Palmistry 

Lizard over 2 meters long. Names and features of different types of lizards. Distinctive features of the Komodo dragon

He moves 4 times faster than a person, from the start he develops a speed of 18 km / h. And this is with a three-meter body and tail - it is not for nothing that the Komodo monitor lizard has the status of the largest lizard in the world.

Reptiles do not need to eat regularly to survive - once a month is enough for this. She sees her victim for 300 meters. Hunting does not particularly exhaust itself - there is no prey on the horizon, it will ruin human burials.

Ora crocodile

The Komodo monitor lizard is a reptile from the squamous order. He received the status of the largest lizard in the world for his huge size:

  • length - 2.5-3 m;
  • weight - 100-150 kg.

Scientists discovered the reptile on Komodo Island only in 1912. A few years before, local residents have repeatedly said that they saw a dragon. They called him "ora" and "ground crocodile".

Appearance

Male monitor lizards are 1.5 times larger than females - the sex of reptiles can be identified only by this feature.

Lizards have long flattened heads, muzzles are elongated and rounded. The eyes are large, located on both sides of the head. The auricles are large, but monitor lizards have imperfect hearing - they cannot identify a low voice.

The jaws and throat of the largest lizard are so flexible that it swallows huge chunks of meat in a split second. The movable lower jaw and stomach expand so much that the adult swallows the pig completely. This feature explains the impressive weight of the reptiles.

But there is another feature - the monitor lizard will easily burp the contents of the stomach as soon as it senses danger. He will decrease in size and weight and hide from his pursuers.

The legs of the reptiles are half-bent - because of this, the bulky carcass seems to be pressed to the ground. Their claws are sharp, as befits predators. The large teeth are bent so as to dig deep into the victim and tear it to pieces.

The body of an adult monitor lizard is covered with bone chain mail - it gives the reptiles a resemblance to stones. In the younger generation of lizards, the color is brighter - green, blue, orange.

Food

The giant lizard is a predator, respectively, it feeds on the meat of its victims. She dominates, attacking any animals and does not disdain carrion. Their diet contains:

  • pigs;
  • deer;
  • lizards;
  • buffaloes.

Juveniles feed on insects and snakes, sometimes catching birds.

Hunting

Reptiles determine prey long before the start of the hunt, sniffing the air and analyzing the smells in it. To do this, nature has endowed predators with a forked tongue, with which they taste the air and feel the taste of an animal or carrion, their location.

Future prey at this time can be at a distance of up to 4 km from the monitor lizard - it will catch its smell and direction if the wind is fair.

Patience is one of the virtues of the heaviest lizard in the world. She lies in wait for prey for hours, sometimes for days. As soon as the animal is nearby, the reptile attacks it, interrupts its paws with its powerful tail.

The victim is doomed - an attempt to escape leads to the fact that a huge camouflage carcass will tear him apart until he goes limp. After that, the monitor lizard will exhale and open the belly of the prey to drain the blood. Only then will he begin to swallow the meat.

Toxicity

Single victims manage to escape, but they do not live long. There are more than 50 types of bacteria in the saliva of reptiles, and the jaw glands are poisonous. When a giant lizard attacks a pig or other artiodactyls, a secret is released into its saliva. The protein in the composition of the secret is toxic - it paralyzes muscles, disrupts blood clotting, and sharply reduces pressure and body temperature.

The animal suffers from several hours to several days, depending on immunity and the degree of blood infection, and then dies. The monitor lizard all this time follows in the footsteps of his sense of smell for the victim. As soon as she dies, he consumes the carrion. Not even a tenth of the carcass remains - the stomach of reptiles is designed in such a way that it easily digests bones and skin.

reproduction

The mating season for the largest lizards begins in May and ends in August. Two males can fight for a female - she goes to the winner. After mating games, the female lays up to 30 eggs, and the male guards the territory.

Monitor lizards are born weighing about 100 g and no more than 40 cm long. For the first 4 years they live on trees, fleeing from predators. Their parents may be among the latter, because there is no evidence that adult reptiles take care of their offspring.

The young individual, sensing danger, makes himself tasteless to the lizards. To do this, she collapses in her own feces - a well-known fact that monitor lizards avoid their excrement.

