of the province of East Nusa Tenggara.

Authorities have not said how long Komodo will be closed to visitors and tourists. At the end of the isolation period, conclusions will be drawn about the effectiveness of the measure and the need to continue the experiment. In the meantime, unique monitor lizards are raised in captivity.

Zoologists have learned how to save the masonry of the Komodo dragon. Eggs laid in the wild are collected and placed in incubators. Ripening and rearing takes place on mini-farms, where conditions close to natural are created. Individuals that are strong and able to defend themselves are returned to natural environment a habitat. Currently, giant lizards have appeared outside of Indonesia. They can be found in more than 30 zoos around the world.

The threat of losing one of the most unique and rare animals is so great that the Indonesian government is ready to take the most extreme measures. Closing some of the islands in the archipelago may ease the fate of the Komodo dragon, but isolation is not enough. To save Indonesia's top predator from humans, it needs to protect its habitat, stop hunting it, and get support. local residents.

Komodo or giant Indonesian monitor is considered the most large lizard in the world. In some countries it is called a dragon, which, in general, is not a mistake.

The length of adults can be about 70 kg, but in captivity they can reach even large sizes. According to Western sources, the largest individual encountered in the wild weighed as much as 166 kilograms, and its length reached 313 centimeters! The color of the lizards is dark brown with speckles, but in young animals it is somewhat brighter.

You can meet this reptile on the following islands of Indonesia: Flores, Jili Motang, Komodo and Rincha. Total individuals is slightly more than 5000 copies. Scientists believe that this species once lived in Australia, but then moved to the nearest islands. It happened many thousands of years ago.

As a rule, monitor lizards are active only during the day, hiding in shelters at night. But even in daytime they prefer to be in the shade, hiding from the scorching sun. The animal lives in savannahs, dry tropical forests and arid plains. Swims well, willingly enters sea ​​water and even able to swim across to a neighboring island. Despite the seeming immobility, the dragon is capable of reaching speeds of up to 20 km / h, however, at short distances. In addition, it is able to get food from trees, standing on its hind legs. Juveniles, on the other hand, perfectly climb trees, spending a lot of time there. Interestingly, they have no enemies, except that snakes and some birds of prey prey on young individuals.

Monitor lizards can eat a wide variety of animals. So, they can eat both insects and rodents, as well as large animals, such as horses or buffaloes. At the same time, they have developed cannibalism, especially in times of famine. Adult monitor lizards usually hunt large prey from ambush. Knocking her down, the reptile immediately bites its prey. As a rule, after this, the damaged animal gets up and leaves. However, after a while, he will still die, because the monitor lizard brought him poison and a lot of bacteria in the wound. After about three weeks, a bitten, say, buffalo dies of blood poisoning. The lizard feels the smell of carrion at a great distance and immediately runs to feed. Other representatives of this species also flock here, and fights often occur between them. By the way, adults feed mainly only on carrion.

The Komodo dragon is dangerous to humans because inflammation, sepsis, begins after a bite. Scientists have long believed that the problem is in the bacteria that are in the oral cavity of the animal. This is true and in total about 57 different strains of bacteria have been found. However, only a few years ago, experts found out that the dragon's mouth also has two poisonous glands, which are located in the lower part of the jaw. The venom itself contains toxic proteins that lower blood pressure, paralyze muscles, develop hypothermia, lead to a state of shock and cause unconsciousness in the bitten person.

In general, this type of monitor lizard is not so dangerous for humans, although attacks have been recorded far more than once. Apparently, the animal simply confuses people with its usual food. Since their bites are dangerous, you should immediately seek medical help, otherwise it is 99% possible fatal outcome. It is also worth noting that the lizard smells rot or blood at a distance of up to five kilometers, so if you have a wound, then it is better not to visit the island. This fully applies to women who have begun menstruation. And local residents suffer from reptiles, or rather those whom they buried - monitor lizards dig up buried corpses and feed on them. Now the dead are kept using dense cast cement slabs.

