Monster Week—Enter the Dragon
Monster Week continues—a week in which World Book features animals that look scary enough to be monsters.
September 8, 2015
Dragons do exist! The Komodo dragon can grow to more than 10 feet (3 meters) long and weigh as much as 365 pounds (165 kilograms). It can also smell you from miles or kilometers away. In addition, the Komodo is also venomous—that is, it makes a poison it injects into prey with its bite. Thankfully, however, this animal, the largest living lizard, cannot fly—unlike its mythological namesake. The Komodo dragon lives on the tropical island of Komodo and a few other islands in Indonesia.
Komodo dragons have scaly bodies with long necks, strong claws, and sharp, sawlike teeth. They often scavenge, eating animals that are already dead. Their forked tongues have an organ of smell that helps them detect rotting carcasses (dead bodies) from several miles away. Dragons are also fierce predators, however. They are surprisingly fast, capable of running 13 miles (20 kilometers) per hour for a short time. The lizards hunt deer, wild pigs, and even water buffaloes.
The Komodo dragon inflicts long, deep wounds with its sharp teeth and strong neck. Often, it then patiently tracks its prey for days until the wounded animal weakens and collapses. People used to think that harmful bacteria living in the dragon’s mouth caused deadly infections to those animals unlucky enough to be wounded by the lizard’s jaws. In 2009, however, scientists discovered that the Komodo dragon is venomous. Glands in the dragon’s head secrete toxins that prevent blood from clotting and cause paralysis (loss of the ability to move voluntarily) and shock (a dangerous condition that can occur if the blood fails to circulate properly in the body).
Komodo dragons are at risk of extinction because people have destroyed much of their habitat. Fewer than 5,000 exist in the wild. Zoologists have had success with keeping and breeding dragons, however. You may be able to see some dragons (from a safe distance) at a zoo near you!