Content
- Curiosities about the komodo dragon
- The Komodo Dragon Story
- Where does the Komodo dragon live?
- Komodo dragon reproduction
- Does the Komodo dragon have venom?
- Does the Komodo dragon attack the human?
- What happens if a person is bitten by a Komodo dragon?
The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) has sharp teeth to rip its prey and, to top it off, still swallows it whole. But is that does the komodo dragon have venom? And is it true that he kills using this poison? Most people believe that the powerful toxic bacteria they have in their mouths are the reason their victims die, however, this theory has been completely discredited.
The scientific community then turned its attention to this species, which is native of indonesia. Another common question about the animal is: is the Komodo dragon dangerous to humans? What happens if a person is bitten by one of these lizards? Let's take all these doubts out in this PeritoAnimal article. Good reading!
Curiosities about the komodo dragon
Before talking about the venom of the Komodo dragon, we'll detail the characteristics of this curious animal. He is a member of the Varangidae family and is considered the largest species of lizard on Earth, reaching up to 3 meters in length and weighing up to 90 kilos. Your sense of smell is particularly keen, while your vision and hearing are somewhat more limited. They are at the top of the food chain and are the ultimate predators of your ecosystem.
The Komodo Dragon Story
It is estimated that the evolutionary story of the Komodo dragon begins in Asia, specifically in a missing link of giant tarantulas that inhabited the earth over 40 million years ago. The oldest fossils found in Australia date back to 3.8 million years and stand out for being individuals of the same size and species as the current one.
Where does the Komodo dragon live?
The Komodo dragon can be found on five volcanic islands in the southeast of indonesia: Flores, Gili Motang, Komodo, Padar and Rinca. It is perfectly adapted to an inhospitable, resistant territory, full of pastures and wooded areas. It is more active during the day, although it also takes advantage of the night to hunt, being able to run up to 20 km/h or dive up to 4.5 meters deep.
They are carnivorous animals and feed mainly on large prey such as deer, water buffalo or goats. A few years ago a Komodo dragon was spotted, even feeding on an entire monkey in just six chews.[1] They stand out for being very stealthy hunters, catching their prey off guard. Once shredded (or not, depending on the size of the animal), they eat them completely, which means they don't need to feed for days, in fact, they they only eat about 15 times a year.
Komodo dragon reproduction
Breeding these giant lizards is by no means simple. Their fertility starts late, around the age of nine or ten, which is when they are ready to breed. You males have a lot of work to fertilize females, who are reluctant to be courted. For this reason, males often have to immobilize them. The incubation time for eggs varies between 7 and 8 months and, once hatched, the chicks start to survive on their own.
Unfortunately, the Komodo dragon is included on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and is classified as vulnerable among the endangered species on the planet.
Does the Komodo dragon have venom?
Yes, the komodo dragon has venom and it's even on our list of 10 poisonous lizards. For many, many years it was believed that it was not poisonous, but several recent studies carried out after the 2000s have proved this fact.
Komodo dragon venom acts directly, lowering blood pressure and promoting blood loss, until the victim goes into shock and is unable to defend himself or run away. This technique is not unique to the Komodo dragon, other lizard and iguana species also share this method of incapacitation. However, there are doubts that Komodo dragons only use their venom to kill.
Like other lizards, they secrete poisonous proteins through their mouths. This feature makes your potentially poisonous saliva, but it is important to note that its venom is different from that of other animals, such as snakes, which can kill in a matter of hours.
The saliva of these varanids is combined with bacteria, which are the cause of the weakening of their prey, also favoring blood loss. A surprising detail is that wild Komodo dragons have up to 53 different strains of bacteria, far below those they can have in captivity.
In 2005, researchers at the University of Melbourne observed localized inflammation, redness, bruises and stains after a Komodo dragon bite, but also low blood pressure, muscle paralysis, or hypothermia.There are reasonable doubts that this substance has other biological functions besides weakening the prey, but what we certainly know is that the Komodo dragon has venom and it is better to be careful with this animal.
Does the Komodo dragon attack the human?
A person can be attacked by the Komodo dragon, although this is not often. O danger of this animal lies in its great size and strength., not in its poison. These minions can sniff their prey from up to 4 kilometers away, approaching quickly to bite them and waiting for the venom to act and facilitate their work, thus avoiding a possible physical confrontation.
What happens if a person is bitten by a Komodo dragon?
The bite of a captive Komodo dragon is not particularly dangerous, but in any case, if a person is bitten by a specimen in captivity or wild, it will be essential to go to a health center to receive antibiotic-based treatment.
After the bite of this animal, a human would suffer blood loss or infections, until it was weakened and therefore helpless. At that moment the attack would occur, when the Komodo dragon would use its teeth and claws to tear the victim apart and feed. In the main image of this article (above) we have a photo of a person who was bitten by a Komodo dragon.
And now that you know that the Komodo dragon has poison and we know its characteristics better, maybe you might be interested in this other article where we talked about animals that were extinct long ago: know the types of carnivorous dinosaurs.
If you want to read more articles similar to Does the Komodo dragon have venom?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.