Community Magazine June 2016

Exploring the Wild World of Animals EFRAIM HARARI The Komodo dragon (pronounced kuh–MOH–doh ), also known as the Komodo monitor, is the largest and by far the deadliest lizard in the world. It is extremely aggressive and so strong that it can hunt and kill prey much bigger than itself. This menacing lizard has a long, flat head; powerful jaws; scaly skin; curved, sharp claws; and a large, muscular tail. If that wasn’t scary enough, it can grow up to ten feet in length! THE KOMODO DRAGON T he Komodo dragon is able to use its long, yellowish, split tongue to track down its prey. It does this by flicking its tongue in and out of its mouth, which allows the tips of the tongue to pick up scents from the air. The Komodo dragon then places the tongue tips in the roof of its mouth. Nerves there are able to “taste” the scent particles in the air and thus help the Komodo dragon locate both live and dead prey. Thankfully, the Komodo dragon does not live in many parts of the world. It can only be found living in five islands that are all located in southeastern Indonesia. The Komodo dragon is a carnivorous creature that eats carrion and hunts and kills large animals such as goats, deer, horses, and water buffalos. Young komodo dragons, however, prey on smaller animals found in the trees, such as snakes, smaller lizards, and birds. The teeth of the Komodo dragon are sharp and serrated, like the teeth of a saw. However, this creature is unable to chew food, so it needs to swallow its prey whole. When it kills a large animal, the Komodo dragon tears it into pieces in order to completely consume it. The Komodo dragon is usually a solitary predator that relies on patience and camouflage to capture prey. It generally hunts during the day, because it does not see so well at night. It will wait for hours until an unsuspecting victim crosses its path. The lizard’s skin coloring camouflages it well, as it lies in vegetation and waits for the right opportunity to pounce upon its prey. Due to the fact that an adult Komodo dragon is the most dominant predator in its environment, it does not have any natural predators to fear (other than man). 88 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE