– After it was thought for a while that the world's largest lizard had toxic bacteria in its saliva to kill its prey, it has now been proven that the Komodo dragon produces its own venom, just like venomous snakes.
This poison causes a rapid drop in blood pressure, accelerates blood loss and hypothermia, and leaves the victim too weak to escape, let alone defend themselves.
According to this, no animal, no matter how large, dangerous, or insignificantly small, is protected from the potent venom of the Komodo dragon.
In addition to its potent venom, Komodo dragons possess 60 sharp, serrated teeth, each approximately 2.54 cm long. These teeth are perfectly suited for attacking and inflicting a severe bite. However, the Komodo dragon's bite force is relatively low compared to other predators (around 35 bar, compared to the lethal bite of a saltwater crocodile at approximately 255 bar). This lower bite force is compensated for by the venom during hunting.
– As mentioned previously, the Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world; some adult males can reach a length of 3 meters and a weight of 70–91 kg.
Nevertheless, the Komodo dragon hunts completely silently. It stealthily and inaudibly stalks its prey; the victim, therefore, has no idea that it is being pursued. As soon as it is close enough to its target and at precisely the right moment, the Komodo attacks, relying on blood loss through tissue damage.
As its prey nears death, the reptile tears off large chunks of flesh and swallows them whole. This is thanks to its flexible jaws and highly elastic stomach. Consequently, nothing is left behind; everything is consumed: horns, bones, skull...
Like snakes and most lizards, Komodo dragons possess a highly developed sense of smell, for which they use their long, forked tongue. The tongue picks up particles in the air, and these molecules are then analyzed by a special organ called Jacobson's organ via two indentations in the roof of the mouth. The information is then transmitted to the brain – just like in the world of snakes.
The Komodo dragon's keen sense of smell allows it to locate prey or carrion from over 9 km away. There was even a report of a Komodo dragon entering a house because it was attracted by the smell of a ranger's dirty socks and mistook them for rotting meat!
The Komodo dragon got its name from an old rumor that dragon-like creatures roamed and terrorized the Indonesian island of Komodo until the species was discovered in 1910. Called "Ora" by some locals, meaning "land crocodile," the Komodo is actually a monitor lizard and not a close relative of the crocodile.