Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodoensis)

[Pckts]

Komodo DragonBackground Info:Komodo Dragon(all about hunting and eating)Can smell up to 5 miles awayCan climb trees and are great swimmersShredding teeth like a shark that also need replacedFlexible jaw to eat bigger chunks of foodMouth full of bacteria which kills the animal days after a bite due to infectioncarnivorous and cannibalistic (dragons make up to 10% of their diet)hunt pray as large as water buffaloCan eat up to 80% of their own body weightCan run 11 miles an hour to catch prey orsneak attack itHUDO FACTS:---Name is pronounced “Hoo-dough”, named after Indonesian town---DOB 14 January 2003 (So this year he is 9 years old!)---He came to us in 2010 from the Indianapolis Zoo where he was a loaner exhibit---Was born at the DenverZoo---Is the grandson of the Cin. Zoo’s former Komodo Dragon, Naga, who was a donation to the US(George HW Bush) from the Indonesian gov'tHi, my name is _________! And welcome to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Dragons exhibit!Let me introduce you to Hudo, our very own Komodo Dragon! Komodo dragons are a type of monitorlizard from Indonesia, including the Komodo Islands. In fact, they are the largest lizard in the world! Theycan get up to 10 ft long, but our Hudo is only about 6 ft. Some of youmayremember Naga,aKomodoDragon that lived here at the zoo years ago. Hudo is actually Naga's grandson! Hudo is 9 yearsold, but he still has a lot of living to do, as Komodos can live up to 50-60 years!Komodo Dragon's are fierce hunters. Theyare great swimmers, climbers(see those long nails? he canuse those to climb up trees)and are great on land too. In fact, baby Komodo Dragons spend most oftheir time in trees to avoid becoming prey for larger Komodo Dragons!And you think WE have ittough!A KD can actually eat up to 80% of it's body weight in a SINGLE meal. Take Hudo right here, he is rightaround 100 pounds. If you do the math, he could eat up to 80 lbs in one sitting! WOW!Here at CZBG, Hudo eats things like chicks, fish, eggs and rodents. In the wild, KD eat animals like deerbut they are also known to take down an animal as big as a WATER BUFFALO! The KD will bite largeprey, let them walk away and then slowly the animals system will shut down. The animals bloodpressure will get very low and the animal will eventually die from the slow acting venom found withinthe Komodo's mouth. They also have a flexible jaw that lets them to eat bigger chunks of food. The KDwill use it's amazing sense of smell and taste to track down the carcass and it will then have a meal. Theyare great trackers and can follow a scent up to 5 miles away. While Hudo might look kinda slow paced,KD are known to go as fast as 11 MPH! Clearly, they are efficient hunters!Ihope you have enjoyed watching Hudosnack today! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. There'sstill a lot more to do and see here at CZBG, try to check out the sea lion or elephant talks at 2pm (7 days)
http://cincinnatizoo.org/wp-content/uplo...t-2012.pdf



 





























































"In the wild, an adult Komodo dragon usually weighs around 70 kg (150 lb), although captive specimens often weigh more.[14] According to the Guinness Book of 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).[15] The largest verified wild specimen was 3.13 m (10.3 ft) long and weighed 166 kg (366 lb), including undigested food.[12] 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.[16] This creates an ideal culture for the bacteria that live in its mouth.[17] It also has a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue.[12] Komodo dragon skin is reinforced by armoured scales, which contain tiny bones called osteoderms that function as a sort of natural chain-mail.[18][19] This rugged hide makes Komodo dragon skin poorly suited for making into leather."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon
(from wiki, take it for whats it worth)

"The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard. The largest verified specimen reached a length of 10.3 feet (3.13 m) and weighed 366 pounds (166 kg). This may have included a substantial amount of undigested food. More typical weights for the largest wild dragons are about 154 pounds (70 kg). Although the Komodo can run briefly at speeds up to 13 mph (20 kph), its hunting strategy is based on stealth and power. They can spend hours in one spot, waiting for a deer, boar, goat, or anything sizable and nutritious. Monitors can see objects as far away as 985 feet (300 m), so vision does play a role in hunting, especially as their eyes are better at picking up movement than at discerning stationary objects. Their retinas possess only cones, so they may be able to distinguish color but have poor vision in dim light. They have a much smaller hearing range than humans. The result is an animal that can not hear such sounds as a low-pitched voice or a high-pitched scream."
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/reptil...dragon.cfm

 













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