Yes, this is a Komodo dragon. That tree is about 8” in diameter, so this guy is about ten feet long. He’s one of the big ones. We saw five of six of these as well as one which was about three feet long. These are fascinating animals, but they are very dangerous.
Komodo dragons can run 20 to 30 mph when they are chasing prey. They are completely carnivorous as well as cannibalistic. They will actually eat any of their own young who are not fast enough to get from egg shell up into a tree. The young then live in trees - the ones that make it….
This dead palm tree is the ideal hiding place for the youngest Komodo dragons. They live in the trees for three years after hatching. Otherwise, they are snacks for the big ones. And speaking of eating, a full grown dragon eats about once a week. He’s not fussy. Let’s say he catches a wild pig. He swallows it whole, hoofs, bones and all. Sometime later, he will regurgitate the hoofs and some of the bigger bones. Once they are full for the week, they don’t much stir themselves. However, a hungry dragon will attack a person if not driven off. Just last year, one tourist (obviously a stupid one) was bitten so badly, he died. He was wandering around the jungle without a guide.
The Komodo’s live on their own island, and the entire island is a National Park. You are not allowed off a boat or ship without an experienced guide who has additional protection with him. This is Rocman - one of the protectors of our tour. He hovered right beside me the entire hike knowing with my slow speed with double sticks would make me seem like prey.
Two protectors are assigned to each tour group. See his forked stick? That’s what he would use to trap a dragon around the neck, and the second guy with the same type stick would back him up. If two dragons are fighting, usually over a female, they would use both sticks to pull them apart. I think I would have felt safer if they had been armed with cattle prods. However, the whole point is to not injure the animals.
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| Komodo island |
The dragons live in a steamy tropical jungle that covers the entire island. It is very verdant, with plenty of other animals for the dragons to eat including pigs, deer, and other small mammals. The largest dragons do not move very fast to catch prey. They wait for another animal to run something down and kill it. Then, the dragons move in. What animal in its’ right mind would insist on its’ own kill when a dragon wants it. The Komodos are almost like the jungle garbage disposals. There are bout 1000 dragons on the island.
On our hike through the jungle to locate dragons, our minders were hypervigilant because one of the dragons needed to eat - its stomach was deflated. They also use camouflage. Can you spot the dragon?
And, sometimes they just THINK they are camouflaged…..
Rocan took my camera and got this shot. He was right on top of this one.
We took the ‘short’ walk because we were both worried about my ability to keep up on anything longer. I’m discovering it’s not just my knees and back, it’s also the debilitating heat and humidity. After time in the jungle, I’m bright red and pouring perspiration.
I did manage to get my pictures copied & a link created. There’s a video which really shows a dragon off. Click on the link. Bali is our next stop!
