Elephant Puppet Meets A Komodo Dragon
4Elephant Puppet Meets A Komodo Dragon
EP Meets The Largest Monitor Lizard The Komodo Dragon
The Description Of The Habitat
Colchester Zoo is one of the few zoos in the UK approved to keep Komodo dragons and we are fortunate to currently house a number of them. In the past we have had previous breeding success within the EEP breeding programme for this species.
When Komodo dragons are fully grown the males can reach up to 3 metres long!
The Komodo dragon is the largest surviving lizard in the world, averaging a length of 2.1m and they can also can run up to 11 miles an hour in short bursts.
Action for the Wild, Colchester Zoo’s charity has supported the Wae Wuul Nature Reserve Rehabilitation Project in Komodo.
When Komodo dragons are fully grown the males can reach up to 3 metres long!
The Komodo dragon is the largest surviving lizard in the world, averaging a length of 2.1m and they can also can run up to 11 miles an hour in short bursts.
The Komodo dragon is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix I of CITES; their number has declined in the wild due to the threat of widespread habitat loss, a loss of prey species and hunting.
Action for the Wild, Colchester Zoo’s charity has supported the Wae Wuul Nature Reserve Rehabilitation Project in Komodo.
facts about Komodo dragons
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 m (9.8 ft), and weighing up to 70 kg (150 lb).
As a result of their size, Komodo dragons are apex predators, and dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. Komodo dragons' group behaviour in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of Komodo dragons mainly consists of Javan rusa (Rusa timorensis), though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. Komodo dragons also occasionally attack humans. In the wild, adult Komodo dragons usually weigh around 70 kg (150 lb), although captive specimens often weigh more.[23] According to Guinness World Records, an average adult male will weigh 79 to 91 kg (174 to 201 lb) and measure 2.59 m (8.5 ft), while an average female will weigh 68 to 73 kg (150 to 161 lb) and measure 2.29 m (7.5 ft).[24] The largest verified specimen in captive was 3.13 m (10.3 ft) long and weighed 166 kg (366 lb), including its undigested food.[5] The largest wild specimen had a length 3.04 m (10.0 ft), a snout-vent length (SVL) 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in) and a mass of 81.5 kg (180 lb) excluding stomach contents.[25][26] The heaviest reached a mass in 87.4 kg (193 lb).[25] The study noted that weights greater than 100 kg (220 lb) were possible but only after the animal had consumed a large meal.[25][26]
The Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body, as well as about 60 frequently replaced, serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 cm (1 in) in length. Its saliva is frequently blood-tinged because its teeth are almost completely covered by gingival tissue that is naturally lacerated during feeding.[27] It also has a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue.[5] Komodo dragon skin is reinforced by armoured scales, which contain tiny bones called osteoderms that function as a sort of natural chain-mail.[28][29] The only areas lacking osteoderms on the head of the adult Komodo dragon are around the eyes, nostrils, mouth margins, and pineal eye, a light-sensing organ on the top of the head. Where lizards typically have one or two varying patterns or shapes of osteoderms, komodos have four: rosette, platy, dendritic, and vermiform.[30] This rugged hide makes Komodo dragon skin a poor source of leather. Additionally, these osteoderms become more extensive and variable in shape as the Komodo dragon ages, ossifying more extensively as the lizard grows. These osteoderms are absent in hatchlings and juveniles, indicating that the natural armor develops as a product of age and competition between adults for protection in intraspecific combat over food and mates.[
The music used in this video
Asian Drums - Vadodara by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100396
Artist: http://incompetech.com/