THE KOMODO DRAGON

So what is the Komodo Dragon? A Komodo Dragon isn't really a dragon. It's just a really big lizard! A really big lizard! They live on the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang in Indonesia. It is a member of the montior liazard family, also known as the Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard. It will grow up to about 2 to 3 meters (6.6 to 9.8 feet), weighing about 70 kilograms (150 pounds). Since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live; their large size is also explained by the Komodo dragon's low metabolic rate. Because of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.

Reproduction

Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About twenty eggs are laid in abandoned megapode nests and incubated for seven to eight months. The eggs hatch in April, when insects are most active. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and so they stay in trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. They take around three to five years to mature, and may live as long as fifty years. They are among the rare vertebratescapable of parthenogenesis, in which females may lay viable eggs if males are absent.

History

The evolutionary development of the Komodo dragon started with the Varanus genus, which originated in Asia about 40 million years ago and migrated to Australia. Around 15 million years ago, a collision between Australia and Southeast Asia allowed the varanids to move into what is now the Indonesian archipelago, extending their range as far east as the island of Timor. The Komodo dragon was believed to have differentiated from its Australian ancestors 4 million years ago. However, recent fossil evidence from Queensland suggests that the Komodo dragon evolved in Australia before spreading to Indonesia. Dramatic lowering of sea level during the last glacial period uncovered large stretches of continental shelf that the Komodo dragon colonized, becoming isolated in their present island range as sea levels rose afterwards.

Komodo dragons were first recorded by Western scientists in 1910. Their large size and amazing appearance, it makes them a great zoo exhibits. In the wild, their population has decreased to human activities and they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. They are protected under Indonesian law, and a national park called Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.

The evolutionary development of the Komodo dragon started with the Varanus genus, which originated in Asia about 40 million years ago and migrated to Australia. Around 15 million years ago, a collision between Australia and Southeast Asia allowed the varanids to move into what is now the Indonesian archipelago, extending their range as far east as the island of Timor. The Komodo dragon was believed to have differentiated from its Australian ancestors 4 million years ago. However, a recent fossil evidence from Queensland suggests that the Komodo dragon evolved in Australia before spreading to Indonesia. Dramatic lowering of sea level during the last glacial period uncovered a large piece of land on a continental shelf that the Komodo dragon colonized, becoming isolated in their present island range as sea levels rose afterwards. They are currently a vulnerable species, very close to being endarngered.

Danger to Humans

Although attacks are very rare, Komodo dragons have attacked humans before. On June 4, 2007, a Komodo dragon attacked an eight-year-old boy on Komodo Island. The boy later died of massive bleeding from his wounds. It was the first recorded fatal attack in 33 years. Natives blamed the attack on environmentalists outside the island prohibiting goat sacrifices. This denied the Komodo dragons their expected food source, causing them to wander into human civilization in search of food. Many natives of Komodo Island believe that Komodo dragons are actually the reincarnation of fellow kinspeople and should thus be treated with reverence. On March 24, 2009, two Komodo Dragons attacked and killed fisherman Muhamad Anwar on Komodo Island. Anwar was attacked after he fell out of a sugar-apple tree and was left bleeding badly from bites to his hands, body, legs, and neck. He was taken to a clinic on the neighboring island of Flores where he was pronounced dead on arrival. In another incident, in June 2001, Phil Bronstein, Executive Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, was given a special tour of the Komodo Dragons at the San Francisco Zoo for a Father's Day present by his wife, the actress Sharon Stone. Bronstein and Stone were benefactors of the zoo. While barefooted and petting one of the dragons, Bronstein was bitten and lost his big toe.

Conservation

The Komodo dragon is a vulnerable species and is found on the IUCN Red List. There are about 4,000 to 5,000 living Komodo dragons in the wild. Their populations are restricted to the islands of Gili Motang (100), Gili Dasami (100), Rinca (1,300), Komodo (1,700), and Flores (perhaps 2,000). However, there are concerns that there may presently be only 350 breeding females. To address these concerns, the Komodo National Park was founded in 1980 to protect Komodo dragon populations on islands including Komodo, Rinca, and Padar. Later, the Wae Wuul and Wolo Tado Reserves were opened on Flores to aid with Komodo dragon conservation. There is evidence that Komodo dragons became accustomed to human presence, as they were often fed animal carcasses at several feeding stations by tourists and sacrifices from natives before a hunt. As these practices have been outlawed, attacks on humans by the lizards has increased. Volcanic activity, earthquakes, loss of habitat, fire (the population at Padar was almost destroyed because of a wildfire, and has since mysteriously disappeared), loss of prey, tourism, and poaching have all contributed to the vulnerable status of the Komodo dragon. Under Appendix I of CITES (the Convention on Interational Trade in Endangered Species), commercial trade of skins or specimens is illegal. The Australian biologist Tim Flannery has suggested that the Australian ecosystem may benefit from the introduction of Komodo dragons, as it could partially occupy the large-carnivore niche left vacant following the extinction of the giant varanid Megalania. However, he argues for great caution and gradualness in these acclimatisation experiments, especially as "the problem of predation of large varanids upon humans should not be understated". He uses the example of the successful coexistence with saltwater crocodiles as evidence that Australians could successfully adjust.

I didn't steal from here.

I didn't steal from here.

 I didn't steal from here. 

You can find another video of the Komodo Dragon at t http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoV-LVzAP1c.

I borrowed most of this information from Wikiepedia.