The dragon of Komodo
Komodo dragon is only one of over 13,600 islands in indonesia,but it is among the best-know because it is home to the world's largest lizard. This lizard is so big that people call it buaya darat or the Komodo dragon 1. It can grow up to 3 meters long and weigh over 130 kilograms. Its tail is as long as its body and is so powerful that it can knock down a large deer or buffalo in the wild.
The Komodo dragon has a long, flat head with a rounded snout. Though its sight and hearing are not excellent, its sense of smell is. It uses its long, forked 2 tongue to help detect 3 prey and dead or dying animals as far as 8 kilometres away!
Komodo dragon are prat of the monitor lizard 4 family. Like other moniters, they are good swimmer and meat eaters. While they mostly eat carrion 5 , they also prey on birds and mammals, such as deer. They even eat other dragons, especially young ones!
These large lizards use their powerful legs, claws and teeth to kill and eat their prey. When a Komodo dragon bites an animal, it also injects venom 6 into it. So, even if the animal escapes, it will soon die and be found by the dragon. The dragon's teeth can break off easily, but it can replace them quickly. Each year, it can grow as many as 200 new teeth!
Komodo dragons have been hunted for their scaly skins and are now an endangered species. To protect the few thousand dragons left. the indonesian government has made Komodo and several neighbouring islands into the Komodo National Park. There they should live quite safely.