As a reptile lover, the Komodo dragon is one of my absolute favorites.
It’s the king of all lizards!
I’m not alone either. These monstrous lizards are famous all over the world despite there only being a few thousand in existence.
And yet even with all that fame, there are still lots of things most people don’t know about these awesome reptiles.
In fact it wasn’t until around 2009 when it was discovered that they’re venomous! Prior to that, everyone thought their bites killed large animals due to the bacteria in their mouth.
So today I want to share with you 11 facts about the Komodo dragon.
Komodo Dragons Will Dig Up Graves And Eat Dead Bodies
It’s true!
Komodo dragons have a keen sense of smell which is highly attuned to dead and dying animals.
That includes humans too!
In fact their sense of smell is SO good, they can detect carrion from nearly six miles away!
These lizards have been known to dig up the remains of humans after they have been buried, and eat them. Due to this, locals are forced to bury the bodies of their dead in harder soils such as clay rather than the sandy material that makes up the majority of the land on the islands.
They also pile big rocks on top of the graves to help keep dragons from getting to the carcasses.
Their Tongues Are Made For Smelling More Than Tasting
It’s a classic scene:
A Komodo dragon walking forward, head swaying side to side with a foot long tongue flicking in and out.
What it’s actually doing is using its tongue and Jacobson’s organ to taste the air.
This is not the same kind of “tasting” that you and I do though. The Komodo dragon only has a few taste buds on the back of its tongue for actual tasting.
Why does it do this?
It’s gathering heavy, moist molecules from the air on its forked tongue.
When it pulls its tongue back in, it places the forks on the Jacobson’s organ located on the roof of its mouth. Since the tongue is forked, the dragon can tell which side has more molecules on it and determine the direction to go.
It can also determine if the scent is getting stronger as it moves along, letting the Komodo know when it’s getting closer to the target.
Did You Know YOU Have A Jacobson’s Organ?
The Jacobson’s organ, also known as the vomeronasal organ, is used by all snakes and lizards. It is an organ located in the nasal cavity and extends to the roof of the mouth.
It’s split in two by the septum bone in the nasal cavity.
Due to this, a reptiles forked tongue rests nicely on each side of the organ which is what allows it to determine direction.
The organ is tied to an animals sense of smell which is why we say snakes and lizards smell the air with their tongues.
Many mammals have this organ too, including humans.
Unfortunately our Jacobson’s organ no longer works, and is simply a relic of our ancient past.
You might be surprised to learn that it is still active in various mammals including dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs and even in some primates.
It is reptiles however, who have perfected its abilities and use it with such expert proficiency.
How Komodo Dragon Venom Works
By now, most people accept it as fact that these lizards are venomous, but few know how it works.
Snakes inject venom into their prey using fangs. Venom glands connected to the fangs, inject venom much like a syringe.
The snake squeezes specific muscles located next to the glands, which forces the venom through the fangs and into its victim.
Komodo dragons on the other hand, have venom glands located in the lower jaw.
They don’t have hollow fangs either, so they have to use a different method for envenoming their prey.
When they squeeze their jaw muscles, they work the venom into their mouth and around their gums and teeth. By biting and slashing with their teeth repeatedly, they are able to work the venom into the victims blood.
The effects of Komodo dragon:
The effects of the venom starts with severe pain and swelling that extends from the location of the bite.
Toxic proteins in the venom prevent blood from clotting and lowers blood pressure. The next thing to happen is muscle paralysis and the onset of hypothermia.
Eventually the animal goes into shock and loses consciousness.
They Can Be Lazy Hunters
Many people have heard about the Komodo dragon that bit a water buffalo, then followed it for a few days, waiting for it to die.
This story is usually told as a way to show the persistence and intelligence of these lizards as the dragon had the patience to wait until the buffalo was disabled enough to no longer present any danger before starting to feed.
The truth is that while these lizards are certainly capable of such feats, and have even been recorded doing them, they usually prefer far easier meals.
Komodo dragons are opportunistic eaters.
They would rather eat an animal that’s already dead rather than hunt one down.
They’re also ambush hunters, preferring an easy catch that comes close to them.
They sometimes do this by closing their eyes and showing disinterest or feigning sleep.
