User:Bibliomaniac15/sandbox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a monitor lizard native to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft), and weighing up to 90 kilograms (200 lb). Despite its large size, it occupies the smallest range distribution of any large carnivore in the world.
Komodo dragon | |
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Male at the Cincinnati Zoo | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Varanidae |
Genus: | Varanus |
Subgenus: | Varanus |
Species: | V. komodoensis |
Binomial name | |
Varanus komodoensis | |
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Komodo dragon distribution |
Komodo dragons spend most of their time in the hybrid zones between savannah and monsoon forest found at lower elevations. In the first year of their lives, they are primarily arboreal, preying on locusts and geckos, but as they grow larger, they become increasingly terrestrial. They have a powerful sense of smell; like other reptiles, they use their tongue to carry scent particles to their Jacobson's organ.
Komodo dragons exhibit a variety of feeding strategies: They can forage for small prey, ambush large prey like Javan rusa with an incapacitating bite, and scavenge on carrion. They primarily live an individual existence, but form small aggregations around carrion and kill sites in which they display a hierarchical system of feeding, where the largest individuals will eat first, leaving the scraps for smaller ones. Ritualized fighting and mating also usually occur in these aggregations. Larger Komodo dragons are willing to kill and eat smaller ones.
Mating typically occurs around June to August, with the eggs laid throughout the month of August. They incubate for about eight months and hatch around April or May, corresponding to the ending of the wet season when small prey is more numerous. Maturity is generally accomplished around 150 cm of length, or about 5 years of growth. It is estimated that in the wild, they may live up to 50 years.
Komodo dragons were first described by Western scientists in 1910, and since then, their rarity and fearsome appearance has made them popular in zoos. In the wild, their range has contracted significantly due to habitat changes caused by human activity. Because they prey on livestock and have been known to occasionally attack people, local people often try to hunt, trap, or poison them. They are listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List, and are protected under Indonesian law. A number of preserves in the area were founded to protect Komodo dragons, including Komodo National Park in 1980.