Komodo dragons are in fact lizards, they are the biggest lizards on Earth. These lizards have a maximum length of 10 feet (three meters), or about the same as a small automobile. They can weigh up to 154 pounds on average, but have sometimes been measured up to 135 kilos, or almost the same as a panda bear’s weight.
Komodo dragons are infamous for their ᴅᴇᴀᴅly, ᴘᴏɪsᴏɴᴏᴜs ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs while ʜᴜɴᴛing. Before the University of Queensland disproved this idea, it was thought that these lizards secreted venom proteins that were comparable to those of ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs snakes. It was also thought that these lizards possessed different strains of bacteria that ᴋɪʟʟed animals in their saliva.
There are just five Iɴᴅᴏɴᴇsɪᴀn islands where komodo dragons can be found, they are not found anywhere else in the globe. The Komodo National Park, which is made up of four of these islands, is located on the fifth island, Flores. The biggest concentration of komodo dragons in the world are found on the main island that bears their name, Komodo Island.
For millions of years, Komodo dragons have survived in the hostile environment of Iɴᴅᴏɴᴇsɪᴀ’s Lesser Sunda Islands. They can be found all across the islands, but they favor the tropical forests. These energetic komodo dragons may run up to seven kilometers every day, yet they rarely leave the valleys where they were born in favor of staying ᴄʟᴏsᴇ to home.
To save the Komodo dragon and its habitat, Iɴᴅᴏɴᴇsɪᴀ created Komodo National Park in 1980. The Timor deer and orange-footed scrub owl live in this 700 square mile refuge together with a diverse marine ecosystem that supports whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, corals, sponges, manta rays and many kinds of fish. Komodo National Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, has put in place patrols to deter poaching. Additionally, it collaborates with local groups to raise awareness of the species and the value of its protection.
