Komodo Dragons
Prepare to meet the world’s largest lizard. We are home to brothers ‘Thorn’ and ‘Shruikan’.
Built to be a predator
Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizards, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t stealthy, waiting for hours for prey to come close enough that they can make their attack. A Komodo dragon’s bite isn’t just deadly because of its sharp serrated teeth, but also because of its venom, which slowly kills the prey over a few days. Known for its long, forked tongue, a Komodo dragon can taste the air and analyze it to find where prey is.
- IUCN Red List Status: Endangered (at very high risk of extinction in the wild)
- Type: Reptile
- Habitat: Islands of Indonesia
- Diet: Carnivore – deer, pigs, and water buffalo
- Size: Up to 3 metres long
- Weight: 150 pounds on average
facts about our animals
Fun Facts about Komodo Dragons
Komodos are carnivores, and will eat any meat, including carrion and even smaller dragons.
Komodos can eat up to 80% of their body weight in a single feeding.
When threatened, a Komodo dragon can vomit to lessen its body weight and escape quickly.
As ambush hunters, Komodo dragons rely on camouflage and patience as they wait for prey to pass them before attacking, and are capable of taking down and killing animals as large as a water buffalo.
Females will lay up to 30 eggs at a time, and if a male is not available for breeding, may reproduce asexually.
If a prey animal manages to escape, the Komodo dragon’s venom can lower blood pressure and prevent the blood from clotting, causing the prey to weaken and go into shock as it slowly bleeds out.
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