Where do they live?

Reptiles live on Komodo and 4 neighboring islands. They are comfortable in deciduous and tropical forests, and reptiles do not tolerate heat. At temperatures above +36 degrees, they hide in burrows. In burrows, they warm themselves if the temperature drops below + 33-34 degrees.

Giant lizards avoid meeting people, and people are forbidden to hunt them, because exotic reptiles are under state protection.

As of 2014, there are 5907 species of lizards on the planet. Below is a list of the ten most unusual lizards in the world that differ from their relatives in their original appearance or behavior.

The fantastic leaf-tailed gecko, also known as the satanic gecko, is a species of gecko that lives on the trunks and branches of trees in tropical rainforests only on the Madagascar islands. Adults reach a length of 9-14 cm and weigh from 10 to 30 grams. They are nocturnal, hunting for insects. These amazing animals are endowed with the ability to mimic - to merge with the bark of trees, dry leaves, etc. Due to deforestation, they are endangered. They can often be found in terrariums around the world.


Moloch, also known as the "thorny devil" is a species of rather unusual lizard, widespread in the deserts and semi-deserts of western and central Australia. The body length of an adult does not exceed 20 cm, with a weight of 50 to 100 g. Active during the day. It feeds exclusively on ants, usually small species. During the day, the "thorny devil" is able to eat several thousand ants, which it catches with a sticky tongue.

Lobe-tailed geckos


Lobe-tailed geckos or flying geckos are a genus of geckos with 7 species. They live in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Nicobar Islands (India), as well as on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. They love tropical woodlands. They spend most of their lives in trees, where they move very quickly. They live in hollows. Active at night. They feed on insects and small invertebrates. The total length of their body is 20–23 cm. The characteristic features of these geckos is the ability to jump up to 60 m from one tree to another.

Philippine sail lizard


In seventh place in the list of the most unusual lizards in the world is the Philippine sailing lizard, which is found only in the Philippines. These lizards are omnivorous and feed on fruits, leaves, flowers, insects and small mammals. They prefer to settle in moist forests near water, rivers, rice fields, etc. Adults can grow up to one meter long. They are excellent swimmers.


The common conolophus is a species of large lizard from the iguana family. They live in earthen burrows dug by them only in the Galapagos archipelago, on the islands of San Salvador, Santa Cruz, Isabela and Fernandina. Their body length reaches 125 cm, weight 13 kg. They feed exclusively on plants growing on the ground, sometimes on fallen fruits. 80% of their diet is sprouts and flowers of prickly pear (a plant from the Cactus family).


The marine iguana is an unusual lizard found exclusively in the Galapagos Islands. It is found mainly on rocky shores, salt marshes and mangroves. The marine iguana is not very skilled on land, however, it swims and dives well. It can hold its breath for 1 hour, and also has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to spend most of its time in the sea. It feeds mainly on algae, sometimes on small vertebrates. The total length of their body reaches 140 cm, of which more than half is occupied by the tail, weight up to 12 kg.


The Komodo monitor lizard is the largest lizard in the world, found in arid plains, savannahs and dry tropical forests only on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinka, Flores and Jili Motang. Their body length reaches 3–4 m, weight is about 70–100 kg. They are considered excellent hunters who are able to reach speeds of up to 20 km / h for short distances. They swim well and climb trees. They feed on a wide variety of animals. Their diet includes crabs, fish, sea turtles, lizards, snakes, birds, baby crocodiles, rodents, deer, wild boars, dogs, cats, goats, buffaloes, horses and even relatives. Possessing a venomous bite, they are considered one of the most cold-blooded, sadistic killers in the animal world. Adult Komodo monitor lizards have no natural enemies in the wild, except for humans and, possibly, combed crocodiles.

Flying dragon (Draco volans)


The flying dragon is a species of unusual lizard, common in Indonesia on the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Timor, as well as in West Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippine Islands (Palawan), Singapore and Vietnam. The length of their body reaches about 20 cm. On its sides there are wide leathery folds stretched between six "false" ribs. When they open, a kind of "wings" are formed, with the help of which dragons can plan in the air at a distance of up to 60 meters. They live on the crowns of trees in tropical forests, where they spend a significant part of their lives. They descend to the ground only in two cases - for laying eggs and if the flight failed. They feed on insects, mainly ants and termites.


