Endangered Komodo Dragon
Take a walk in the Indonesian desert, through the terrain of rocks and grasses. Chances are that you will come across a giant lizard that blends in with its surroundings. This lizard is called the Komodo Dragon. The Komodo Dragon is the largest living species of lizard in the world. They can grow up to nine feet long and can weigh over one hundred fifty pounds! It is recorded that the biggest Komodo Dragon was over 10 feet long and three hundred seventy pounds! That is beyond taller than the average human being. They are said to be so big because of island gigantism. However, some scholars believe that these huge beings are descendants from larger lizards from the dinosaur days. Either way, you wouldn’t want to cross one of their paths.
The Komodo Dragon stays its size and length by the diet it consumes. It is considered carnivorous, so it dines on other animals. Because the Komodo Dragon is such a big lizard, it can consume many other animals ranging from small mammals and birds to some even bigger, such as deer and carrion. With the bigger prey, the Komodo Dragon uses its limbs as leverage and tears pieces of carcass and eats it piece by piece. However, when its thirsty, it cannot suck water out of a nearby source. Since it has no diaphragm, the Komodo Dragon has get a mouthful of water and allow it to run down its throat.
The Komodo Dragon has been raised to vulnerable state on the endangered species list. There are approximately around five thousand in the species left today. Some are held in captivity, such as zoos to help further population efforts. However, most are left in their habitats because in captivity their life spans are generally shorter because they are susceptible to parasites and disease.
