Komodo dragon, where it lives, interesting facts, photos, videos, food. Komodo dragon

Komodo dragon(giant Indonesian monitor lizard, Komodo monitor lizard) (lat. Varanus komodoensis) - this is the largest in the world. The predatory reptile belongs to the order Squamate, superfamily Varanidae, family of monitor lizards, genus of monitor lizards. The Komodo dragon, also called the “dragon of Komodo Island,” got its name from one of its habitats.

Seasoned and strong monitor lizards can easily cope with more impressive prey: wild boars, buffalos, and goats. Often, the teeth of adult Komodo dragons fall into the teeth of livestock, those who came to water bodies to drink, or those who accidentally met on the path of this dangerous lizard. The Komodo monitor lizard 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 joint of the lower jaw bones and a capacious stomach, which tends to stretch.

Hunting Komodo dragon.

The hunting principle of the Komodo dragon is quite cruel. Sometimes a large predatory lizard attacks its prey from ambush, suddenly knocking down its “future dinner” with a powerful and sharp blow of its tail. Moreover, the force of the impact is so great that potential prey often suffers broken legs. 12 out of 17 deer die on the spot when fighting with a lizard. However, sometimes the victim manages to escape, although he may suffer severe injuries in the form of torn tendons or lacerations in the abdomen or neck area, which leads to inevitable death. The venom of the monitor lizard and the bacteria contained in the reptile's saliva weaken the victim. In large prey, such as buffalo, death can occur only 3 weeks after a fight with a monitor lizard. Some sources indicate that the giant Komodo dragon will chase its prey by smell and traces of blood until it is completely exhausted. Some animals manage to escape and heal their wounds, other animals fall into the clutches of predators, and others die from wounds inflicted by the 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 does die, monitor lizards come running to the smell of carrion to eat the dead animal.

Venom of the Komodo dragon.

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

Dragon from Komodo Island (lat. Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor lizard, also known as the giant Indonesian monitor lizard, is a lizard with the most impressive dimensions in the world.

flickr/Antoni Sesen

The average weight of the giant is 90 kg, and the body length is, accordingly, 2.5 m, while the tail occupies almost half of the body. And the length of the most powerful specimen, the parameters of which were officially recorded, exceeded 3 meters and weighed 160 kg.

The appearance of the Komodo dragon is most interesting - either a lizard, or a dragon, or a dinosaur. And the island aborigines believe that this creature is most similar to an alligator, and therefore they call it buaya darat, which translated from the local dialect means land crocodile. And although the Komodo dragon has only one head and does not spew out flames from its nostrils, there is undoubtedly something aggressive in the appearance of this reptile.

This impression is reinforced by the color of the monitor lizard - dark brown, with yellowish splashes, and (especially!) appearance teeth - compressed from the sides, with cutting, jagged edges. A quick glance at this perfect arsenal, which is a “dragon” jaw, is enough to understand: the Komodo dragon is not to be trifled with. With more than 60 teeth and a jaw structure reminiscent of a shark's mouth, isn't this the perfect killing machine?

What makes up the diet of a giant reptile? No, no, monitor lizards have only external similarities with vegetarian dinosaurs: the gastronomic preferences of the Komodo dragon are strikingly different from the food preferences ancient ancestor. The lizard's tastes are distinguished by an enviable variety: it does not disdain carrion and readily absorbs any living creature - from insects and birds to horses, buffalo, deer and even its own brothers. Maybe it is for this reason that newborn lizards, having barely hatched, immediately leave their mother, hiding from her in the dense crown of trees?

Indeed, cannibalism is a quite common phenomenon among Komodo dragons: the lunch menu of adult monitor lizards often includes younger, smaller relatives. A hungry monitor lizard can also pose a threat to humans, and there are often cases when the prey matches the attacker in its weight category. How do lizards manage to defeat their prey? Monitor lizards stalk large prey from ambush, and at the moment of attack they either knock down the victim with a powerful blow of the tail, breaking its legs, or bite their teeth into the flesh of a wild boar or deer, inflicting a deadly laceration.

The chances of survival of a wounded animal are scanty, since during a bite dangerous bacteria from the lizard’s mouth, as well as poison from the venom glands of the reptile’s lower jaw, enter its body. The inflammation develops at an accelerated pace, and the Komodo dragon can only wait for the victim to completely lose his strength and be unable to resist. He stubbornly follows the wounded prey, without letting it out of sight. Sometimes such tracking lasts up to three weeks - after that time, a buffalo bitten by a monitor lizard dies.