The Lesser Belttail is a species of lizard found in the rocky, desert areas of southern Africa. The length of their body ranges from 15 to 21 cm. On the head and back there are hard bone plates like a shell. Feeds on insects and small invertebrates. Lives in groups of up to 60 individuals, hiding in gorges and crevices. In danger, they are able to twist into a ring, grabbing their tail with their mouths. It is considered one of the most prickly animals in the world.


The most unusual lizard in the world is the Frilled Lizard, which lives in dry forests and forest-steppes in northwestern Australia and southern New Guinea. Their body length reaches 80–90 cm, weight 0.5 kg. It feeds on insects and other invertebrates, mainly spiders and small reptiles. In case of danger, the lizard is able to suddenly open a brightly colored collar (and this movement is accompanied by the simultaneous opening of a wide mouth), which scares away many enemies, including snakes and dogs. An interesting feature of the frilled lizard is its ability to run on its hind legs, holding its body almost vertically.

The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world, its average size is 2.5 m and its weight is 90 kg. But there are record holders whose length reaches 3 m, and their weight reaches 150 kg. A huge lizard lives on the Indonesian islands, it was first discovered only in 1912.

The Komodo dragon belongs to the class of reptiles, a subclass of oviparous, to the squamous order.

To date, the largest lizard from this family is recognized male 3.13 meters long, weighing 166 kg. It is curious, but it is the males that reach huge sizes, the females, as a rule, do not grow above 1.8 m.

The sight of a huge lizard introduces fear - a massive body covered with stone-colored skin resembling chain mail, large curved teeth, a forked tongue.

Unusual hunting

Komodo lizards are predators, so they only eat meat. The diet of young individuals consists mainly of insects, birds, snakes. Adult monitor lizards prey on more satisfying victims, the inhabitants of the forests - wild boars, buffaloes, deer, smaller mammals - become their prey. There is practically nothing left of the victims - the giant does not disdain hooves, skins and other parts of carcasses that other predators do not eat.

The unusualness of the hunt lies in the fact that these lizards are able to recognize not only the approach of the victim at a distance of several kilometers, but also to feel its taste. Involved in this process forked tongue and organs of the oral cavity, able to taste the air.

Large Komodo lizards cannot be called slow, they can run at a speed of 18 km per hour and have very flexible jaw and throat muscles. This structure allows you to quickly swallow large pieces of meat. The stomach is easily and strongly stretched, holding even whole carcasses large animals such as pigs.

However, predatory giants rarely swallow whole carcasses. More often they prefer to bring the victim to immobilization, then tear it apart and eat it. In alarming situations, the monitor lizard instantly releases the stomach to lighten the weight and run away from the enemy.

Poison and contagiousness

Komodo dragon - poisonous creature, the poison is secreted from the glands located in the lower jaw. The poisonous secret disrupts blood clotting, lowers blood pressure and body temperature, causes paralysis of the victim and severe pain.

Even if the unfortunate animal receives a small dose of poison and breaks out of the mouth of a predator, he is not destined to escape and survive. Lizard saliva contains over 50,000 species of bacteria. The bite leads to blood poisoning and inevitable death in the coming days. The predator constantly monitors the surrounding air and hurries to where the victim is being killed by the disease.

A poisonous dragon rarely attacks people, but there were cases when even children became victims. However, Komodo monitor lizards are under protection, it is forbidden to destroy them.

Reproduction Facts

Komodo dragons are capable of asexual reproduction, but only males can appear this way. Females are born only after natural fertilization.

To protect offspring from other predators, mothers make false nests and hatch there, distracting hunters. At this time, the real eggs are in a different place.

Young lizards are cunning- Sensing danger, they repeatedly collapse in their own feces to emit an unpleasant odor. Lizards spend the first four years of their lives on trees, hiding from predators, including monitor lizards of their family and their own parents, who no longer recognize their offspring.