Other times they walk until they are close enough to catch their prey with a burst of speed, which by the way can be up to 13 miles per hour.
More About Their Hunting Style
Just because Komodo dragons prefer an easy meal, doesn’t make them a shy or skittish light weight.
They are an apex predator that are fully capable of taking on larger animals.
Komodo dragon attacks are fast and fierce.
They prefer to knock their opponents down with their tail and/or body weight, then slash with their serrated teeth, killing their prey quickly and efficiently.
They also prefer prey that they can swallow whole.
Komodo Dragons Are Cannibals
It’s true! They eat their own kind!
In fact baby Komodo dragons pretty much head straight for the trees as soon as they hatch in order to avoid being eaten.
Of course bigger dragons aren’t the only thing that might eat the babies, but they are definitely high on the list!
Bonus fact!
Baby and juvenile Komodo dragons are excellent tree climbers. Adult dragons would also make for excellent climbers if they didn’t weigh so much. Their large, heavy bodies are simply too heavy to make tree climbing possible as adults.
Bonus fact 2!
Baby Komodo dragons don’t just rely on trees for safety. They have also been observed rolling around in fecal matter in order to disguise their scent.
Babies aren’t the only easy Komodo meal that these lizards will take advantage of.
Sometimes when there is a fight between larger dragons, the loser may be injured.
The smell of blood, and the sight of easy prey can be too much for the other lizards to handle and a feeding frenzy can ensue.
Komodo Dragons Have A Hierarchy When It Comes To Meal Time
Adults that are injured in a fight aren’t the only things that can create a feeding frenzy.
Living on an island and being able to smell a dead animal from six miles away means multiple hungry dragons are bound to show up when there is a fresh kill.
Size matters here.
The larger males are the first ones to get to eat. Next would be smaller males and the females.
Juveniles and maybe even some babies then come in to finish off anything that wasn’t eaten. Usually that’s not very much though because…
Komodo Dragons Are Very Efficient Eaters
These lizards are known to consume 90% of the animal that they kill.
Compare that to lions which only eat 70% of their kill, and you see that these lizards are super efficient!
When possible, the Komodo dragon prefers to eat its prey whole.
Their hinged jaws can open enormously wide, and their bellies can extend enough to hold up to 80% of their own body weight.
There have even been observations of these lizards trying to jam food down their throats by ramming the end of a carcass into a stationary object such as a tree.
They can’t digest things like teeth, hooves or horns however, so after eating an animal such as a Timor deer, they regurgitate those things in what is known as a gastric pellet.
Yuck!
They aren’t the only animals that do this though, as owls are known for doing the same thing.
Komodo Dragon Hearing, Sight and Touch
At one point in time it was thought that these lizards were deaf.
This was disproved when an employee of the London Zoological Garden named Joan Procter (link to Wikipedia page about her) showed that she could summon a captive Komodo dragon with just her voice, even when the lizard couldn’t see her.
We now know that while they are able to hear, they don’t hear all that well.
They can pick up sounds between 400-2000Hz. Compare that to humans who hear between 20-20,000Hz and you see a huge difference.
As for sight:
The Komodo dragon can see in color, which means it sees well during the day, but not quite so well at night.
They are thought to be able to see up to 980 feet away, but that their visual acuity is more attuned to moving objects. This means stationary objects tend to blend together, while something that is moving grabs their attention allowing them to zero in on it.
Then there’s the sense of touch.
You would think their armored body would dull their sense of touch, but the Komodo dragon has sensory plaques around its eyes, mouth, ears and on the soles of their feet which aid with this sense.
How Komodo Dragons Drink
These lizards can’t lap up water with their tongue, and they can’t put their mouth to the surface of the water and suck it up either.
So how do they drink?
They take in large mouthfuls of water, and then tip their head back letting gravity do the work.
Summary
Komodo dragons are awesomely unique reptiles.
Their huge size, replaceable teeth and potent venom make them THE apex predator of the Komodo islands.
It’s these same qualities that make them so endearing to many people, including those who would normally not like reptiles.
If you want to learn more about these magnificent lizards, check out this article, How Dangerous Is A Komodo Dragon.