By: Nisha Hussain Sr. Nillab W. 7A The komodo dragon By: Nisha Hussain Sr. Nillab W. 7A

About The Komodo Dragon Imagine an animal, about 3 meters long, 2.5 centimeter long flesh cutting teeth, and claws about 5 centimetre long. A large fork tongue, up to 2 feet long, where they can smell you out, 2.5 miles away from where you are. Welcome to my presentation, and meet, the Komodo Dragon.

Body of the komodo dragon. Tongue: The komodo dragons have large fork tongues which can reach up to 2 feet long that they use to taste the air. The sent goes to their Jacobson’s organ which then directs them towards their food (they can smell food up to 2.5 miles away), which explains there swaying gad. They swing their heads back and forth to follow the scent. Tails: In the wild, when komodo dragons fight, they first use their tails as warnings for the others to stay back. They curl their tails up into an oval shape. Then, with incredible speed, they snap it out, and it feels like being slapped with a baseball bat. Teeth: A komodo typically uses its teeth for hunting. Their teeth are about 2.5 centimeters long and there are more than 60 of them. If they are hunting and the animal escapes with at least one bit, then the komodo can leave it because their venom and bacterial saliva will kill the animal in 2-3 days, so then it could smell it out and eat it. Their teeth are completely serrated and the outside is serrated about half way down.

Where a komodo Lives Komodo dragons live on the islands of komodo, and on the westernmost parts of Indonesia. They are mostly found in the komodo national park, in Indonesia. Although the place is heavy with trees, an adult komodo can’t climb one (only babies climb them).

What a Komodo Eats A komodo eats a lot of meet such as deer, water buffalo, monkey, snakes, and sometimes even human. Simply, it’s a carnivore. It will attack almost anything in its way if it’s hungry enough. It can attack and eat animals up to 3 times it’s size. Komodos are also highly cannibalistic, and so it will eat its own kind if its really hungry. 1/5 (20%) of its meal is another komodo. People are lead to believe that if they weren’t cannibalistic their life span would be smaller because there wouldn’t be enough food to go around. They would be extinct, because of dying to fast from a lack of food. They usually hunt on trails, where deer, buffalo, and monkeys like to roam.

A Komodos’ Early Stages of Life As appose to an adult komodo, a baby komodo dragon is steady enough to climb trees. A newly hatched komodo is called a hatchling. At about 1-2 years old, it is just referred to as a baby. A baby komodo almost never stays with its mother. The mother leaves the baby when it’s still a hatchling, and it is up to the hatchling to survive on it’s own. They usually climb trees where adult Komodos don’t come, so they can survive of birds, snakes, and other animals including smaller Komodos. When they become 3-5 years old, they come out of the trees and hunt as an adult.

How it is endangered and population Mainly because of poaching, human interference, and cannibalism, they have become endangered. When people died by komodo attacks, people immediately saw them as dangerous and them poached them to get rid of them. They got few in number and the Indonesian government made a law that they weren’t allowed to be poached anymore. Komodo national park was made especially for them, and people went there and started to keep them in captivity, such as zoo’s, and exhibits. They became even fewer in number as they ate each other for survival. The estimated total of the dragons is now less than 5000. You can see above, that one komodo is hitting the other with its tail.

How we can save them Really, there is only one way we can help them. Leave them alone. Don’t disturb them by going into their habitats, and don’t keep them as pets. If everyone left them alone for about 5 years, their population would just about double. Some areas where the dragons go most in komodo national park are restricted so people don’t capture them. The Indonesian government made laws to protect these animals, and have had allowed only a few places to keep them for examination to learn more about them. Even in the areas where they are kept for research, the areas are made to feel and look like their real habitats.

Interesting Facts Komodo dragons were discovered in 1910 They are the largest living lizards Some scientists believe that they are related to megalania, an ancient dinosaur. Komodo dragons fight with each other and unlike others, are immune to the bacteria in their saliva. They can live up to 60 years in the wild, but they can only live a few years when the are kept in captivity. Don’t let their slow walk fool you, they can run up to 13 miles per hour. Yep, their fast.