Growing up to one and a half meters, young dragons descend and begin to hunt themselves. Adulthood lasts about nine years, and the lifespan of a dragon is an average of thirty years. But they do not have such survivability as.

100 Great Wildlife Records Nepomniachtchi Nikolay Nikolayevich

THE LARGEST LIZARD IN THE WORLD - THE LIZARD FROM KOMODO ISLAND

The largest lizard, reaching 4 m in length and weighing 180 kg. It feeds mainly on carrion, but also attacks ungulates.

The unique Komodo National Park is world famous, protected by UNESCO 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. Their main attraction is "dragons", giant monitor lizards, found nowhere else on the planet.

FROM THE HISTORY OF DISCOVERY

In 1912, one pilot made an emergency landing on Komodo, an island 30 km long and 20 km wide, located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, which are part of the Sunda archipelago. Komodo is almost entirely covered with mountains and dense tropical vegetation, and its only inhabitants were exiles, once subjects of the Sumbawa Raja. The pilot told amazing things about his stay in this tiny exotic world: he saw huge, terrible four-meter-long dragons there, which, according to local residents, devour pigs, goats and deer, and sometimes attack horses. Of course, no one believed a single word he said.

However, some time later Major P.-A. Owens, director of the Butensorg Botanical Gardens, proved that these giant reptiles do exist. In December 1918, Owens, determined to learn the secret of the Komodo monsters, wrote to Flores Island's civil administrator, van Stein. The inhabitants of the island told that in the vicinity of Labuan Badio, as well as on the nearby island of Komodo, “buaya-darat”, that is, “earth crocodile”, lives.

Van Stein became interested in their message and was determined to find out as much as possible about this curious animal, and if he was lucky, then get one individual. When the affairs of the service brought him to Komodo, he received the information he was interested in from two local pearl divers - Kok and Aldegon. They both claimed that among the giant lizards there were instances of six or even seven meters in length, and one of them even boasted that he personally killed several of these lizards.

During his stay on Komodo, van Stein was not as lucky as his new acquaintances. Nevertheless, he managed to get a specimen 2 m 20 cm long, the skin and photograph of which he sent to Major Owens. In a cover letter, he said that he would try to catch a larger specimen, although this would not be easy: the natives were afraid, like death, of the teeth of these monsters, as well as the blows of their terrible tails.

Then the Butensorg Zoological Museum hastily sent him a Malay specialist in trapping animals to help him. However, van Stein was soon transferred to Timor, and he could not participate in the hunt for the mysterious dragon, which this time ended successfully. The Raja Ritara placed hunters and dogs at the disposal of the Malay, and he was fortunate enough to catch four "earth crocodiles" alive, two of which turned out to be quite good specimens: their length was a little less than three meters. And some time later, according to van Stein, some Sergeant Becker shot a four-meter-long specimen.

In these monsters, witnesses of past epochs, Owens easily recognized monitor lizards of a large variety. He described this species in the Bulletin of the Butensorg Botanical Garden, calling it Varanus komodensis.

Later it turned out that this huge dragon is also found on the tiny islands of Ritya and Padar, lying to the west of Flores. Finally, it became known that this animal was mentioned in the Bim archives dating back to about 1840.

A well-known German hunter, who killed many lions, tigers and other dangerous predators in his life, died on Komodo Island under unclear circumstances. He went to photograph a flock of monitor lizards and did not return. On the shore of the swamp, they found only his shoes and a warped movie camera.

It is possible that he was convinced in his own skin of the reliability of the existence of relic creatures.

Today, the Komodo dragon is kept in many zoos around the world, and everyone has the opportunity to be convinced of its incredible gluttony, watching how it indulges in gluttony. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the name "komodo" means "island of rats", but today there is not a single rat left on the rat island ...

DRAGONS OF KOMODO ISLAND

In fact, dragons are fantastic creatures. There is no such animal in nature, however, this is the name given to the giant monitor lizards that live today on the Indonesian island of Komodo and some other small nearby islets. The local population calls them "ora". It is believed that on all the islands where they live, there are somewhere around 5,000 of them.