In the photo there is me, the dragon and a slightly excited Lera :)

Those who want to see these handsome guys in natural environment habitat would have to go to the Indonesian islands, since Komodo dragons live there. However, daredevils who are planning such a trip should be as careful as possible: monitor lizards have a keen sense of smell, and even a tiny drop of blood from a minor scratch on the body can attract a lizard located at a distance of 5 km with its smell. There have been cases of attacks on tourists, so rangers accompanying tourist groups are usually armed with long, strong poles. Just in case.

Komodo dragon also called the giant Indonesian monitor lizard because it is the largest lizard on earth. Its size is impressive, because often such a lizard can grow more than 3 meters in length and weigh over 80 kg.

Komodo dragon

Interestingly, in captivity monitor lizards reach large sizes than in wildlife. For example, in the St. Louis Zoo there lived one such representative, whose weight was 166 kg and its length was 313 cm.

Many scientists believe that in Australia (and monitor lizards originated there) animals tend to have gigantic size. In addition, Megalania, a relative of monitor lizards that has already become extinct, was much larger. It reached a length of 7 meters and weighed about 700 kg.

But different scientists have different opinions, but what remains obvious is that the Komodo dragon is of impressive size, and this does not please all of its neighbors, because it is also a predator.

True, due to the fact that large ungulates are increasingly being exterminated by poachers, the monitor lizard has to look for smaller prey, and this has a depressing effect on its size.

Already, the average representative of these animals has a length and weight much less than that of its relatives just 10 years ago. The habitat of these reptiles is not too wide; they have chosen the islands of Indonesia.

About 1,700 individuals live on Komodo, about 2,000 monitor lizards live on Flores Island, Rinca Island shelters 1,300 individuals and 100 monitor lizards live on Gili Motang. Such precision speaks volumes about how rare this amazing animal has become.

The character and lifestyle of the Komodo dragon

Komodo dragon does not respect the company of his relatives too much; he prefers a solitary lifestyle. True, there are times when such loneliness is broken. Basically, this happens during the breeding season or during feeding, then these animals can gather in groups.

It happens that there is a large dead carcass, from which the smell of carrion emanates. And monitor lizards have an overdeveloped sense of smell. And a rather impressive group of these lizards gathers on this carcass. But most often, monitor lizards hunt alone, usually during the day, and hide in shelters at night. They build burrows for shelter.

Such a hole can be up to 5 meters long; monitor lizards tear it out with their claws. And young people can easily hide in a hollow tree. But the animal does not strictly adhere to these rules.

He can even walk through his territory at night in search of prey. He doesn’t like active heat too much, so he prefers to be in the shade at this time. The Komodo dragon feels most comfortable on dry terrain, especially if it is a small hill that is clearly visible.

During hot periods, it prefers to wander near rivers, looking for carrion that has washed ashore. He also gets into the water easily, because he is an excellent swimmer. It will not be difficult for him to cover quite a considerable distance on the water.

But don’t think that this bulky one can only be agile in the water. On land, when chasing prey, this clumsy beast can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h.

Very interesting watch Komodo dragon on video- there are videos where you can see how he gets food from a tree - he stands on his hind legs, and uses his strong tail as a reliable support.

Adult and heavy individuals do not like to climb trees very much, and they are not very good at it, but young monitor lizards, not burdened with heavy weight, climb trees very well. And they even really like to spend time on curved trunks and branches. Such a powerful, dexterous and large animal has no enemies in nature.

True, the monitor lizards themselves are not averse to dining on their weaker relatives. Especially during periods when food is tight, monitor lizards easily attack their smaller brothers, grab them and shake them violently, breaking their spines. Large victims (,), sometimes fight very desperately for their lives, causing serious injuries to the monitor lizards.

And since this one prefers large prey, you can count more than one scar on the body of adult monitor lizards. But animals achieve such invulnerability only in adulthood. And small monitor lizards can be prey for dogs, snakes, birds and other predators.

Komodo dragon nutrition

The diet of the monitor lizard is varied. While the lizard is still in infancy, it can even eat insects. But as the individual grows, its prey increases in weight. Until the monitor lizard reaches a weight of 10 kg, it feeds on small animals, sometimes climbing to the tops of trees after them.

