Face2Face With A Komodo Dragon, The Heaviest Lizard On Earth
What an unforgettable trip this was! We decided to get away from Bali for a few days to explore the much less crowded, gorgeous, tropical Indonesian island of Flores. We had to hire a boat at the harbour to reach the Komodo National Park and near by islands where we enjoyed breathtaking nature, silence, the most stunning sunrises and swims in crystal clear turquoise waters.
Komodos are totally solitary, selfish reptiles and eat their own babies because they cannot identify their young ones. It doesn’t change the fact that they’re cannibals which explains why the population is so small.
There is a stable population of about 3,000 to 5,000 Komodo dragons on the islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores. However, a dearth of egg-laying females, poaching, human encroachment, and natural disasters has driven the species to endangered status. Source
I took this photo with my very old blackberry phone, therefore lack on quality but imagine that exciting moment and how I felt.
Would I do this again? I don't think so :)
Helloooo Babyyy !
Komodo dragons have thrived in the harsh climate of Indonesia for millions of years. Reaching 3 meters in length and more than 136 kilograms, Komodo dragons are the heaviest lizards on Earth. They have long, flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs, and huge, muscular tails.- Source National Geographic
They only need to eat once every couple of months, their favorite meal is buffalo and to score one, they need to sneak up behind and bite. Then they have to wait one month for it to die. Thats a very long waiting time for a meal!
I was lucky enough that I could photograph those babes because its not always possible to find them in wild nature like those two below. I caught them while were were trakking around the island jungle among a couple of buffalos.
I still can't believe how close we got to see those stunning creatures but when we got back from our hike through the whole island, some were just lounging and lazing around infront of the village houses like dogs.
10 Amazing Facts
Did you know that Komodos's are also surprisingly intelligent—even playful—creatures gifted at both long-distance swims and virgin births?
- THEY’RE ALSO CALLED ORAS
- KOMODOS ARE EXCELLENT SWIMMERS
- AROUND THESE CARNIVORES, NO CARCASS IS SAFE
- GEORGE H.W. BUSH RECEIVED A LIVE ONE AS A GIFT
- WE RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THEY’RE VENOMOUS
- KOMODOS CAN CONSUME 80 PERCENT OF THEIR BODY WEIGHT IN ONE SITTING
- DURING THE LAST 41 YEARS, THEY’VE KILLED AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE
- FEMALES CAN REPRODUCE WITHOUT HAVING SEX
- SMALLER ONES ROLL AROUND IN FECES TO AVOID GETTING CANNIBALISED
- KOMODOS DEMONSTRATE PLAY BEHAVIOUR Source : Mental floss
to be continued .......
Yours
Mammasitta
Whoaaaaa... That must have been an intense experience!?! These lizards look at you as if they would eat you for lunch, if not snack, and they sure could!
I saw a fantastic documentary about them where they followed them during the course of an entire "hunt", as one of them had bitten a buffalo. The buffalo ended up dead after about a week and throughout the documentary, the film makers and people present at the site didn't always feel so comfortable around them as they roamed closer and closer to the humans... It would have only needed one bite.
Glad to read you today and know that you are o.k.! Looking forward to more of your travelogs, mine is coming out within the next 2 weeks.
All for one and one for all! Namaste :)
so nice to stop over here. I need to catch some sleep and tomorrow I have to find all other photos especially the one I took from the buffalo. It was actually quite amazing that I saw so many wild animals. At the time I didn't even feel scared at all but if I look at those photos now . OMG, what did I do? haha! There are so many stories that I barely know where to start. I am looking forward to read about your adventures. Nite nite !
The excitement and the pleasure is shared! Sleep tight and don't let the Komodos bite! ;) Namaste :)
Danke Schön !
Thanks for the reminder, I thought it was a week period or, maybe it was, if there was more bites that had happened?!? Namaste :)
They eat once every couple of months, then they have to wait one month for a buffalo to die??? WHAAAAAT??!! That is insane. lmao
Thank you for sharing this. I had intense fun learning about these lizards.
Now following you for more of this :)
Wow...They are really big carnivorous! Good job Mama...and still alive! (;
Haha , Yap Yap but thinking back ...Oh Gee what did I do to get that close.
When you return use a telephoto lens on your cam, it will be safer! (;
I only had an old blackberry phone with me ... I need to create another more detailed blog to show more photos from that intense journey. I also got a buffalo close up.
Nice...I'll stay tuned to see the other pics and the buffalos close up! (;
I kind of think that I wouldn't mind too much if komodos went extinct (in the same way that I'm kinda glad that T. Rex is extinct). I know, very insensitive of me.
Oh No but I kind of understand. I am still shaking, just the thought how brave I was to take those photos. They will not survive for long since they eat their babies.
BUT I read about interesting science news today :
Great photos.... upvoted :)
Thanks so much. I am more proud of those moments with that crappy blackberry in my hands without shaking :) I wish I would have taken a better camera with me.
Yeah... I heard that if women tourists having a period, they are not allowed to go there... Because they can smell the blood and it would make them agressive :-D
I heard a story about Sharon Stone visiting ....but not sure if only a gossip
I found this here :
I can't believe I went that close . OMG what I find out now is crazy.
wow
wow wow wow :)
Incredible find face to face with a dragon. Congrats.
I was wondering where the fire comes out agrrrrr crazy moments indeed to face a dragon with a blackberry
That had to be an amazing experience. Glad you got to photograph it and share it with us.
The whole trip was awesome and hopefully I can post the less scary part of this adventure soon :) thanks for stopping by here .
Very cool creatures. Never seen one up close and personal outside a zoo.
I did not even know there are some kept in a zoo . Where ? In Bushes home? lol
Andrea and I try to make it a point to visit the main zoo of any city or place we visit. I cannot remember which it was but there were several in a pen that we were able to reach in and touch them. They must have been well fed because they were docile and didn't seem to mind all the attention they were getting. I don't think it was in Texas or on the Bush Ranch. :-D
I heard Bush's Dragon died but left a few babies behind and they must be somewhere now. Exciting that you actually saw some in a zoo.
This post has been ranked within the top 80 most undervalued posts in the second half of Feb 14. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $5.43 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Feb 14 - Part II. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
If you are the author and would prefer not to receive these comments, simply reply "Stop" to this comment.
Thank you for stopping by !
We apologize for any inconvenience. You will no longer receive these comments on your posts.
Why not ?? It's nice @screenname