Of course, giant monitor lizards are of great interest to tourists visiting Indonesia. It's one thing to look at a cute little nimble lizard and quite another to look at a giant one. To see this miracle of nature, thousands of tourists specially come to Komodo National Park. Accompanied by guides, they can see the legendary dragons.

Komodo Island is located in the Lesser Sunda Islands, and to get to it, you need to swim across the treacherous Seip Strait. Tourists are not allowed to walk around the park on their own. The reason for such strictness is simple: you can be eaten. In addition, the places where you can meet the dragon are known only to the park rangers.

Dragons are not to be trifled with. Their reputation is disgusting: they are not tameable and do not distinguish between man and deer - both are simply food for them. True, they say that when they are alone, the caretakers treat them rather familiarly: they caress them and sometimes even ride on horseback.

Perhaps monitor lizards used to feed on pygmy elephants when they were still found here. Now the objects of their hunting are buffaloes, deer, wild goats and pigs, who settled on the islands in a later period. But the reptiles themselves are not threatened by anyone, except for humans, of course, and ... brothers. Yes, cannibal dragons.

Today, Komodo dragons are endangered. Until 1993, 280 dragons were killed by humans. During the same time, the dragons killed and injured 12 people.

Local residents living in houses on stilts sometimes get into the teeth of monitor lizards waiting below. You can die from a minor bite. Dragon saliva is saturated with deadly poisonous bacteria, and most animals bitten by dragons, even if they manage to escape, quickly die from blood poisoning.

All types of animals related to "dragons" have always attracted the attention of man. Therefore, it is not surprising that on Komodo, 700 km away from the island of Borneo, a kind of show with the participation of dragons is arranged once every two weeks, which is attended by thousands of thrill-seekers.

The main attraction of the park on Komodo Island is dragon feeding. To look at this, tourists are located on an observation deck located on an elevated place above a dried-up river. Some consider monitor lizards to be ugly animals, but they are even beautiful in their own way. Their bumpy skin is somewhat reminiscent of chain mail. But the jaws of giant lizards are really terrible. They are filled with rows of sharp, serrated teeth between which a forked tongue glides.

The dragons slowly turn their heads, gazing at the curious bipeds with their unblinking black eyes. On days when the monitor lizards are not fed, their glances have such an effect on tourists that the number of people looking at them during feeding is significantly reduced. It gets kind of scary. Usually, in order not to injure curious sightseers, the goats are thrown to monitor lizards already killed. Clumsily crawling over each other, huge lizards rush to the carcass of a goat and fight for a piece of meat. There is no particular noise, except for the audible exhalations of reptiles, meaning a warning to the opponent: “Step back! It's mine!"

Monitor lizards are the only reptiles (except turtles) that, before eating their prey, tear it to pieces, holding it with powerful paws. Their teeth, 2 cm in size, are perfectly adapted for this purpose. Each tooth is like a curved scalpel with a dozen notches. Having sated, monitor lizards find a shadow for themselves and plunge into a drowsy state.

In the wild, usually living in isolation from each other, they sleep in thickets of bushes, under a tree, or dig holes for themselves. Adult animals have their own territories.

At short distances, monitor lizards can run very fast, catching up even with deer. However, when pursuing prey, adults get tired quite quickly and are forced to stop. Therefore, they prefer to wait for her in ambush, lying in tall grass or in a bush. Having noticed the prey, monitor lizards sneak up to it as close as possible, after which a sharp throw follows.

But with the sunset, the monitor lizard is unrecognizable. He falls into such a deep sleep that he becomes completely safe. At this time, you can touch it and even attach plastic tags to your fingers, measure body temperature.

Scientists say that it is almost impossible to distinguish between a female and a male. In general, information about the physiology and reproductive behavior of dragons is based only on assumptions. Scientists argued about their sex life for several decades, but it was not until 1986 that two Australian researchers finally solved this problem. They described in detail the process of courtship of a male for a female. United couples live together for a long time, but rarely - all their lives.

For a number of reasons, a tourist does not have the opportunity to observe the life of monitor lizards for a long time. The feeding of monitor lizards is the only thing he can see. Some scientists oppose such a spectacular event in Komodo National Park, believing that human feeding of monitor lizards can eventually affect their behavior in nature. However, something needs to attract tourists, even if not all of them can withstand this spectacle.