In December 1910, the Dutch administration on the island of Java received information from Stein van Hensbroek, the administrator of the island of Flores (for civil affairs), that there were not known to science giant creatures.

Van Stein's report stated that in the vicinity of Labuan Badi of Flores Island, as well as on the nearby island of Komodo, an animal lives, which the local natives call "buaya-darat", which means "earthen crocodile".

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.

According to local residents, the length of some monsters reaches seven meters, and three- and four-meter buya-darats are common. Curator of the Butsnzorg Zoological Museum botanical park In the province of West Java, Peter Owen immediately entered into correspondence with the manager of the island and asked him to organize an expedition in order to get a reptile unknown to European science.

This was done, although the first lizard caught was only 2 meters 20 centimeters long. Her skin and photographs were sent by Hensbroek to Owens. In the accompanying note, he said that he would try to catch a larger specimen, although this was not easy to do, since the natives were terribly afraid of these monsters. Convinced that the giant reptile was not a myth, the Zoological Museum sent an animal trapping specialist to Flores. As a result, the employees of the Zoological Museum managed to get four specimens of "earth crocodiles", two of which were almost three meters long.

In 1912, Peter Owens published in the Bulletin botanical garden an article about the existence of a new species of reptile, naming an animal previously unknown to the spider komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis Ouwens). Later it turned out that giant monitor lizards are found not only on Komodo, but also on the small islands of Ritya and Padar, lying west of Flores. A careful study of the archives of the Sultanate showed that this animal was mentioned in the archives dating back to 1840.

First World War forced to stop research, and only after 12 years, interest in the Komodo monitor resumed. Now, US zoologists have become the main researchers of the giant reptile. On the English language this reptile became known as komodo dragon(comodo dragon). For the first time, a live specimen was caught by the expedition of Douglas Barden in 1926. In addition to two living specimens, Barden also brought 12 effigies to the United States, three of which are on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

RESERVED ISLANDS

Indonesian national park Komodo (Komodo National Park), protected by UNESCO, was founded in 1980 and includes a group of islands with adjacent warm waters and coral reefs with an area of ​​more than 170 thousand hectares.
The islands of Komodo and Rinca are the largest in the reserve. Of course, the main celebrity of the park is Komodo dragons. However, many tourists come here to see the unique terrestrial and underwater flora and fauna of Komodo. There are about 100 species of fish here. There are about 260 species of reef corals and 70 species of sponges in the sea.
The national park is also home to such animals as the maned sambar, Asian water buffalo, wild boar, Javan macaque.

It was Barden who established the true size of these animals and refuted the myth of seven-meter giants. It turned out that males rarely exceed the length of three meters, and females are much smaller, their length is not more than two meters.

One bite is enough

Years of research have made it possible to study well the habits and lifestyle of giant reptiles. It turned out that Komodo dragons, like other cold-blooded animals, are active only from 6 to 10 am and from 3 to 5 pm. They prefer dry, well-sun areas, and are generally associated with arid plains, savannahs, and tropical dry forests.

In the hot season (May-October), they often stick to dry riverbeds with jungle-covered banks. Young animals can climb well and spend a lot of time in trees, where they find food, and in addition, they hide from their own adult relatives. Giant monitor lizards are cannibals, and adults, on occasion, will not miss the opportunity to feast on smaller relatives. As shelters from heat and cold, monitor lizards use burrows 1-5 m long, which they dig with strong paws with long, curved and sharp claws. Hollow trees often serve as shelters for young monitor lizards.

Komodo dragons, despite their size and outward clumsiness, are good runners. At short distances, reptiles can reach speeds of up to 20 kilometers, and at long distances, their speed is 10 km / h. To get food from a height (for example, on a tree), monitor lizards can stand on their hind legs, using their tail as a support. Reptiles have good hearing sharp eyesight, but their most important sense organ is the sense of smell. These reptiles are able to smell carrion or blood at a distance of even 11 kilometers.

