Komodo Dragon, this name is famous in the wild world and is known as "Komodo Dragon". This title is full of mystery and magic, like a legendary creature in a fantasy story.

Some people believe that the Komodo dragon has excellent hunting ability comparable to that of the liger and tiger crocodile, and there are even rumors that the venom in its body is enough to defeat any opponent. The reptile, which lives on a remote Indonesian island, has gained international prominence online, thanks in large part to the influence of early nature documentaries. So, what is the real situation of Komodo dragons? Can it be compared with ligers and crocodiles?

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The Komodo dragon, whose scientific name is Komodo dragon, is the largest lizard known so far and belongs to the reptile family Squamidae. Although it is called a "dragon" in Western legends, it is completely different from the dragon in Chinese legends. However, for the sake of convenience, we will stick with the name "Komodo Dragon".

Komodo dragons are only distributed on a few islands in the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia, with a population of about 6,000. Among them, there are about 1,700 on Komodo Island, perhaps 2,000 on Flores Island, 1,300 on Rinca Island, and 1,000 on Motang Island. Komodo dragons were once widely distributed throughout Flores, but now their habitat has been compressed to a small area along the coast, and the Komodo dragons on Padar Island have become extinct.

Komodo dragons will not spare any edible food, including reptiles, birds, monkeys, deer, wild boars, goats and buffalo, and will even prey on juveniles of the same species and their offspring.

According to legend, ancient Chinese voyagers saw this terrifying reptile while drifting in the Lesser Sunda Islands, but it was not until 1910 that Europeans first discovered the Komodo dragon. Locals call it "dry crocodile" and think it is a land-dwelling crocodile, but in fact, the Komodo dragon has excellent swimming ability and its water ability is as good as that of crocodiles. It was not until 1912, when Peter Ouwens reported on the Komodo dragon, that it became known to the world. In 1980, Komodo National Park was established, which includes Komodo Island, Rinca Island, Padar Island and other small islands. It was included in the World Heritage List in 1991.

Often, people pay special attention to the size of animals, especially those that are larger. Therefore, in early documentaries, in order to attract the audience, the Komodo dragon was often shot as huge as Godzilla through clever photography techniques, giving people the impression that this animal is extremely large. Compared with other reptiles, the Komodo dragon is indeed a "giant", but compared with other large animals, it is slightly inferior.

Komodo Island: 226, with an average SVL of 92.14 cm and an average weight of 23.47 kg.

Rinca Island: 228, with an average SVL of 86.29 cm and an average weight of 20.94 kg.

The food resources on these two islands are abundant, so the Komodo dragons here are larger. Nuse Kode and Motang Island have fewer food resources, so the Komodo dragons in these areas are relatively small.

According to field measurements, the largest Komodo dragon has an SVL of 154.05 cm, a total length of 304 cm, and a weight of 81.5 kg. However, these data are calculated for males and females combined. If males are considered alone, their average weight is about 30-40 kilograms, and large individuals can even reach more than 50 kilograms. About 15% of large individuals have an average weight of more than 60 kilograms.

The largest recorded wild Komodo dragon is 3.04 meters long and weighs 104 kilograms. There is also an individual with a total length of 3.13 meters and a weight of 166 kilograms, but its abdomen contains a large amount of undigested food.

Seeing these data, many people may be surprised: How can the Komodo dragon be so small? Why are there such large differences within populations? In fact, this difference is very common among reptiles.

Reptiles are small when they hatch, grow slowly and can grow throughout their lives, but their growth rate slows down as adults, and their body size is greatly affected by factors such as environment and age. The huge Komodo dragons we usually see in videos and pictures are all adult large individuals, while small individuals tend to hide, because Komodo dragons have the habit of preying on each other, and large individuals will prey on small individuals. Therefore, small individuals are difficult to observe, which also leads to the mistaken belief that all Komodo dragons are so huge.

Let’s talk about the growth process of the Komodo dragon.

In the study from 2002 to 2010, five islands where Komodo dragons live were surveyed. The results showed that male Komodo dragons may live to be 60 years old, while females live shorter, half as long as males due to childcare tasks and internal competition.

The growth rate of male Komodo dragons begins to slow down after about 25 years old. By the age of 60, the body length (SVL) can reach 160 cm, and the total length can even exceed 3 meters. However, the weight is affected by the living environment. Influence. At the age of 30, females can reach 115 cm in length.

Therefore, the actual size of the Komodo dragon is not as large as people think. In comparison, lions and tigers can grow to more than 250 kilograms, and the crocodile can even reach 6 meters in length and weigh more than 1 ton. Even the largest Komodo dragon can't compete with them.

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So, can the venom of the Komodo dragon make up for its size disadvantage?

The venom of the Komodo dragon has always been a concern and is considered its ultimate weapon. Some people believe that it is as poisonous as a highly venomous snake and can be fatal with just one bite. But new research shows that bacteria in the mouths of Komodo dragons are not the main source of toxicity. MRI scans revealed that the Komodo dragon had two venom glands on its lower jaw, which injected venom through its teeth. The Komodo dragon is one of the largest known venomous animals.

The venom of the Komodo dragon is a hemotoxin, which can cause the prey's blood to fail to coagulate, blood vessels to dilate, heart blood pressure to drop, and muscles to become paralyzed, eventually leading to massive blood loss and death. A 1.6-meter-long Komodo dragon contains 30 milligrams of venom, enough to kill a 40-kilogram deer. Research also shows that Komodo dragons hunted using a combination of bites and venom. Their forked tongues can track prey, but due to their weak bite force, prey sometimes escapes, but eventually dies.

Bacteria in the Komodo dragon's mouth also play a role, but they are not the main means of hunting. Their stomach acid destroys harmful bacteria, but the foul-smelling saliva in their mouths only adds to the impression.

To sum up, the Komodo dragon is indeed a reptile with extraordinary abilities, but it should not be overly mythical.