True, such “babies” can easily attack game that weighs almost 50 kg. But after the monitor lizard has gained weight more than 20 kg, its diet consists only of large animals. The monitor lizard waits for deer and wild boars at a watering hole or near forest paths. Seeing prey, the predator pounces, trying to knock down the victim with a blow of its tail.

Often, such a blow immediately breaks the legs of the unfortunate. But more often, the monitor lizard tries to bite the tendons on the victim’s legs. And even then, when the immobilized victim cannot escape, he tears the still living animal into large pieces, tearing them out of the neck or stomach. Not particularly large animal The monitor lizard eats the whole thing (for example, a goat). If the victim does not immediately surrender, the monitor lizard will still overtake him, guided by the smell of blood.

Varan is gluttonous. In one meal, he easily eats about 60 kg of meat, if he himself weighs 80. According to eyewitnesses, one is not too big female Komodo dragon(weighing 42 kg) in 17 minutes finished off a boar weighing 30 kg.

It is clear that it is better to stay away from such a cruel, insatiable predator. Therefore, from the areas where monitor lizards settle, for example, reticulated pythons, which simply cannot compare in hunting qualities with this animal, disappear.

Reproduction and life expectancy of the Komodo dragon

Monitor lizards become sexually mature only in the 10th year of life. In addition, only a little more than 20% of all monitor lizards are females, so the struggle for them is serious. Only the strongest and healthiest individuals come to mate.

After mating, the female finds a place to lay eggs; she is especially attracted to compost heaps, which are a natural incubator for eggs. Up to 20 eggs are laid there.

After 8 - 8.5 months, the cubs appear, which immediately move from the nest to tree branches to be away from dangerous relatives. There they spend the first 2 years of their life.

Interestingly, a female can lay eggs without a male. The body of these lizards is designed in such a way that even with asexual reproduction, the eggs will be viable and normal cubs will hatch from them. Only they will all be male.

So nature took care of the case when monitor lizards find themselves on islands isolated from each other, where one female may not have any relatives. How old Komodo dragons live in the wild, it was not possible to know for sure, it is believed that 50-60 years. Moreover, females live half as long. And in captivity, not a single monitor lizard has ever lived more than 25 years.

Indonesian Komodo island interesting not only for its nature, but also for its animals: among the tropical jungles of this island live real “ dragons»…

Such " 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, or catch a gaping bird. Local residents say that the monitor lizard drags sheep and attacks buffalo and wild pigs. There are known cases when komodo dragon attacked a victim weighing up to 750 kilograms. In order to eat such a huge animal, the “dragon” would bite through the tendons, thereby immobilizing the victim, and then shred 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 “fasting,” 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 animal's temperature exceeds 42.7 degrees Celsius, the monitor lizard will die from heatstroke.


Long tongue endowed with komodo dragon- This is a very important olfactory organ, like our nose. By sticking out its tongue, the monitor lizard catches odors. The tactility of the monitor lizard's tongue is not inferior to the sensitivity of smell in dogs. A hungry “dragon” is able to track down its prey using a single trace left by the animal a few hours ago.

Juveniles komodo dragon painted in dark gray colors. There are orange-red ring stripes throughout the animal's body. With age, the color of the monitor lizard changes, “ dragon» acquires an even dark color.

Young monitor lizards, up to a year old, 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, and sometimes people. The monitor lizard gets close to its victim and attacks with lightning speed. After which he throws the animal to the ground and tries to stun it as quickly as possible. If it attacks a person, the monitor lizard first bites off the legs, then tears the body into pieces.

Adults komodo dragon They eat their prey in exactly the same way - by spreading the victim into pieces. After the monitor lizard's victim is killed, the "dragon" rips open the belly and eats the animal's entrails within twenty-five minutes. 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.

Local residents tell how one day, while eating a deer, a monitor lizard pushed the animal's leg down its throat until it felt like it was stuck. Then the animal made a sound similar to a rumble and began to frantically wave its head, falling on its front paws. Varan fought until the paw flew out of his mouth.


