Komodo island, part of the Lesser Sunda chain of Indonesian islands, is the rugged habitat of the 3m-long Komodo dragon monitor lizard.
Komodo National Park covers the entire region and is home to more than 4,000 dragons, and is made up of rusty-red volcanic hills, savannah and forests.
Its surrounding waters of seagrass beds, mangrove shrublands, and coral reefs are famous for diving.
A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, the Komodo dragon is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms (150 lb).
The Komodo dragon exists only in this one part of the world.
As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.
It has been claimed that they have a venomous bite; there are two glands in the lower jaw which secrete several toxic proteins.
The biological significance of these proteins is disputed, but the glands have been shown to secrete an anticoagulant. Komodo dragons’ group behavior in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world.
The diet of big Komodo dragons mainly consists of Timor deer, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. Komodo dragons also occasionally attack humans.
Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September; as many as 20 eggs are deposited at a time in an abandoned megapode nest or in a self-dug nesting hole.
The eggs are incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful.
Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in trees, safe from predators, and cannibalistic adults.
They take 8 to 9 years to mature and are estimated to live up to 30 years.
Komodo dragons were first recorded by Western scientists in 1910. Their large size and fearsome reputation make them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild, their range has contracted due to human activities, and they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. They are protected under Indonesian Law, and Komodo National Park was founded in 1980 to aid protection efforts.
Attacks on humans are rare, but Komodo dragons have been responsible for several human fatalities, in both the wild and in captivity.
According to data from Komodo National Park spanning a 38-year period between 1974 and 2012, there were 24 reported attacks on humans, five of them fatal.
Most of the victims were local villagers living around the national park.
In 2017, there were two attacks – one on a tourist while the other was a construction worker on the island. However, they both survived the attack with severe wounds though.
If you are visiting the Island, it will be helpful to take precautions very seriously as anything can happen at any given time.
Safety Tips
According to Indonesiainvestment, here are some of the safety tips you should adhere to when visiting the Island;
Don’t Wander Alone
You are allowed to travel across the park by yourself. However, it is much safer to use the service and expertise of a local (and official) guide.
Although the lizard has bad vision, its sense of smell is very powerful and therefore it usually has detected you before you have had a chance to detect him.
Moreover, the komodo dragon is good at hiding in bushes or in the shade below stilt houses. The young Komodo dragons can in fact climb trees.
Actually, they enjoy taking a rest in the shady areas of trees. A guide is more alert about these matters (and always brings a special long stick with him to fight off an attack). So, always stay close to the guide or ranger.
Also, go in a group of friends with a guide when visiting the dragons. This is because when the Komodo dragon goes hunting, it prefers to select a target that is alone. You do not want to be caught unawares by the dragon with no one around to help.
It is also important to stay on the park’s official trekking paths. If you leave these paths then you run the risk of coming too close to a (camouflaged) komodo dragon.
Don’t Run Straight, Run in a Zigzag Pattern and Find a Stilted House
Although you should avoid sudden movements such as running, in the case of an actual attack (especially if there is no ranger to protect you with his stick) you may feel the sudden urge to run as fast as you can.
Unfortunately, even though the komodo dragon looks slow and somewhat lazy, they are in fact fast runners and can easily reach a pace of 18 kilometer per hour. Fortunately, the komodo dragon can only run straight ahead.
Thus if you run in a zigzag pattern then the dragon will rapidly give up on the chase because it is an awkward motion to him. If you see a (traditional wooden) stilted house, immediately climb up the stairs because the komodo cannot do that.
But remember these lizards like to enjoy the shade underneath these houses and when it sees a human approaching rapidly (running) it may go in combat-mode. It is not wise to climb into a tree because the younger Komodo dragons can still reach you.
Don’t Make Too Much Noise
Despite bad vision, the komodo dragon has a very well-developed sense of smell and good hearing. If you make a lot of noise then it can either invite a hungry lizard or it can disturb lizards and they may attack because they feel threatened.
Don’t Wear Perfume & No Menstruating Women
The komodo dragon has a very strong sense of smell and therefore it is advised not to use perfume.
Women who are menstruating are not allowed to go see the komodo dragons because the lizards can smell the slightest bit of blood and will be very attracted by it as they perceive it as their prey.