Are monitor lizards smart animals? Some scientists are still inclined to answer this question in the affirmative. Once, one of the ministers who accompanied a group of tourists on a day when monitor lizards are not fed, bleated with a goat. The monitor lizards immediately fixed their unblinking gaze on the source of the sound. But when the caretaker tried the same way to get their attention the next time, he failed. The monitor lizards did not even turn their heads, realizing that it was not a goat screaming.

Komodo dragons have long proven that it is always better to be careful with them.

PAPUAN DRAGON AND MEGALANIA PRISCA

Since the end of the 19th century and still today, many eyewitnesses from the eastern, Papuan, part of New Guinea, as well as from New South Wales and Queensland in Australia, describe huge, dragon-like creatures with an elongated body and a long, flat tail. They look like monitor lizards, but they are said to be about 8 m long. For comparison, let's say that the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard species in existence, is rarely longer than 3 m.

For many years, zoologists did not believe in these reports, but in 1980, a scientific expedition led by John Blashford-Snell caught a live Papuan dragon, called the “artrellia”. It was still a very young specimen, only 1.87 m long. But it turned out that it belongs to a species that is already known to science - Varanus salvadorii.

By that time, it was already known that this species could reach a greater length than the Komodo dragon: the largest specimen described was a male 4.75 m long, which was discovered by explorer Michael Pope.

But he was not as powerful and strong as the Komodo monitor lizard, and therefore the latter is still considered the largest lizard in the world. However, now that the existence of artrellia has turned out to be a reality, eyewitness reports of giant Papua dragons can be confirmed.

Since it is not known whether this species exists in Australia itself, some zoologists find the dragons allegedly seen here to be similar to the giant Australian lizard Megalania prisca, which is considered extinct. Can it still exist?

Until now, the superficial resemblance between the enigmatic Australian dragon and Megalania has supported this notion, but today an examination of the skeletal remains has revealed that Megalania most likely has a prominent comb on its head. This feature was never mentioned by those who reported sightings of the giant lizard in Australia. Therefore, Megalania is still possibly a different kind of reptile.

From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 1 [Astronomy and astrophysics. Geography and other earth sciences. Biology and Medicine] author

What is the largest railway station in the world? The largest railway station in the world is Grand Central Station in New York. Trains arrive and leave it every two minutes. Half a million people pass through the station every day.

From the book Crossword Guide author Kolosova Svetlana

What is the largest venomous snake in the world? The largest venomous snake is the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), also known as the hamadryad, which lives in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Its length reaches 5.5 meters. The king cobra (locally called naya) is a good climber.

From the book 100 Great Wildlife Records author Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolaevich

What is the largest snake in the world? The largest (in other words, the longest and thickest) snakes are found among non-venomous ones. The largest modern snake is the anaconda (Eunectes murinus), which lives along the banks of rivers, lakes and swamps in Brazil and Guiana. The length of the anaconda can reach

From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 1. Astronomy and astrophysics. Geography and other earth sciences. Biology and medicine author Kondrashov Anatoly Pavlovich

komodo dragon- one of the most amazing reptiles on the planet. A strong, unusually mobile giant lizard is also called the Komodo dragon. Outward resemblance to the mythical creature monitor lizard provide a huge body, long tail and powerful bent legs.

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.

The movement of the 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 thrived 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 the lizard belongs to. 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. Their maternal instinct is enough to guard 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 grasses and shrubs, but are also found in other habitats such as beaches, ridgetops, and dry riverbeds. Young Komodo dragons live in forested areas until they are eight months old.

This species is found only in Southeast 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 is a large 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 large body weight, the Komodo monitor lizard 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. Due to its large size and habit of sleeping in burrows, it is able to retain 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 the summer. 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 in the complete absence of 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. The incubation period of masonry is 7-8 months. Young reptiles spend most of their 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.

The World Animal Fund estimates that the number of Komodo dragons in the wild is 6,000 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 currently 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 habitats 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 of a 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 protect themselves are returned to their natural 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 is necessary to protect its habitat, stop hunting it, and get the support of local residents.