Picture Provided By Unicurse - Wikimedia

Lurking in the bush, waiting hours for their prey to emerge, Komodo (Varanus komodoensis) is known for its patience, stealth and hunting prowess. This animal has one of the most deadly bites in the world. Their teeth were serrated, sharp, large and laced with large colonies of harmful bacteria which will kill any prey in a matter of hours if they manage to escape. Komodo's stomach is flexible; they can expand to consume a sizeable prey which is up to 80% of its body weight. Just imagine, if you are 60 kg and you were able to eat something which weighed 48 kg in one meal. I know, it's crazy, isn't it? If you were wondering, what's going to happen if they were full and suddenly threatened, they would vomit out some of its stomach content to lighten up and escape.

Komodo dragon can grow up to 3.13 meters and weighed about 166 kg. The average size and weight of a wild one are around 1.80 meters and 70 kg respectively. They are exclusively found in the islands of Indonesia which include Padar, Rintja etc. Even though, they were usually green in colour which is one of the reason while some natives of the island they currently living in were calling them "the ground crocodile", there are some which are blue, orange or grey. Their skin is reinforced by a bony structure known as osteoderms which made it firm, durable and a little bit rough. Komodo can see things up to 400 meters which are useful if they are hunting for prey, but their eyes only consist of cone cells.

Cone cells, or cones, are one of three types of photoreceptor cells in the retina of mammalian eyes (e.g. the human eye). They are responsible for colour vision and function best in relatively bright light, as opposed to rod cells, which work better in dim light.

Source - Wikipedia

Komodo can't see clearly during the nighttime due to the fact that they lacked the rod cells which are responsible for the night vision. They also have a terrible hearing which makes a low-pitched sound or a high one, inaudible. When hunting for food, they rely heavily on the sense of smell instead of vision and hearing which is why they prefer to wait in ambush, catching and tearing prey apart by using their sharp, serrated teeth rather than chasing them. They smell by using their tongue which acts as a chemical analyser which recognises airborne molecules. For example, if a deer is approaching, the highest concentration of airborne particles on either side of the tongue would indicate the position of the deer; either on the right or left side.

Picture Provided By Arturo de Frias Marques - Wikimedia

Their hunting strategy would depend on the size of the prey. For a large prey like a deer or cow, usually, Komodo will knock them down by attacking its feet. Apart from the teeth, they were also equipped with a powerful claw which is assisted by strong muscles which considered critical in launching the final blow to the belly of its prey before they start to feed them. For a small victim, usually, they will go straight to the neck. If the victims were able to escape, they are still dying from a bacterial infection caused by the biting action of Komodo. At least six bacteria in the Komodo's saliva are highly septic and can kill a mammal in a matter of a week. Apart from that, Komodo also possessed a venom gland which can be found in the lower compartment of their jaw. The venom would prevent the blood of the victim fro clotting which will cause them to die from excessive bleeding and impending shock.

Even though Komodo's bite can be considered lethal if it engaged in a fight with another Komodo, the venom or saliva which has been one of the most excellent weapons in their arsenal and rendered useless. They would be unaffected by the deadly microorganism and poison imposed on them which is thought to be one of the defence mechanism provided by the antibodies in the Komodo's blood.

The Komodo is one of the animal in the world which engaged in a competitive wrestling fight between themselves to reproduce with a female. It's like a competition in which the winner will get the girls. The battle between two dominant males dragon usually occurs when they were assembled around carrions (dead, decaying meat) which is an excellent opportunity to impress female Komodos. A single Komodo can produce up to 30 eggs which are laid in the hole by a hill slope, and they will protect the eggs for nine months. However, after their offspring hatched from the eggs, they will not provide parental care to them. Biologist tried to find evidence that would suggest this isn't true but to no avail. Komodo is not only a carnivore reptile; they were cannibals. That's why this youngling often falls victim to other Komodo or another predator. This particular young reptile would feed on small lizards, snakes and birds and the type of victims would change with time, while the Komodo slowly grow into an adult, respectful dragon. They can live up to 30 years.

Picture Provided By Neil - Wikipedia

Even though they are vicious predators, as they will occasionally eat their youngster, their species is vulnerable to extinction. Currently, there are 6000 Komodos living in the wild. The Komodo's egg would be taken care in the National Park which is dedicated to them.

References and further reading materials

• Alina Bradford (2014, October 17). Live Science. Komodo Dragon Facts. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://www.livescience.com/27402-komodo-dragons.html
• Linda Crampton (2017, August 8). Owlcation. Komodo, Bearded, and Frilled Dragons: Impressive Lizards. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://owlcation.com/stem/Komodo-Bearded-and-Frilled-Dragons-Surprising-Facts
• Komodo dragon. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon
• Cone cell. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_cell
• Komodo dragon. Smithsonian's National Zoo And Conservation Biology Institute. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon
• Cone cell. Alchetron. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://alchetron.com/Cone-cell
• Komodo Dragon Facts. The Garden of Eaden. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://gardenofeaden.blogspot.my/2012/12/komodo-dragon-facts.html