Komodo Dragon Facts for Kids

So you thought that you would never be able to see a dragon for real? That the only place to see them are the illustrated pages of some Chinese story books? Well you could still brag to your friends that you saw a real dragon, just don't go into the details about how it looked. Well, it surely doesn't spew fire from its mouth. Nor does it have wings to fly. But Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards on this planet, that are voracious eaters and fearsome predators. In the following lines we will make a journey into the lives of this amazing wild animal, by learning some Komodo dragon facts.

Komodo Dragon Facts

• Though named as dragons, Komodo dragons are lizards. They are the heaviest lizards on Earth that can weigh upto 150 pounds and can grow as long as 3 meters.
• These are natives of the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. Komodo dragon habitat is characteristically hot and dry. The environment in which they thrive is acknowledged to be one of the toughest in the world.
• Komodo dragons have a large, flat head, a rounded snout and a long, muscular tail. They move on four strong but bowed legs.
• These members of the family of the monitor lizards are carnivores. They mostly eat dead animals' remains. However, they also hunt deer, pigs, smaller dragons and other animals on the island.
• These animals are perfect predators. They wait in hiding for their prey and as one passes their way, these lizards spring on their prey and kill them with the help of their powerful claws and sharp teeth. Some dragons are also been reported to have knocked down large preys with a single blow of their strong tails.
• Although, vision and hearing are important for Komodo dragons, they rely largely on their sense of smell for hunting. They detect their prey with the help of their long, forked tongue.
• One of the amusing facts of Komodo dragons is that their saliva contains large numbers of deadly bacterias. Once a prey has been bitten by this mighty lizard, its fate is sealed. Even if it escapes the powerful jaws of a Komodo dragon, the prey is sure to die. The saliva of the Komodo dragon has millions of deadly bacteria that enter the body of the prey once the lizard has set its teeth in its flesh. Within 24 hours the prey would die of blood poisoning, caused by the bacteria from the saliva of the Komodo dragon.
• Komodo dragons eat their prey by tearing large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole. They are known to swallow whole of their smaller preys. Komodo dragons are efficient eaters and are known to eat almost 80% of their body weight in a single meal.
• One of the interesting facts about Komodo dragon is that they have slow metabolism. Due to this reason, they can survive on just 12 meals per year. Due to their slow digestion, these lizards sit in the sun after having eaten their meal, this aids in the digestion of the food. Quick digestion of the food is important as, if food is left in the body for long in undigested form, then it can rot and cause food poisoning.
• Males fight with each other to mate with females. During this battle of dominance, males grapple with one another upon their hind legs. The winner then rubs his chin on the female or may scratch or lick her back.
• Mating takes place sometime between May and August. A female lays eggs in the month of September. A female can lay up to 20 eggs at a time.
• Komodo dragons can live up to 30 years. Despite their long life and the fact that it is the most efficient predator of the Indonesian islands, Komodo dragons are enlisted as endangered species. The reasons behind this plight of the mighty lizard are hunting and destruction of their natural habitat by human beings. Read more on komodo dragons deserve our protection.

Interesting Komodo Dragon Facts for Kids

• Unlike the other different types of lizards, Komodo dragons maintain a single mate throughout their lifetime.
• It is the only lizard that hunts and kills prey larger than its body and bigger than what it can swallow whole.
• To avoid being eaten by larger Komodo dragons, youngsters often roll in their own feces so that they give out a foul smell that the adult Komodos avoid.
• Although, babies can be born only through mating of a male and a female, there are instances when babies were born from a single Komodo without mating between individuals of different genders.

Although, the Komodo has evolved for millions of years on the islands of Indonesia, their existence came be known to human beings only about 100 years ago. In just about a century's time, we have put the existence of this marvelous creature in danger. We need to do something about this animal before one of the Komodo dragon facts reads "Thrived for millions of years, known to human beings for a century, but extinct now!"