Description
Scientific name: Varanus komodoensis
Life span: 30-50 years
Komodo dragons are the world’s biggest lizards, growing up to 10 feet long and weighing more than 300 pounds. Juveniles have green skin with streaks of yellow and black. Adults are uniformly drab and brown to brownish red in hue. Rough scales consistently cover their powerful bodies. Their tail is robust and muscular, and their limbs are sturdy. Komodo dragons have rounded snouts and ear holes in their skulls. Their flexible heads feature pointed, serrated teeth. Despite the fact that males tend to become bigger, there are no noticeable physical distinctions between the sexes.
Native Region/Habitat
Komodo dragons are exclusively found in the Indonesian archipelago’s lesser Sunda area, which includes Flores, the islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Padar. The primary habitat of adult Komodo dragons is tropical savannah woodlands. They may be found in a variety of environments, including ridge tops, beaches, and dry riverbeds, although they prefer broad lowland regions with grasses and plants.
Behavior
During the day, komodo dragons spend time exploring their 1.9 square kilometer home range. While home ranges might overlap since they don’t protect them, the dominant dragon always gets to dine first when food is located in a shared region. When food is located, the larger males always eat it first. Next, smaller males and then females eat, and last, young animals come down from the trees to feed after the adults have departed.
The Komodo dragon is capable of killing an adult person. It has occurred and it is possible. The bites of komodo dragons are venomous. Most hospitals lack the appropriate anti-venom, and its venom is deadly enough to kill a person in a few hours.
Care As a pet/In captivity
The acquisition of a Komodo dragon is now illegal since it is an endangered species. Even if you were allowed to acquire a Komodo Dragon, there are several reasons why you should be cautious. Komodo dragons are enormous creatures that require a lot of space to live happily. It would be difficult for most at-home keepers to create a full zoo-like habitat for a Komodo Dragon. Also, they can attack humans and are venomous.
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