text x_quick_Title2=Class: Reptilia~Order: Sauria~Family: Varanidae~(Varanus komodoensis)
text x_quick=Where In the World~` There are an estimated 5,000 Komodo dragons in the wild.~` They are found on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Flores, Pinja, Pada, Gili Mota, and Owadi Sami. These islands are part of a chain of islands called the Lesser Sunda.~` The historical range of the dragons seems to be about the same.~ ~Take a Look!~` A large Komodo dragon can be ten feet long. The longest known is about twelve feet long. They stand about three feet tall.~` The very largest dragons weigh over 350 pounds.~` The Komodo dragon is the largest of all the lizards. Its official name is the Komodo Island monitor. (A monitor is a kind of lizard.)~` It has fiercely jagged teeth, heavy claws, and loose, grey skin that hangs in folds like chain mail.~ ~All in the Family~` Komodo dragons are members of the monitor lizard family, which includes about 30 species. Monitor lizards in Africa, the Middle East, southern Asia, Indonesia, and Australasia.~ ~Just the Facts~` Komodo dragons, for all their enormous size, can run up to 30 miles an hour, can swim very well, and until they grow too big, can and do climb trees well.~` They are not unusually aggressive to each other, but do not live in a formal community.~` Komodo dragons are true carnivores - meat eaters. They eat whatever they can catch, from insects and rats for young, small dragons, to pigs, goats, and deer for the larger dragons.~` While Komodo dragons can and do eat fresh meat, they are essentially scavengers and prefer to find an animal that has already died. They prefer their carrion after it has been dead a while.~` Komodo dragons breed in June, July, and August. The female digs a nest in the side of a low, grassy hill and lays from one to thirty eggs. The eggs hatch about eight months later. ~` The newly hatched dragons do not have the protection of their parents. They survive because they tend to climb trees and stay out of reach of any harm.~` Komodo dragons probably live for between twenty and thirty years. Some many be as old as 50 years.
;Habitat
text x_hab= The Indonesian Ocean is full of islands. Most of the islands where the Komodo dragons live are too small to show up on a globe. The Lesser Sunda Islands, home to the Komodo dragons, are east of the long, skinny island of Java and south of the larger, round island of Borneo and the island of Celebes. These islands have no other large predator besides the Komodo Island monitor. ~\
There are six neighbouring islands in the Lesser Sunda which are home to the Komodo dragons. They are Komodo, Flores, Pinja, Pada, Gili Mota, and Owadi Sami. The dragons are capable of swimming to any of these islands, although they tend to stay on their own islands. If prey was hard to find, or if their habitat was damaged, they might swim to another island. ~\
The dragons live in grasslands and low scrubland. They prefer to be near water, and can swim well. They are active in the daytime, despite the tropical heat of islands near the equator. Komodo dragons have poor eyesight, but their sense of smell is very good. They "taste" the air with their tongues which are part of the sense organ. As air passes over the tongue, over the roof of the mouth, and into the nose, the air is sampled to see what smells it holds.
;Food
text x_eat= Komodo dragons are voracious carnivores - they will eat just about any meat they can find. Even carrion, animals that have been dead a while, is eaten (apparently with great gusto) by these giant lizards. The diet varies depending on the age of the dragon. Newborns, who are only a foot long at birth, eat insects and smaller lizards. They often climb into trees to find food. (Climbing into trees is a good idea for the smaller dragons, as they themselves are on a larger dragon's list of tasty snacks.) ~\
Half grown dragons graduate to hunting rats and birds, and the full-grown dragons stop at nothing. They ambush wild pigs, feral goats, deer, and even livestock, including cows and horses. They eat in huge, gulping chunks. Smaller animals are eaten almost whole - an entire pig can be consumed in about 15 minutes. After that, the dragon sleeps in the sun while its powerful digestive system handles the meal - hooves, bones, and all.
;Habits and Characteristics
text x_life= Thousands of years ago, the ocean levels were lower and more islands were visible. (The islands are still there - they're just covered with water.) During that time, the Komodo dragon's ancestor swam from its place of origin in Australia and went "island hopping." Eventually, the monitor species came as far north as the Lesser Sunda Islands, which include Komodo and other islands where the Komodo dragon lives now. Since that time, the oceans have risen to their current heights and the island steps to Australia are underwater. The Komodo dragon can still swim, and can move from local island to local island. The ancestors of the current Komodo dragons were even bigger - up to 20 feet long. They hunted the pygmy elephants that lived in the Lesser Sundas. When humans first arrived in the islands, the people killed off all the pygmy elephants. After that time, the dragons ate the goats and pigs that the people brought. ~\
Sometimes it's hard to understand just how big a Komodo dragon can be. (Most of the lizards we are familiar with are so much smaller.) But think of it this way - at ten feet long, a big Komodo dragon is almost as long as a small car, and can raise its head high enough to look in the car's windows. That's a big lizard! There is nothing else on the Lesser Sunda Islands that can threaten an adult dragon (except humans). The Lesser Sundas have no other big meat-eaters, so the Komodo dragon is at the top of the food chain. In fact, the young Komodo dragons are often at risk of being eaten by the "top dog" on the islands - a grown Komodo will eat a young Komodo if they happen to meet while the older one is hungry. Luckily, the young dragons are born with an instinct to climb trees. The largest dragons are too big to climb, so the young are usually safe until they've grown a bit more. In the meantime, the young dragons eat the insects and small lizards that dart around the trees. ~\
The big Komodo dragons lie in wait along established prey paths. They hide in bushes waiting for a pig or goat to wander along. Then they rush out and attack, killing the animal quickly and devouring it in huge chunks. Komodo dragons also have a taste for carrion - an animal that is already dead - and if the carrion is getting a little smelly, so much the better. If a Komodo dragon attacks a very large animal (a horse or a cow) it runs the risk of being kicked or injured. So the Komodo darts up quickly, bites the animal, and rushes off again. It hasn't given up the fight - it's just waiting for the animal to die. Even if the wound is slight, the Komodo dragon's saliva has poisonous bacteria in it - the wound will become infected. In the tropical heat of the Indonesian islands, the wound will fester and eventually the horse or cow will die. ~\
Komodo dragons have attacked humans. Often, the most serious part of recovering comes from combating the infection from the saliva. In many cases, the wounds simply don't heal. Once you know enough about the Komodo dragon, it's tempting to think that it must be evil and bad. But the Komodo dragon is just going about the business of living - it doesn't plot against humans and it means no harm. It just wants to eat, sleep in the sun, and be left alone.
;Threats
text x_threat= The only thing that can threaten a Komodo dragon besides another Komodo dragon is a human. As humans have developed the islands of the Lesser Sunda, the Komodo dragon's habitat has been shrinking. Not only are they losing space to development, but they're losing prey as well. ~\
More threatening at the moment than habitat loss is the unhappy relationship between the dragons and the people who live on the islands. There's no denying it - the dragons are dangero
