Komodo dragon or crocodile-the-earth (Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard that lives on the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang, Indonesia. Belongs to the family of lizards, monitors Varanidae, and is the largest known species of lizard, reaching 2-3 m in length and 70 kg weight. Its unusual size is attributed to island gigantism, since no other carnivorous animal to fill the ecological niche in the islands where he lives, and also to their low metabolism. As a result of gigantism, these lizards, along with symbiotic bacteria, dominate the ecosystem where they live. Despite Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates to, birds and mammals.
The breeding season begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About twenty eggs are deposited in abandoned nests Megapodiidae and are incubated for seven to eight months, and hatching occurs in April, when there are plenty of insects. Komodo dragons are vulnerable juveniles and therefore take shelter in trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. Takes three to five years until they reach breeding age, and can live up to fifty years. Are able to reproduce by parthenogenesis, in which viable eggs are laid without being fertilized by males.
The Komodo dragons were discovered by Western scientists in 1910 Their large size and ferocious reputation make them a popular exhibit in zoos. In the wild their range has contracted due to human activities and are listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. Are protected by law in Indonesia, and a national park, Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.
The Komodo dragon is known to the natives of Komodo Island, as well, Buaya Darat (land crocodile) or biawak raksasa (giant monitor).
Conservation status:
vulnerable
Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Varanus
Species: V. komodoensis
Binomial name:
Varanus komodoensis
Description
And robust-looking dinosaur, can measure up to three meters long and weigh up to 100 kg. The color of his skin is gray and brown. Their diet is based on wild pigs (boars), goats, deer, buffalo, horses, monkeys, dragon-Komodo smaller insects and even humans. Also feeds on carrion and animal, with your nose, you can find an animal carcass from miles away, being able to devour her completely.
Each of the four legs of the Komodo dragon has five claws. Inside his jaw inhabit lethal bacteria, and the animals who escape from their clutches die of infections. To feed on live animals, the dragon knocks its victim with its tail and then cut it into pieces with his teeth. When it is large animal such as a buffalo, the dragon attacks him surreptitiously with a bite and the animal dies waiting for the infection caused by bacteria. The lizard following the victim for some time until the infection is in charge of it prostrate, when then calmly devoured. Usually first eat the tongue and the insides, their favorite parts.
Are oviparous, laying from fifteen to thirty-five eggs per female in the sand at the end of the rainy season. Eggs are opened after six to eight weeks. At birth, the little dragons are 20-25 cm long. Live, on average, fifty years. In the islands where they are found, the Komodo dragons are a major tourist attraction, though no record of the death of a tourist attacked by a dragon. However, normally are not aggressive animals, as the locals live with them daily on the beaches.
There are other species of giant lizard, Varanus griseus as that is a land animal, and the Varanus niloticus, which is a reptile amphibian habits, spending much of their lives in water. Live in Africa, South Asia, Indonesia and Australia. Vary greatly in size. The smallest one has only 20 cm long.
Two cases of parthenogenesis of this species were documented in 2006.
Senses
The Komodo dragon uses its tongue to detect taste and smell stimuli, as with many other reptiles, with the vomeronasal sense using the Jacobson's organ, a sense that helps navigating in the dark.
With the help of a favorable wind and its habit of swinging his head from side to side while walking, the Komodo dragons are able to detect carcasses at a distance of 4-9.5 km.
The nostrils of the dragon are not useful to smell, because these animals have no diaphragm. Present only a few taste buds in the back of your throat. The scales, some reinforced with bone plates have sensory nerves that facilitate connected to the sense of touch. The scales around the ears, lips, chin, and soles of the feet may have three or more sensory plaques.
The Komodo dragon does not have a particularly acute sense of hearing, despite the ear canal is clearly visible, and is only able to hear sounds between 400 and 2000 hertz. It is able to see to 300 m, but as their retinas have only cones, are believed to have poor night vision. The Komodo dragon is able to see in color, but has poor visual discrimination of stationary objects.
Previously, it was thought that the Komodo dragon was deaf because a study reported no agitation in Komodo dragons in response to whispers wild, high voices or shouts. This was disputed when Joan Proctor, housekeeper London Zoo, trained a captive specimen to come out of his den waiting for food, after hearing his voice, even though he could not see.
Evolution:
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. There are about 15 million years ago, a collision between Australia and Southeast Asia allowed the varanídeos to move on to what is now the Indonesian archipelago. It is believed that the Komodo dragon has differentiated its Australian ancestors 4 million years ago, extending its distribution area to the east to the island of Timor. The end of the Ice Age, with the dramatic rise in the water level of the sea, formed the islands where Komodo dragons dwell, isolating them in their actual range.
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{http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/a ... do-dragon/}
By Dennol