Most of the monitor lizard population lives in the western and northern parts of the Flores Islands - about 2000 specimens. About 1000 live on Komodo and Rincha, and on the smallest islands of the Gili Motang and Nusa Kode groups, only 100 individuals each.

At the same time, it was noticed that the number of monitor lizards has fallen and individuals are gradually shrinking. They say that the decline in the number of wild ungulates on the islands due to poaching is to blame, so monitor lizards are forced to switch to smaller food.

In the photo m A young Komodo dragon on the carcass of an Asian water buffalo. The power of the jaws of monitor lizards is fantastic. Without effort, they open the victim's chest, cutting through the ribs like a huge can opener.

GAD BROTHERHOOD

Of the modern species, only the Komodo dragon and the crocodile monitor attack prey much larger than themselves. The crocodile monitor lizard has very long and almost straight teeth. This is an evolutionary adaptation for successful feeding by birds (breaking through dense plumage). They also have serrated edges, and the teeth of the upper and mandible can act like scissors, which makes it easier for them to dismember prey on a tree, where they spend most of their lives.

Yadozuby - poisonous lizards. Today, two species are known - gila monster and escorpion. They live mainly in the southwestern United States and Mexico in rocky foothills, semi-deserts and deserts. The most active poisonous teeth are in the spring, when their favorite food appears - bird eggs. They also feed on insects, small lizards and snakes. The poison is produced by the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands and through the ducts enters the teeth of the lower jaw. When bitten, the teeth of the gila teeth - long and curved back - almost half a centimeter enter the body of the victim.

The menu of monitor lizards includes a wide variety of animals. They practically eat everything: large insects and their larvae, crabs and fish thrown out by storms, rodents. And although monitor lizards are born scavengers, they are also active hunters, and often large animals become their prey: wild boars, deer, dogs, domestic and feral goats, and even the largest ungulates of these islands - Asian water buffaloes.
Giant monitor lizards do not actively pursue their prey, but rather steal it and grab it when it comes close by itself.

When hunting large animals, reptiles use very reasonable tactics. Adult monitor lizards, leaving the forest, slowly move towards grazing animals, from time to time they stop and crouch to the ground if they feel that they are attracting their attention. wild boars, they can knock down deer with a blow of their tail, but more often they use their teeth - inflicting a single bite on the animal's leg. This is where success lies. After all, now the course is launched " biological weapons» Komodo dragon.

Reptiles have good hearing, sharp eyesight, but their most important sense organ is the sense of smell.

For a long time it was believed that the victim was eventually killed by disease-causing organisms in the monitor lizard's saliva. But in 2009, scientists found that in addition to the “deadly cocktail” of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in saliva, to which monitor lizards themselves have immunity, reptiles are poisonous.

The Komodo dragon has two venom glands in its lower jaw that produce toxic proteins. These proteins, when released into the body of the victim, prevent blood clotting, lower blood pressure, contribute to muscle paralysis and the development of hypothermia. Everything in general leads the victim to shock or loss of consciousness. The venom gland of Komodo monitor lizards is more primitive than that of poisonous snakes. The gland is located in the lower jaw under the salivary glands, its ducts open at the base of the teeth, and do not exit through special channels in poisonous teeth, as in snakes.

In the mouth, poison and saliva mix with decaying food, forming a mixture in which many different deadly bacteria multiply. But this did not surprise scientists, but the poison delivery system. It turned out to be the most complex of all such systems in reptiles. Instead of injecting with a single blow with their teeth, like poisonous snakes, monitor lizards have to literally rub it into the victim's wound, making jerks with their jaws. This evolutionary invention has helped giant monitor lizards survive for thousands of years.

After a successful attack, time begins to work for the reptile, and the hunter is left to follow the victim all the time. The wound does not heal, the animal becomes weaker every day. After two weeks, even such a large animal as a buffalo has no strength left, its legs buckle and it falls. For the monitor lizard, it's time for a feast. He slowly approaches the victim and rushes at her. At the smell of blood, his relatives come running. In places of feeding, fights often arise between equal males. As a rule, they are cruel, but not deadly, as evidenced by the numerous scars on their bodies.

