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Range and Habitat: Komodo monitors are found on the three
small Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca and the western end
of Flores. Komodo monitors inhabit areas that are commonly hot
and dry for much of the year, but are subjected to a short monsoon
season during which most of the year's 35 inches of rain occurs.
Preferred vegetation can vary from dry open grasslands and savannas,
to tropical forests at lower elevations.
Habits and Adaptations:: Young monitors are well adapted
to their arboreal life where their coloration is a useful camouflage
and the slender body, long tail and sharp claws enable them to
move through the trees. As they become older, the coloration changes
as does the body confirmation and many of the daily habits. They
eventually become terrestrial where they become more interactive
with other Komodos and change feeding habits to larger prey and
carrion.
Komodos live in a very hot and dry environment. They prefer a
body temperature of approximately 97 degrees Fahrenheit and much
of their time is spent thermoregulating to achieve and maintain
that temperature. They will seek out warm areas in the morning,
cool areas during the hottest parts of the day and may burrow
for the night to minimize body heat loss overnight.
Komodo monitors have 60 teeth that are shed and replaced much
like shark teeth. The teeth are flattened and serrated so that
they are very effective for cutting through food items.
Diet: Young monitors will feed on arboreal lizards and
insects. As they grow and become more terrestrial, they will prey
opportunistically on most anything available, from rodents and
snakes to birds and their eggs. Large monitors feed on goats,
deer, boar and even 1000 pound water buffalo. Large prey are often
sick or older animals that may be weak. Komodos often ambush their
prey by hiding along game trails. Some prey are injured by the
hunting monitors, later die and are then consumed as carrion.
Komodos are cannibalistic, so smaller individuals are occasionally
eaten by larger ones. There are cases of humans being consumed
or killed by Komodo monitors.
Breeding and Maturation: In the wild, Komodo monitors
will lay eggs during the dry months of July through September.
Nests are dug in the ground, covered and left unguarded to incubate
for 8 or 9 months. Little is known from the wild, however, four
clutches of eggs produced at National and Cincinnati Zoos have
ranged from 24 to 29 eggs. Eggs incubated artificially have been
hatched at approximately 210 days, when kept at 29.5 degrees Celsius.
The young monitors are born approximately 15 to 18 inches long
and, in captivity, have reached lengths of more that 4 feet by
two years of age. It is estimated that Komodos mature at about
5-6 years of age.
Although their natural lifespan is unknown, Komodos in captivity
have survived for as long as 20 years. Many large reptiles are
long lived, however, and the Komodo monitor's lifespan in the
wild has been estimated at approximately 50 years.
Miscellaneous: Like snakes, monitors have a sensory organ
in the roof of their mouths known as the Jacobson's organ, which
is used to smell. The tongue is used to transfer the smell to
the organ. Komodos are capable of sensing carrion from long distances
with this system. The jaws of the dragon are capable of stretching
and unhinging to enable them to eat large prey, again, much like
the snake. If possible, the prey is consumed whole. When it's
too large, the meat will be torn and cut into manageable sized
bites and swallowed. Komodos are able to eat 80 percent of their
empty body weight at one large feeding.
Komodo monitors, also known as Komodo dragons or oras, occur
in a very small area of approximately 400 square miles. This limited
range puts the population of perhaps 5000 at risk from human encroachment
and poaching. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has classified
Komodo monitors as an endangered species and there is now an area
designated as Komodo National Park where the animals are protected.
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