All About Komodo Dragons

Today is about Komodo dragons enjoy!

Introduction:

If you've ever read a story about dragons, you know they're huge, fierce, often fire-breathing reptiles with powerful bodies and sharp claws. If you think they're make-believe creatures in storybooks, think again. The Komodo dragon-the world's largest lizard-matches just about every detail of a dragon's description. Komodo dragons can't exactly breathe fire, but their bite is almost as deadly.

Built to Fight:

Komodo dragons are the heavyweight wrestlers of the lizard world, and they're built for a fight. Grabbing their opponents with their forelegs, they attempt to throw them to the ground. They use their muscular tails for balance when they stand upright, especially when two males fight. Dragons are covered with bony plates for protection from bites and scratches from their opponents. Sharp, jagged teeth and huge claws come in handy in battles as well as for killing prey.

Island Home:

Komodo dragons live on five small islands in the Asian country of Indonesia. These hilly islands have a mix of forests and grasslands. The weather is hot, raining and dry seasons. The dragons on two of the islands are much smaller than those on the other three islands. They're smaller in size is an adaptation to less food and a harsher climate. Dragons are strong swimmers. They can swim from one island to another, but most of them stay on their home island. They often walk along beaches, looking for dead fish that have washed ashore. During the day, these giant lizards often deal with the heat by staying cool in burrows. At night, the burrows help them stay warm. They may dig their own burrow or use one made by another dragon. Komodo dragons usually spend their time alone-hunting, eating, and naping.

Dragon Food:

Komodo dragons aren't picky about what they eat as long as it is meat! They're hunters, and they also eat animals that have already died. Their main foods are dear, wild pigs, and water buffalo. They also eat rats, snakes, bird eggs, and dead fish. In addition, adults eat young dragons! Komodo dragons can run to chase down prey. However, they're more like an ambush and then overpower their prey. They often hide along trails, waiting for prey to pass by, and then attack. Dragons don't usually immediately kill the animals they hunt. However, they may bite an animal, which then gets away. The bite usually causes death quickly or within a few days and in a variety of ways. The wound is itself may cause the prey animal to bleed to death. Harmful bacteria from a dragon's mouth may cause a deadly infection. Prey animals may also die from an infection caused by standing in dirty water after being bitten by a dragon. Scientists recently discovered that Komodo dragons have venom-a a type of poison delivered by bites. Most study is needed to understand how the venom and bacteria are involved in bringing about the deaths of dragons prey. Dragons have a handy way of finding dead animals. They use their forked tongue to taste the air. Then they touch their to a special organ on the roof of their mouth to identity tiny odor particles in the air. They can tell the direction of the prey by noticing which tongue tip has more particles. Then they take off in a direction to find their next meal.

Saving Dragons:

Only 3,000 to 5,000 dragons are alive in the wild. Because females have much shorter lives than a few as 350 breeding females may still be alive. Dragons are considered vulnerable which means they are at risk of becoming endangered. Dragons are losing their homes to people who clear wildland. Villagers may kill dragons that attack livestock. Poachers kill them or kidnap them for sale as pets. In some areas, Komodo dragons must compete with humans and wild dogs for enough food to eat. Scientists around the world are working to keep Komodo dragons from being extinct. Some scientists study dragons in Indonesia to understand their habitats and need. Conservation groups work with schools and communities to teach people how to protect Komodo dragons. Since 1992, zoos in and outside of Indonesia have succeeded in raising Komodo dragons. Many different zoos now work to help keep dragons alive.

Conclusion:

Komodo dragons-the largest lizards in the world-are fierce creatures and clever hunters. They have wealth of adaptions to help them survive. In addition to sharp teeth and claws, They have huge, strong bodies that can overpower almost any opponent. Maybe we will see them in the future or not!