Komodo (www.indonesiaberprestasi.web.id)
The
Komodo dragon (
Varanus komodoensis) is a large species of
lizard found in the
Indonesian . A member of the
monitor lizard family (
Varanidae), it is the
largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and weighing around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusual size has been attributed to
island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the
niche on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests that the large size of komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relic population of very large
varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna,
died out after contact with modern humans. Fossils very similar to
V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8 million years ago, and its body size remained stable on
Flores, one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, ever since Flores (along with neighboring islands) were isolated by rising sea levels approximately 900,000 years ago.
As a result 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. Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About twenty eggs are deposited in abandoned
megapode nests and incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell 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
vertebrates capable of
parthenogenesis, in which females may lay viable eggs if males are absent, producing only male offspring. Komodo dragons were first recorded by Western scientists in 1910.
Their large size and fearsome reputation make them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild their range has contracted due to human activities and they are listed as
vulnerable by the
IUCN. They are protected under Indonesian law, and a
national park,
Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon)
Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin.
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