Who is next?

For people, a huge head covered like a shell, with unkind, unblinking eyes, a toothy gaping mouth, from which a forked tongue protrudes, all the time in motion, a bumpy and folded body of a dark brown color on strong spread legs with long claws and a massive tail is a living embodiment of the image of extinct monsters of distant eras. One can only be amazed at how such creatures could survive today practically unchanged.

The only known representative of large reptiles - Megalania prisca sizes from 5 to 7 m and weighing 650-700 kg

Paleontologists believe that 5-10 million years ago the ancestors of the Komodo dragon appeared in Australia. This assumption fits well with the fact that the only known representative of large reptiles is Megalania prisca measuring from 5 to 7 m and weighing 650-700 kg was found on this continent. Megalania, and the full name of the monstrous reptile can be translated from Latin, as a "great ancient tramp", preferred, like the Komodo monitor lizard, to settle in grassy savannahs and sparse forests, where he hunted mammals, including very large ones, such as diprodonts, various reptiles and birds. These were the largest poisonous creatures that ever existed on Earth.

Fortunately, these animals died out, but the Komodo dragon took their place, and now it is these reptiles that attract thousands of people to come to the time-forgotten islands to see the last representatives of the ancient world in natural conditions.

There are 17,504 islands in Indonesia, although these numbers are not final. The Indonesian government has set itself the difficult task of conducting a complete audit of all the Indonesian islands without exception. And who knows, maybe at the end of it there will still be open known to people animals, although not as dangerous as Komodo dragons, but certainly no less amazing!

Komodo monitor lizard (giant Indonesian monitor lizard, Komodo monitor lizard) ( Varanus komodoensis) is the largest in the world. 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 may 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. At big booty, for example, in 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 identified in the monitor lizard the presence of 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, lowering 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.

most big lizard rightfully considered the Komodo dragon. This view was discovered by scientists who, as early as 1912, decided to fully explore the island called Komodo. They were surprised by the size of this creature, so they began to study it. They captured the largest lizards of this species with the help of local natives, and conducted careful research to understand how these monsters were able to survive to this day.

Studies have shown that these monsters belong to the species of ancient lizards, and are cold-blooded creatures. According to external factors, scientists attributed this type of lizard to monitor lizards. Considering exactly where these reptiles were found, it is quite understandable why they decided to call them the Komodo monitor lizard.

Lizard sizes

It should be noted that the Komodo dragon can reach quite impressive sizes. The most mature individuals reach a mark of 2.8 meters. At the same time, their Weight Limit is about ninety kilograms. Thanks to these dimensions, the Kommodus monitor lizard is considered the largest and heaviest lizard on our entire planet. In the middle of 1937, at an exhibition of unique creatures, which was held in Missouri, a specimen of a lizard was presented, which reached more than three meters in length. Her weight was one hundred and sixty-six kilograms, which simply could not help but amaze the gray-haired people.

Appearance of the Lizard

By appearance The Komodo dragon resembles a cross between a lizard and a crocodile. He has a rather large mouth, which is simply strewn with sharp teeth. And thick paws and a massive tail really inspire fear in his rivals. In adult lizards, the skin has a dark color with a brown tint. And in younger individuals, the skin has a light shade with bright spots, which can sometimes smoothly turn into stripes.

It is worth noting that males can be larger than females, and they are also characterized by increased aggressiveness, which is very often shown in relation to other males who decide to enter their territory.

Lifestyle

Lizards are diurnal. Like other cold-blooded representatives of their kind, they love to soak up the sun. These huge reptiles live in burrows, the depth of which can sometimes reach five meters. They tear them out with their large paws and thick claws. They even feed on large animals such as deer and even buffaloes. From the bite of this lizard, the wound of the animal begins to rot, and subsequently it dies.