Whether deer, pigs, or water buffalo, Komodo dragons camouflage themselves and ambush their prey. These toxins lower blood pressure, prevent clotting, and induce shock as the dragons bite down with their serrated teeth and pull with their powerful neck muscles. In 2009, that was dispelled with the discovery of venom glands. It was previously thought that Komodo dragons’ mouths were so filled with bacteria that it ultimately led to the death of their prey. Although they don't breathe fire like the dragons of lore, a single bite can be deadly. Until the last century, with minimum human contact, Komodo dragons thrived on the islands at the top of the food chain for millions of years. Komodo dragons are the flagship species of the Lesser Sundas Deciduous Forests ecoregion, located in the Southeast Indonesian Dry Forest Islands ( AU15) bioregion. Their massive size and the adventure to find them inspired one of the most famous movies of all time, King Kong (1933). In 1926 they were coined the “Prehistoric Monster” after William Douglas Burden led a highly publicized expedition to Komodo island. Growing up to three meters (10 ft) in length and weighing 136 kilograms (300 lb), Komodo dragons are the largest lizards on Earth. However, for the Indigenous people of the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang, the buaya darat or “land crocodile” is a reality. įrom medieval Europe to ancient China, the dragon is one of the most prevalent myths across the world. Our “Species of the Week” series highlights the flagship species of each of the 844 unique ecoregions contained within Earth’s bioregions.
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