Komodo Dragon Habitat

The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is a lizard species endemic to a few islands in Indonesia. This member of the monitor lizard family is the largest among the living species of lizards. In fact, owing to its sheer large size, the Komodo dragon tends to dominate the surroundings in which they exist. This dominant predator can eat almost anything including carrion, snakes and smaller Komodo dragons. It can grow to a length of around 6 to 10 ft, and weigh up to 150 lbs. This enormous size, incisive teeth and sharp claws make the Komodo dragon a very good hunter. The existence of these reptiles was only established in the beginning of the 20th century, but today we know some quite fascinating Komodo dragon facts. Read more on different types of lizards.

Habitat of Komodo Dragon
With the normal temperature exceeding 80º Fahrenheit, even at sea level, the Komodo dragon habitat is considered to be one of the roughest place on the planet. These reptiles are native to numerous Indonesian islands, most prominent among which is the Komodo island. Other than Komodo island, Komodo dragons are also known to inhibit the neighboring islands such as Flores, Rintja, Padar, Nusa Mbarapu, Gili, Montang and Padar.

Komodo Dragon Surroundings
The Komodo dragon habitat is most often limited to hot and dry places. The arid volcanic islands inhabited by these reptiles have very scarce amount of water available only for a part of the year. In fact, the islands virtually go dry between March and November with absolutely no water to drink. The Komodo dragons, however, have become adaptable to this region and thus can survive without water for long periods. The monsoons hit the island chain for a short period of time in December, and even these short spell of monsoons cause the islands to flood. So when they do get water, Komodo dragons tend to drink a lot of it. The temperatures are extremely hot and at times, these dragons have to take shelter in the burrows to protect themselves from immense heat. When the temperatures fall, these cold blooded creatures are seen basking in the sun all over these islands. They are solitary animals, which are seen in groups only when they are feeding or during the breeding season. They use their sharp claws to dig holes in the ground for burrowing. Interestingly, other than burrowing, these holes also act as strategic location to ambush the prey.

Komodo Dragon Food
Although the Komodo dragon habitat is just spread over an area of about a 1000 sq. km., it is the most dominant predator in the area it inhabits. It is most often active during the day, but at times even nocturnal traits are also observed among this lizard species. They can sprint for short distances, dive and even climb trees and this helps them to bring down a wide range of animals. The Komodo dragon feeds on water buffalo, deer, wild boars, snakes... basically anything it gets. It's observed that these reptiles most often depend on carrion, but they also have tendency to hunt down other animals, including full grown water buffaloes, that are found on these islands. Komodo dragons have sharp claws and teeth which prove to be helpful in hunting. More importantly, Komodo dragon's saliva contains virulent bacteria, which can cause the prey to die within a few hours, even if it survives the brutal assault of this large reptile.

Also read

• Komodo: Earth’s Last Dragon
• Komodo Dragons Deserve Our Protection

The arid Komodo dragon habitat is totally unsuitable for human habitation, and perhaps this is the only reason Komodo dragons have been able to survive human onslaught for a long time. More recently however, poaching and loss of habitat has led to a drastic decline in the Komodo population, owing to which the reptile has been enlisted as 'vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Only ideal efforts on the behalf of administration can ensure that these reptiles flourish in an area, wherein its virtually impossible for us to survive.