The Rainforest Of The Komodo Dragon

The Komodo Dragon is a large species of lizard with razor sharp claws and teeth and a long, muscular tail weighing up to 200 pounds and growing to be up to 10 feet long. One verified find was a Komodo Dragon weighing as astounding 366 pounds. These lizards are located in the Indonesian islands. Because of their large size, these lizards dominate the ecosystem in which they live. Komodo Dragons were discovered in 1910 when a pilot from World War I crashed into the Komodo Sea and swam to the Komodo Island where he discovered the Komodo dragon species. The estimated population of these lizards is around six thousand remaining. Although they are an endangered species, due to National Parks protecting them, the population of Komodo Dragons is slowly increasing. The Komodo dragon has some very unique other names such as “Land Crocodile, Giant Monitor, and Ora. Despite their incredible speeds reaching up to 13 miles per hour, these lizards hunt using stealth and power. They hunt …show more content…
The female Komodos use burrows or even nests from Megapode birds they have invaded. The eggs are incubated for about 9 months and they are often defended by the mother as she lays on top of them. After about 5 years the young grow to about 2 meters long and eat much larger prey, about a decade later the Komodo will be fully grown. Komodo dragons have an unofficial lifespan of about 30 years. According to a recent study, Komodo dragons can use Parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction, to lay fertilized eggs without male interaction. The male will use his tongue to see if the female is receptive. The female will use her claws and teeth to aggressively resist approaches. The male komodo tries to fully subdue and restrain the female to keep from getting injured during this process. During mating season, which is from May to August there are also very violent fights between competing males for the females and