King of the lizards: There are over 3, lizard species, but the Komodo dragon wins the prize for being the largest living lizard in the world! It is a type of monitor lizard, an ancient group of reptiles with ancestors that date back more than million years. Komodo dragons were unknown by western scientists until , and their common name came from rumors of a large dragon-like lizard occurring in the Lesser Sunda Islands.
These large lizards range in color from black to yellow-gray, depending on their location, and have a rough, durable skin reinforced with osteoderms bony plates protecting them from injuries from scratches and bites. Komodo dragons also have a large, muscular tail and long, powerful claws. The islands are volcanic in origin, rugged and hilly, and covered with both forest and savanna grassland. Komodo dragons have the smallest home range of any large predator in the world!
They like it hot, with daytime temperatures during the dry season that often reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit 35 degrees Celsius with percent humidity. Some dragons scratch shallow burrows to rest in at night to keep warm, and as a cool shelter to retreat to from the heat of the day.
They may either make their own burrows or use an existing one another lizard created. Sometimes these burrows can be seen along the slopes of dry streambeds among tree roots. However, not all Komodo dragons use burrows; in fact, one adult male on Komodo Island often sleeps at night in an abandoned hut that visitors used to stay in!
An adult dragon leads a life of leisure. It emerges from its burrow to look for a sunny spot to warm up in. After a late afternoon meal, the dragon is ready for bed, sleeping soundly in its burrow until a new day begins. It is a solitary creature that lives and hunts alone. An adult Komodo dragon eats whatever food is available. Its natural prey, however, is the Timor deer. The deer are wary and quite agile, requiring the dragon to resort to lying in ambush in the long grass next to game trails, in order to be successful in hunting.
