Komodo Island Dragon and Friend

by World Reflections By Sharon

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Komodo Island Dragon and Friend

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World Reflections By Sharon

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Photograph - Photography

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I took this picture on Komodo Island.

"Komodo, island of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Nusa Tenggara Timur provinsi (province), Indonesia. The island, which has an area of approximately 200 square miles (520 square km), lies on the Sape Strait between Flores and Sumbawa islands. It is rather hilly, reaching a maximum elevation of 2,700 feet (825 metres). The only village, Komodo, on a bay on the east coast, consists of a few score bamboo huts. The island is best known as the home of the giant monitor lizard, often called the Komodo dragon.
Komodo dragon, (Varanus komodoensis), largest extant lizard species. The dragon is a monitor lizard of the family Varanidae. It occurs on Komodo Island and a few neighbouring islands of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. The popular interest in the lizard’s large size and predatory habits has allowed this endangered species to become an ecotourist attraction, which has encouraged its protection.
Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). The lizard grows to 3 metres (10 feet) in total length and reaches a weight of about 135 kg (about 300 pounds).
The lizard grows to 3 metres (10 feet) in total length and attains a weight of about 135 kg (about 300 pounds). Although most young are produced through sexual reproduction, females that are isolated from males sometimes produce offspring through parthenogenesis. It digs a burrow as deep as 9 metres (29.5 feet) and lays eggs that hatch in April or May. The newly hatched young, about 45 cm (18 inches) long, live in trees for several months. Adult Komodo dragons eat smaller members of their own species and sometimes even other adults. They can run swiftly and occasionally attack and kill human beings. Carrion, however, is their main diet item, although they commonly wait along game trails to ambush pigs, deer, and cattle. They seldom need to capture live prey directly, since their venomous bite delivers toxins that inhibit blood clotting. It is thought that their victims go into shock from rapid blood loss. Some herpetologists note that the physical trauma of the bite and the introduction of bacteria from the Komodo dragon’s mouth to the wound also play roles in slowing and killing prey. Komodo dragons often find their prey in the process of dying or shortly after death." from The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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December 22nd, 2021

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