While eating an animal " dragon"stands on four outstretched legs. In the process of eating, you can see how the monitor lizard’s belly fills and stretches all the way to the ground. Having eaten, the monitor lizard goes into the shade of trees to digest food in peace and quiet. If something remains of the victim, young monitor lizards flock to the carcass. In the hungry dry season lizards 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 most large lizard in the world. Paleontologists put forward the version that about 5 - 10 million years ago the ancestors komodo lizard appeared in Australia. And this assumption is confirmed by one significant 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, the lizard settled on them, in particular on Komodo island. But here the question arises again: 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 put forward version is correct, then what did the lizards eat all the time when there were no buffalos, no deer, no horses, no cows and pigs on the island... After all, cattle were brought to the islands by humans much later than voracious lizards appeared on them.
Scientists claim that in those days, giant turtles and elephants lived on the island, the height of which reached one and a half meters. It turns out that the ancestors of modern Komodo lizards hunted elephants, albeit dwarf ones.
One way or another, but Komodo dragons These are “living fossils”.

The Komodo dragon is the largest species of lizard in existence today.

Adult Komodo monitor lizards reach a weight of 70 kg and a body length of up to 3 m. It is worth noting that in captivity this monitor lizard can be even larger.

The adult specimen is dark brown with yellow speckles. The cutting edge of a monitor lizard's teeth is somewhat reminiscent of a saw blade. This tooth structure allows the animal to easily cut the carcass of its prey.

Habitat of Komodo dragons

The habitat of this lizard is very localized. It is found only on the islands of Indonesia, such as Flores, Rinca, Gili Motang and Komodo. The name of this species actually comes from the name of the last island. Research shows that these lizards left Australia 900,000 years ago and moved to the islands.

Komodo dragon lifestyle

These lizards form groups only during the mating season and during feeding. The rest of the time, stay alone. They are active mainly during daylight hours. Being in the shade for the first part of the day, they go hunting in the second half, when the heat subsides somewhat. They spend the night in shelters, from which they crawl out only in the morning.

The monitor lizard stays in dry, well-lit areas. Typically these are savannas, tropical dry forests and arid plains. From May to October it inhabits dry river beds. In order to profit from carrion, it often visits the coast. Varan – excellent swimmer. There have been cases when these lizards even swam from island to island.

Burrows up to 5 meters deep serve as a refuge for monitor lizards. Lizards dig these holes on their own. Their powerful paws with sharp claws help them in this. Younger monitor lizards, unable to dig similar holes on their own, find refuge in hollows and cracks of trees. The monitor lizard is capable of running at a running speed of up to 20 km/h for a short time. To get to food located at a certain height, the monitor lizard is able to rise on its hind legs.

In their natural habitat, adult lizards do not encounter enemies. However, young animals can often become prey birds of prey and snakes.

In captivity, these lizards rarely live to be 25 years old, although, according to some data, in wild conditions Monitor lizards can live up to half a century.

Komodo dragon nutrition

The Komodo dragon eats a variety of animals. The diet includes fish, crabs, lizards, turtles, rats, snakes. The monitor lizard also feeds on birds and insects. Among large animals, deer, horses and even buffalo are sometimes prey. In particularly hungry years, monitor lizards do not hesitate to eat individuals of their own species. In this case, as a rule, very small individuals and young animals become victims of cannibalism.

Adults often feed on carrion. Sometimes the method of obtaining such carrion is very interesting.

The monitor lizard, having tracked down a large animal, suddenly attacks it, inflicting wounds on it, into which poison and bacteria from the oral cavity of this lizard enter. The monitor lizard then stalks its prey, awaiting its death.

Such persecution can last from several hours to several weeks. These lizards smell carrion well thanks to their amazingly developed sense of smell.

Nowadays, poaching within the habitat of monitor lizards causes enormous harm and reduces the number of large ungulates. Because of this, monitor lizards are often forced to settle for smaller prey. The consequence of this state of affairs is a decrease in the average size of adult Komodo dragons. This size has decreased by 25% over the past 10 years.

Reproduction of Komodo dragons

Sexual maturity comes to these lizards in the tenth year of existence. Only a small part of individuals survive until this time. As for the sexual structure, females occupy only 23% of the entire population.

Due to enormous competition during the mating season, males fight for females. In these fights, experienced adults often win. Old people and young people, as a rule, remain out of work.

Mating season in monitor lizards begins at winter time. Having copulated, the female begins to search for a place to lay eggs. As a rule, such places are compost heaps created by weed chickens as nests. These piles are natural incubators for Komodo dragon eggs. In these heaps, females dig deep holes. Masonry occurs in summer period from July to August. There are approximately 20 eggs in one clutch. With a diameter of 6 cm and a length of 10 cm, the eggs weigh about two hundred grams.